Leaf-mine:
Full depth, initially a much branched corridor, irregular in width,
in the end almost a blotch. The mine has openings by which part
of the frass is ejected. The larvae frequently leave the mine to
restart elsewhere. Older larva live free and cause window feeding,
often erasing their old mines. In Coltsfoot also pseudo-mines are
made, when the larva eats away the lower epidermis with the leaf
tissue, but spares the dense hair cover (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. The larvae lie on their sides within the mine and use their pick-like mouthparts to feed on plant tissue.
Elongate, without feet, but with a recognisable head capsule (Bladmineerders van Europa).
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).
Comments: Ranunculus ficaria is treated as Ficaria verna (Lesser Celandine) by Stace (2010).
Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:
Host
elsewhere:
Time
of year - mines: Currently unknown.
Time
of year - adults: Currently unknown.
Distribution
in Great Britain and Ireland: East Norfolk (NBN Atlas). Distribution
elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria,
Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany and Poland (Heller, 2004
in Fauna Europaea).
NBN Atlas links to known host species:
Adoxa
moschatellina,
Arctium
lappa, Arctium
minus, Caltha
palustris, Carduus
crispus, Carduus
nutans, Chrysosplenium
alternifolium, Cirsium
arvense, Cirsium
oleraceum, Cirsium
palustre, Cirsium
vulgare, Glechoma
hederacea, Lamium
maculatum, Lobularia
maritima, Lycopus
europaeus, Myosotis
palustris, Myosotis
sylvatica, Petasites
albus, Plantago
major, Prunella
vulgaris, Pulmonaria
officinalis, Ranunculus
acris, Ranunculus
ficaria (= Ficaria
verna),
Ranunculus
repens, Senecio
ovatus, Silene
dioica, Stachys
sylvatica, Tussilago
farfara |
Also
recorded in Algeria.
British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: Currently unknown.
|