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

 

Phytomyza sedicola Hering, 1924
[Diptera: Agromyzidae]


Phytomyza sedicola Hering, 1924a. Z. wiss. InsektBiol. 19: 33, 40
Phytomyza sedicola Hering, 1924a; Hendel, 1935. Fliegen palaearkt. Reg. 6(2): PAGE
Phytomyza sedicola Hering, 1924a; Spencer, 1972b. Handbk ident. Br. Ins. 10(5g): 86 (fig. 290), 90, 115
Phytomyza sedicola Hering, 1924a; Spencer, 1976. Fauna ent. Scand. 5(1): 494-5, figs 865-6
Phytomyza sedicola Hering, 1924a; Spencer, 1990. Host specialization in the World Agromyzidae (Diptera) : 50, 98 (figs 350-1), 99. 101, 125, 140.


Leaf-miner: A shallow, irregularly linear mine which can develop into a secondary blotch (Spencer, 1972b: 90). Pupation internal, the puparium loose in the mine (Spencer, 1976: 494).

Upper-surface, whitish (shallow), strongly contorted corridor, that may form a secondary blotch. Frass in a few, widely scattered grains. Pupation mostly within the mine; in front of the brown puparium lies a preformed exit slit (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 de Meijere (1926) and Griffiths (1976c).

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).

Brown (Spencer, 1976: 494). The puparium is illustrated in (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Phytomyza sedicola puparium
Phytomyza sedicola puparium
Image: © Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa)

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Crassulaceae        
Sedum telephium Orpine British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1972b: 115

Hosts elsewhere:

Crassulaceae        
Cotyledon       Spencer, 1990: 101
Sedum       Spencer, 1990: 101
Sedum album White Stonecrop British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Sedum cepaea Pink Stonecrop   Bladmineerders van Europa
Sedum rosea Roseroot British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Sedum telephium Orpine British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Sedum telephium subsp. fabaria     Bladmineerders van Europa
Sedum telephium subsp. maximum     Spencer, 1976: 494
Umbilicus rupestris Navelwort British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - mines: May and July (Hering, 1957).

Time of year - adults: August.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Westmorland (Keswick) (Spencer, 1972b: 90).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden (Spencer, 1976: 494), Germany (Spencer, 1976: 578), Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italian mainland, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Switzerland (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Sedum cepaea, Sedum telephium, Sedum telephium subsp. maximum

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Chalcidoidea   
Halticoptera aenea (Walker, 1833) Pteromalidae: Miscogastrinae
Halticoptera patellana (Dalman, 1818) Pteromalidae: Miscogastrinae
Miscogaster hortensis Walker, 1833 Pteromalidae: Miscogastrinae
Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available  
Chorebus punctum (Goureau, 1851) Braconidae: Alysiinae
Grammospila rufiventris (Nees, 1812) Braconidae: Alysiinae
Apodesmia similis (Szépligeti, 1898) Braconidae: Opiinae
Opius propodealis Fischer, 1958 Braconidae: Opiinae
Utetes rotundiventris (Thomson, 1895) Braconidae: Opiinae


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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Find images using Google


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