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COSMOS. Mexican Aster [Asteraceae]

Only one species of Cosmos are recorded in Britain, the introduced Mexican Aster (C. bipinnatus).

Only one British miner is recorded on Cosmos.

Key for the identification of the known mines of British
insects (Diptera and non-Diptera) recorded on Cosmos

1 > Leaf-miner: Mine linear, whitish, both upper and lower surface. Pupation internal, at the end of the mine with the anterior spiracles projecting through the epidermis (Spencer, 1976: 433). Upper-surface, less often lower-surface corridor. Frass in isolated grains. Pupation within the mine, in a, usually lower-surface, pupal chamber. A long whitish upper surface corridor, which eventually goes lower surface.

Two highly polyphagous species of Chromatomyia, with indistinguishable mines, have been recorded in Britain. These are syngenesiae (Hardy) and horticola (Goureau) which can only be distinguished by the male genitalia. Both species are widespread in Britain and elsewhere, although syngenesiae is almost entirely restricted to Asteraceae. Records on Asteraceae not based on examination of male genitalia are treated in this account as Chromatomyia 'atricornis'.

Chromatomyia horticola has been recorded on Cosmos elsewhere, but not yet on Cosmos in Britain.

Chromatomyia horticola (Goureau, 1851) [Diptera: Agromyzidae].