Coleophora ibipennella
Coleophora ibipennella is a moth of the case-bearer family (Coleophoridae). It was first described by Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1849 and is found in Asia, Europe and North Africa. The larva feed within a pistol case on oak leaves (Quercus species) and in the past was confused with Coleophora betulella, whose larva feed from a similar looking pistol case on birch leaves (Betula species). Taxonomy The moth was first described in 1849 by Phillpp Zeller from a specimen found on oak at Frankfurt on Main, Germany. Four years later the species was mentioned by Henry Stainton as a moth to look for in Britain. Shortly afterwards he found a larval pistol case on birch and called it, firstly C. ibipennella Heyden, and later C. ibipennella Zeller. Stainton believed they were the same species (i.e. conspecific) as Zeller’s oak-feeding moth. In 1861 John Scott realised they were separate species and re-named the oak-feeding moth C. ardeaepennella. This left the birch-feeding specimen as C. ibipennella. Maximilian Wocke introduced the name C. betulella, in 1877 for the birch-feeding species. English authors continued to use the name C. ibipennella, but as C. ibipennella Stainton to distinguish it from C. ibipennella Zeller. Following protests by