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

  

Amauromyza lamii (Kaltenbach, 1858)
[Diptera: Agromyzidae]

Agromyza lamii Kaltenbach, 1858. Verh. naturh. Ver. preuss. Rheinl. 15: 78
Amauromyza lamii (Kaltenbach, 1858); Spencer, 1990. Host specialization in the world Agromyzidae (Diptera) : 204, 205, 249, 320.

Leaf-miner: Initially a long, slim corridor, the frass alternating on either the side of the corridor. After moulting, the larva broadens the mine and the frass is less regular. Pupation external (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Mine of Amauromyza lamii on Stachys sylvatica. Image: Willem Ellis (Source: Bladmineerders van Europa)
Mine of Amauromyza lamii on Stachys sylvatica
Image: © Willem Ellis (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 larva is described by Dempewolf (2001a) and de Meijere (1934). Rear spiraculum with three bulbs; the posterior one not conspicuously enlarged or curved; this separates both A. lamii and morionella from A. labiatarum, by far the commonest Amauromyza on Lamiaceae (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).

The posterior spiracular pore on the posterior spiracle is a little larger than the other two and strongly bent (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Comments: The British record on Glechoma (Robbins, 1991: 103) is considered unlikely to be correct (Henshaw in Chandler, 1998: 139).

Stachys officinalis is treated as Betonica officinalis (Betony) by Stace (2010).

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland: Currently unknown.

Hosts elsewhere:

Lamiaceae        
Ajuga       Bladmineerders van Europa
Ajuga reptans Bugle British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Ballota       Spencer, 1990: 205
Ballota nigra Black Horehound British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Galeopsis       Spencer, 1990: 205
Galeopsis tetrahit Common Hemp-nettle British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Glechoma hederacea Ground-ivy British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Glechoma hirsuta     Bladmineerders van Europa
Lamiastrum galeobdolon Yellow Archangel British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Lamium       Spencer, 1990: 205
Lamium album White Dead-nettle   Bladmineerders van Europa
Lamium maculatum Spotted Dead-nettle British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Lamium orvala     Bladmineerders van Europa
Lamium purpureum Red Dead-nettle British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Leonurus cardiaca Motherwort British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Leonurus marrubiastrum     Bladmineerders van Europa
Marrubium       Spencer, 1990: 205
Marrubium vulgare White Horehound British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Melittis melissophyllum Bastard Balm British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Mentha       Bladmineerders van Europa
Scutellaria       Spencer, 1990: 205
Scutellaria columnae     Bladmineerders van Europa
Stachys       Spencer, 1990: 205
Stachys alpina Limestone Woundwort   Bladmineerders van Europa
Stachys menthifolia     Bladmineerders van Europa
Stachys officinalis Betony British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Stachys palustris Marsh Woundwort British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Stachys sylvatica Hedge Woundwort British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - mines: May-July and August-October (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: The record on Glechoma from Warwickshire (Kingsbury Wood) (Robbins, 1991: 103) is considered unlikely to be correct (Henshaw in Chandler, 1998).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including The Netherlands, Luxembourg (Bladmineerders van Europa), Belgium (de Bruyn and von Tschirnhaus, 1991), Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania and Slovakia (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Ajuga reptans, Ballota nigra, Galeopsis tetrahit, Glechoma hederacea, Lamiastrum galeobdolon, Lamium album, Lamium maculatum, Lamium purpureum, Leonurus cardiaca, Marrubium vulgare, Melittis melissophyllum, Stachys alpina, Scutellaria columnae, Stachys officinalis (= Betonica officinalis), Stachys palustris, Stachys sylvatica

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available  
Chorebus trilobomyzae Griffiths, 1968 Braconidae: Alysiinae
Grammospila rufiventris (Nees, 1812) 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		 Find using Google
Find using Google Scholar
Find images using Google

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