Pupal cases? - Coleophora serratella

Moved

Moved from Casebearer Moths.
I believe these are all Coleophora serratella. This is the only species known to make a tubular (as opposed to spatulate) leaf case on birch, and when younger it makes a strongly curved, composite leaf case.

… Charley Eiseman, 25 March, 2015 - 7:03pm

Some are...

some aren't. It does look like there are some cocoons in there, but they would never vary in size. It does look like the cocoons are mimicking the natural growths, which look like little overwintering flower buds. The one in the lower right even looks like it has started to unfurl just a litte...or is this just me?

… Chris Grinter, 23 January, 2009 - 12:08am

I think it's an artifact of the FOV

I think it's just the really shallow field of view in the photo (an unfortunate consequence of the wide aperture I had to use to get enough light to photograph them). The buds were all much larger than that, and reddish. Some of the cases seemed to be open at one end, like their occupants had already left, while others didn't have as obvious an opening. The ones that puzzled me were the little short curved ones.

… Seabrooke Leckie, 23 January, 2009 - 12:26am

right, which is why I thought

right, which is why I thought they would be growing out of the plant...but I'm certainly no botanist.

Hows that moth book coming?

… Chris Grinter, 23 January, 2009 - 12:29am

Fairly well! We've found it a

Fairly well! We've found it a home in the Peterson Field Guide series (probably as a large-size book, like their new Birds they just released), and it should be published in the second half of 2010. Our deadline is next summer for all our materials, etc. A little bit of a longer schedule than I'd first envisioned when contacting folks back last spring, but on the up side it gives us more time to make sure we've got the best photos and data available to us.

… Seabrooke Leckie, 23 January, 2009 - 9:31pm