Leaf-miner: The
larva makes several full depth blotch mines (Bladmineerders van Europa).
Larva: The larvae of flies are leg-less maggots without a head capsule (see examples). They never have thoracic or abdominal legs. They do not have chewing mouthparts, although they do have a characteristic cephalo-pharyngeal skeleton (see examples), usually visible internally through the body wall.
Steyskal (1970a, as P. mixta) gives a detailed description.
The most remarkable detail is the strongly enlarged basal tooth
of the mandible (Bladmineerders van Europa).
Puparia: The puparia of flies are formed within the hardened last larval skin or puparium and as a result sheaths enclosing head appendages, wings and legs are not visible externally (see examples).
Comments:
A serious pest on spinach and beet crops (Michelsen and Baez,
1985a). Pegomya exilis and Pegomya cunicularia were distinguished from Pegomya
betae and Pegomya hyoscyami by Michelsen (1980). Material of both [the former species] had previously
been assigned to those [two latter] species (Chandler, pers. comm.).
Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland: Unknown.
Hosts
elsewhere:
Time
of year - mines:
Unknown.
Time
of year - adults: Currently unknown.
Distribution
in Great Britain and Ireland: Recorded from Cambridgeshire, Clyde Isles, East Kent, Edinburgh, Glamorgan, Huntingdonshire, Merionethshire, North Somerset, West Cornwall, Westmorland
and Shetland (NBN
Atlas). Distribution
elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Balearic Is., Canary Is., Czech Republic, Danish
mainland, Finland, Greek mainland, Hungary, Italian mainland, Malta,
Norwegian mainland, Russia (Central), Sweden, East Palaearctic,
Near East, North Africa (Michelsen in Fauna Europaea).
NBN Atlas links to known host species:
British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: Currently unknown.
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