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

  

Tachyerges stigma (Germar, 1821)
[Coleoptera : Curculionidae].

Salius stigma Germar, 1821
Orchestes alboscutellatus Dejean, 1821
Orchestes confundatus Schoenherr, 1835
Curculio jota Paykull, 1800
Tachyerges rufitarsis Stephens, 1831
Tachyerges stigma (Germar, 1821).

Leaf-miner: Oviposition in the base of the midrib, without giving rise to an oviposition scar. The larva initially bores inside the midrib. Later it leaves the midrib, forming a broad corridor in the blade, that widens into a blotch. Finally the legless larva pupates in a globular cocoon inside the mine. Because the mine develops at a time that the leaf is fully developed, mined leaves are not disfigured (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Larva: The larvae of beetles have a head capsule and chewing mouthparts with opposable mandibles and lack abdominal legs.

Pupa: The pupae of beetles have visible head appendages, wings and legs which lie in sheaths (see examples).

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Betulaceae        
Betula       Pitkin & Plant
Corylus avellana Hazel British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Salicaceae        
Salix       Pitkin & Plant

Hosts elsewhere:

Betulaceae        
Alnus glutinosa Alder British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Betula nana Dwarf Birch British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Betula pendula Silver Birch British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Corylus avellana Hazel British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Salicaceae        
? Populus alba White Poplar British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
? Populus nigra Black-poplar British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Salix caprea Goat Willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Salix cinerea Grey Willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Salix repens Creeping Willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Salix viminalis Osier British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - larvae: May and August (Hering, 1957), June-August (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Time of year - adults: Unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Widespred in Britain including Anglesey, Berkshire, Cambridgeshire, Cardiganshire, Cheshire, Cumberland, Denbighshire, Dorset, Dumfriesshire, East Kent, East Norfolk, East Ross, East Suffolk, East Sussex, Glamorgan, Leicestershire, Monmouthshire, North Hampshire, North Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Pembrokeshire, Shropshire, South Hampshire, South Lancashire, South Wiltshire, Stafford, Surrey, Warwickshire, West Gloucestershire, West Kent, West Lancashire, West Suffolk, West Sussex, Westerness, Westmorland and Worcestershire (NBN Atlas).

Also recorded in Ireland (InvertebrateIreland Online).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Bulgaria, ? Corsica, French mainland, Germany, Hungary, Italian mainland, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia - Central, East, Northwest and South, Slovakia and Yugoslavia. Also recorded in the East Palaearctic (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Alnus glutinosa, Betula nana, Betula pendula, Corylus avellana, ? Populus alba, ? Populus nigra, Salix caprea, Salix cinerea, Salix repens, Salix viminalis

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, as Salius stigma
Fauna Europaea
NBN Atlas
NHM UK Checklist

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