The leaf and stem mines of British flies and other insects
 

(Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera)

by Brian Pitkin, Willem Ellis, Colin Plant and Rob Edmunds

 

Anoplus plantaris (Naezen, 1794)
[Coleoptera : Curculionidae]


Curculio plantaris Naezen, 1794
Curculio brevis
Marsham, 1802
Rhynchaenus plantaris (Naezen, 1794); Gyllenhal, 1813
Anoplus plantaris (Naezen, 1794); Dejean, 1821
Orchestes plantaris (Naezen, 1794); Zetterstedt, 1828.
Anoplus atratus Stephens, 1831
Anoplus nitidulus Stephens, 1831


Leaf-miner: Long, full depth mine, starting at an oviposition scar, mostly in the distal part of the midrib; the scar may be swollen and gall-like. Frass line variable in width, sometimes quite broad. Usually the corridor loosely follows the leaf margin, and the part of the leaf that is cut off from the centre dies off. The larvae live in spring, when the leaf is unfolding; later in summer affected leaves are recognisable because the tip of the leaf and parts of the marginal teeth are missing, by remnants of the corridor and by a general disfiguring of the leaf. The larva leaves the mine before pupation (Bladmineeders van Europa).

Larva: The larvae of beetles have a head capsule and chewing mouthparts with opposable mandibles and lack abdominal legs (see examples).

Pupa: The pupae of beetles have visible head appendages, wings and legs which lie in sheaths (see examples).

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Betulaceae        
Betula       Colin Plant (pers. comm.)

Hosts elsewhere:

Betulaceae        
Alnus glutinosa Alder British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineeders van Europa
Betula pendula Silver Birch British Wildflowers. John Somerville et al. Bladmineeders van Europa
Betula pubescens Downy Birch British Wildflowers. John Somerville et al. Bladmineeders van Europa

Time of year - larvae: Currently unknown.

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Widespread in Britain including Anglesey, Cambridgeshire, Cardiganshire, Caernarvonshire, Cheshire, Cumberland, Denbighshire, Dorset, Dumfriesshire, East Kent, East Norfolk, East Ross, East Suffolk, East Sussex, Easterness, Glamorgan, Huntingdonshire, Leicestershire, Monmouthshire, Montgomeryshire, North Lincolnshire, North-east Yorkshire, Oxfordshire, Radnorshire, Shropshire, South Aberdeenshire, South Devon, South Essex, South Hampshire, South Lancashire, Stafford, Surrey, West Kent, West Lancashire, West Norfolk, West Suffolk, and Westmorland (NBN Atlas).

Also recorded in Ireland (InvertebrateIreland Online).

Distribution elsewhere: Europe including French mainland, Germany, Italian mainland, Poland, Russia - Central, East, Northwest and South and Slovakia (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Alnus glutinosa, Betula pendula, Betula pubescens

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: Currently unknown.


External links:

Search the internet:

Biodiversity Heritage Library
Bladmineeders van Europa
British leafminers
Encyclopedia of Life
, as Curculio plantaris
Fauna Europaea
NBN Atlas
NHM UK Checklist

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