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

 

Agromyza alnivora Spencer, 1969
[Diptera: Agromyzidae]

Agromyza albitarsis Zetterstedt, 1848. Diptera Scandinaviae. 7: 2735. [Preoccupied by Agromyza albitarsis Meigen, 1830]
Agromyza alnivora Spencer, 1969c. Beitr. Ent. 19: 7
Agromyza alnivora Spencer, 1969c; Spencer, 1972b. Handbk ident. Br. Ins. 10(5g): 37 (figs 116-8), 39, 42, 109
Agromyza alnivora Spencer, 1969c; Spencer, 1976. Fauna ent. Scand. 5(1): 93-5, figs 131-133
Agromyza alnivora Spencer, 1969c; Spencer, 1990. Host specialization in the world Agromyzidae (Diptera) : 54, 60 (fig. 226), 61, 100, 178.


Leaf-miner: Larva forming a linear leaf-mine, considerably widening at end (Spencer, 1976: 94-95, fig. 133).

An upper-surface corridor, initially very shallow, gradually widening (often quite broad in the end), not associated with leaf margin or veins; mature mine often with a characteristic brown colouration. Frass in two rows. The gold-coloured larva leaves the mine before pupation, through a semicircular exit slit in the upper epidermis (Bladmineerders van Europa).

An upper surface gallery, narrow at first but, widening considerably towards the end (British leafminers).

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 larva is illustrated in 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).

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Betulaceae        
Alnus       Mines in BMNH
Alnus       Robbins, 1991: 78
Alnus cordata Italian Alder British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Robbins, 1989: 18
Alnus cordata Italian Alder British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Alnus glutinosa Alder British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Robbins, 1989: 18
Alnus glutinosa Alder British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Alnus incana Grey Alder British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1972b: 109
Alnus incana Grey Alder British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers

Hosts elsewhere:

Betulaceae        
Alnus       Spencer, 1976: 95
Alnus       Spencer, 1990: 54
Alnus glutinosa Alder British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Alnus incana Grey Alder British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Alnus minor     Bladmineerders van Europa
Alnus viridis Green Alder   Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - mines: July, August-September.

Time of year - adults: September and June-July the following year.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Widespread in Britain including Kent (St Mary's Cray), Oxford (Hogley), Cambridge (Chippenham Fen) (Spencer, 1972b: 39), Warwickshire (Coventry) (Robbins, 1991: 78), Inverness (Nethy Bridge) (Spencer, 1972b: 39), the Inner Hebrides (Isle of Coll, Arinagour) (Bland, 1992), Hampshire (Fleet) (British leafminers) and Anglesey, Caernarvonshire, Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire, Derbyshire, East Ross, Easterness, Glamorgan, Main Argyll, Merionethshire, Mid-west Yorkshire, North Ebudes, Shropshire, South Lancashire, South-west Yorkshire, Surrey, West Gloucestershire, West Lancashire and Westerness (NBN Atlas).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Holland, Norway, Romania, Sweden (Spencer, 1976: 95), Czech Republic, French mainland, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Alnus cordata, Alnus glutinosa, Alnus incana

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Chalcidoidea  
Cirrospilus vittatus Walker, 1838 Eulophidae: Eulophinae
Diglyphus chabrias (Walker, 1838) Eulophidae: Eulophinae
Pnigalio pectinicornis (Linnaeus, 1758) Eulophidae: Eulophinae
Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available  
Chorebus credne (Nixon, 1944) Braconidae: Alysiinae


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