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

 

Phytomyza antennaria Bland, 2011
[Diptera: Agromyzidae]


Phytomyza antennaria Bland, 2011.


 

Leaf-miner: Oviposition at the base of one of the older leaves. From here several upper-surface galleries radiate towards the leaf margin; their bases fuse, creating as end result a palmate secondary blotch. The upper epidermis somewhat contracts, causing the leaf margins to curl upwards, somewhat conceiling the mine. Via the leaf basis the larva moves to another leaf; six leaves on average are mined out. The frass is concentrated as a black mass in the basal port of the mine. Pupation within the mine, generally near the base of the leaf, invariably in one of the smaller, youngest central leaves of the rosette (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.

Puparium: 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).

Elongate oval, pale yellowish cream, c. 1.3 mm, segment limits shallow. Rear spiracula with 8-9 papillae on bases that are separated by 4-5 times their height (Bladmineerders van Europa). Drawing in Proc. Trans. BENHS 12: 11 (1999)

Comments: Earlier recorded and depicted by Bland (1999b) as Ophyiomyia gnaphalii. The mines of the two species are quite similar, similarly also the rear spiracula of the puparium (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Apiaceae        
Antennaria dioica Mountain Everlasting British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa

Hosts elsewhere: Currently unknown.

Time of year - mines: Occupied mines were found from May till mid-June; un-emerged pupariria in June; one generation (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Scotland and Northern Ireland (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Distribution elsewhere: Possibly Baltic States (Bladmineerders van Europa).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Antennaria dioica

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



External links: Search the internet:
Biodiversity Heritage Library
Bladmineerders van Europa
British leafminers
Encyclopedia of Life
Fauna Europaea
NBN Atlas
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