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

 

Botanophila depressa (Stein, 1907)
[Diptera: Anthomyiidae
]

Chortophila depressa Stein, 1907. Annu. Mus. zool. Acad. Sci. St.-Petersb. 12: 364
Pegohylomyia oraria Collin, 1967. Entomologist's mon. Mag. 4: 126. [Synonymised by Chandler, 1998]
Pegohylomyia oraria Collin, 1967; Hering, 1970
Botanophila depressa Stein, 1907; Chandler, 1998. Handbk ident. Br. Ins. 12: 165.


Leaf-mine: Blotch (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).

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Chenopodiaceae        
Suaeda maritima Annual Sea-blite British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bland, 1994

Hosts elsewhere:

Chenopodiaceae        
Atriplex pedunculata Pedunculate Sea-purslane   Bladmineerders van Europa
Suaeda maritima Annual Sea-blite British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
? Spergularia media Greater Sea-spurrey British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa, as 'perhaps Spergularia maritima'

Time of year - larvae: Currently unknown.

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Widespread in Britain including Anglesey, Dorse, East Kent, East Sutherland, Easterness, North Devon, Pembrokeshire, South Devon and West Norfolk (NBN Atlas); North Uist (Coquillett, 1901; Bland, 1994)

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental N.W, Europe including Germany (Bladmineerders van Europa), Denmark and Sweden (Michelsen in Fauna Europaea).

Also recorded in China (Stein, 1907: 190).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Atriplex pedunculata, ? Spergularia media, Suaeda maritima

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
NHM UK Checklist
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