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(Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera)
by
Brian Pitkin, Willem Ellis, Colin Plant and Rob Edmunds
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AIRA.
Hair-grasses. [Poaceae]
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Three species and one subspecies of Aira are recorded in Britain. These include the
native Silver Hair-grass (A. caryophyllea) and Early Hair-grass
(A. praecox).
Two British miners are recorded on Aira.
Nearly 100 British miners or possible miners are recorded on grasses in Britain.
A key to the European miners recorded on Aira is provided in Bladmineerders van Europa.
It is recommended that adults of all miners on grasses be reared to be certain of their identity. |
Key for the identification of the known mines of British
insects (Diptera and non-Diptera) recorded on Aira
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1a > Leaf-miner: A narrow whitish linear mine, running down the leaf from the apex,
with frass in two rows of separate grains. Pupation external (Spencer,
1976: 246).
Narrow
corridor from start to end, whitish, uppper- or lower-surface, genarally
running downwards. Mine often along the leaf margin. Frass in distict
grains of regular size, alternating along the sides of the corridor.
Pupation outside the mine. |

Mine
of Liriomyza flaveola on Festuca gigantea
Image: © Willis Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa) |
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On Bromus, Dactylis, Holcus and Poa, but not yet on Aira, in Britain and
additional grasses, including Aira, elsewhere. Common and widespread throughout
Britain. Also recorded in the Republic of Ireland. Common throughout
much of Europe.
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Liriomyza flaveola (Fallén, 1823) [Diptera: Agromyzidae]. |
1b > Leaf-miner: Long, narrow, whitish mine. Pupation internal (Spencer,
1976: 453); anterior spiracles projecting through the epidermis.
Whitish,
upper-surface, rather narrow corridor with comparatively large frass
grains that are laying further apart than their diameter. Pupation
within the mine. The anterior spiracles of the orange-brown puparium
penetrate the epidermis. |
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Chromatomyia nigra larva, lateral
Image: © Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa) |

Chromatomyia nigra pupa, lateral
Image: © Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa) |
Polyphagous. On
numerous genera of grasses, but not yet on Aira, in Britain. Widespread
and common throughout British Isles and much of Europe. Also recorded
in Canada, western U.S.A. and Japan.
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Chromatomyia
nigra (Meigen, 1830) [Diptera: Agromyzidae]. |
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