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

 

Liriomyza tragopogonis (de Meijere, 1928)
[Diptera: Agromyzidae]


Liriomyza tragopogonis de Meijere, 1928. Tijdschr. Ent. 71: 161
Liriomyza tragopogonis de Meijere, 1928; Spencer, 1972b. Handbk ident. Br. Ins. 10(5g): 53 (figs 176-7), 55, 57, 115
Liriomyza tragopogonis de Meijere, 1928; Spencer, 1976. Fauna ent. Scand. 5(1): 266-7, figs 492-3
Liriomyza tragopogonis de Meijere, 192; Spencer, 1990. Host specialization in the World Agromyzidae (Diptera) : 259, 263, 264 (figs 994-5).


Leaf-miner: Green, later brownish corridor or more often an elongated whitish linear blotch overlying the midrib. The mine has short, irregular side branches. Frass in irrgular, dispsersed grains. Pupation outside the mine (Bladmineerders van Europa ; Spencer, 1972b: 53 (fig. 177); Spencer, 1976: 273 (fig. 493), 275).

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 de Meijere (1928). Posterior spiracles each with an ellipse of 7-10 bulbs (Spencer, 1972b: 55).

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).

Orange; posterior spiracles each with an ellipse of 7-10 bulbs (Spencer, 1976: 275).

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Asteraceae        
Tragopogon porrifolius Salsify British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Robbins, 1991: 123
Tragopogon pratensis Goat's-beard British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Mines in BMNH
Tragopogon pratensis Goat's-beard British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1972b: 115

Hosts elsewhere:

Asteraceae        
Tragopogon porrifolius Salsify British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Tragopogon pratensis Goat's-beard British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Tragopogon pratensis Goat's-beard British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1990: 263

Time of year - mines: July, October.

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Widespread in Britain including London (Cripplegate); Middlesex (Scratch Wood); Essex (Stanford-Le-Hope), Norfolk (Norwich) (Spencer, 1972b: 55, as L. tragopogonis), Warwickshire (Coventry, Holbrooks) (Robbins, 1991: 123); North Somerset and South-west Yorkshire (NBN Atlas).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Sweden (Spencer, 1976: 267), Germany (Bladmineerders van Europa ; Spencer, 1976: 562), Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania and Poland (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Tragopogon porrifolius, Tragopogon pratensis

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Chalcidoidea   
Diglyphus isaea (Walker) Eulophidae: Eulophinae


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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