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Leaf-miner: Long, irregular, whitish linear mine which turns brown when older and has conspicuous frass in large widely-spaced black lumps. Pupation external (Spencer, 1976: 371 (fig. 647A), 372).

Very long, initially whitish, later brownish, upper-surface corridor, frequently starting near the leaf tip, often crossing itself. Frass in strikingly large black lumps, more widely spaced than their own diameter. Pupation outside the mine; exit slit in upper epidermis (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).

Posterior spiracles each with 25 or more bulbs (Spencer, 1976: 372).

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Asteraceae
Cirsium	heterophyllum	Melancholy Thistle		Spencer, 1972b: 112, as rydeniana

Hosts elsewhere:

Asteraceae
Cirsium				Spencer, 1990: 251
Cirsium	heterophyllum	Melancholy Thistle		Spencer, 1976: 372
Cirsium	heterophyllum	Melancholy Thistle		Bladmineerders van Europa, as Cirsium helenioides

Time of year - mines: June-October.

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: A boreal alpine species not known to occur south of Yorkshire. Britain including Yorkshire (Malham Tarn), Northumberland (Bamburgh) and Perth (Killin) (Spencer, 1972b).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden (Spencer, 1976: 372), Belgium (de Bruyn and von Tschirnhaus, 1991), Germany (Spencer, 1976: 566), Austria, Czech Republic, French mainland, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Spanish mainland (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: