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

  

Agromyza johannae de Meijere, 1924
[Diptera: Agromyzidae]

Agromyza johannae de Meijere, 1924. Tijdschr. Ent. 67: 130
Agromyza johannae de Meijere, 1924; Hendel, 1931. Fliegen palaearkt. Reg. 6(2): 126
Agromyza johannae de Meijere, 1924; Spencer, 1972b. Handbk ident. Br. Ins. 10(5g): 40 (figs 122-3), 42, 117, 118
Agromyza johannae de Meijere, 1924; Spencer, 1976. Fauna ent. Scand. 5(1): 116-7, figs 188-90.
Agromyza johannae de Meijere, 1924; Spencer, 1990. Host specialization in the world Agromyzidae (Diptera) : 113, 135, 138 (fig. 523), 139, 178.

Leaf-miner: An initially linear leaf-mine, normally adjoining leaf-margin and running towards apex of leaf, then turning and widening into a blotch in the area of the mid-rib (Spencer, 1972b: 40, fig. 123; Spencer, 1976: 117, fig. 190).

Hooklike, upper-surface corridor. The corridor begins near the base of a leaflet, runs along the margin to the tip, then, quickly widening, redescends over the midrib towards the base of the leaflet. Frass in the corridor part in fine grains, further up in small clumps. Pupation outside the mine. Older mines turn black and then are somewhat easier to find (Bladmineerders van Europa).

A narrow corridor along the leaf edge, turning and making a blotch in the midrib area (British leafminers).

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 Allen (1958), Dempewolf (2001: 57), de Meijere (1925) and in Bladmineerders van Europa.

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).

Reddish-orange; posterior spiracles each with 3 bulbs (Spencer, 1976: 117).

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Fabaceae        
Cytisus       Robbins, 1991: 42
Cytisus scoparius Broom British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Mines in BMNH
Cytisus scoparius Broom British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Cytisus scoparius Broom British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1972b: 118
Cytisus scoparius Broom British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bland, in Whiteley, 1994
Genista       British leafminers
Genista aetnensis Mount Etna Broom   Spencer, 1972b: 117
Genista tinctoria Dyer's Greenweed British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1972b: 117
Lupinus       Mines in BMNH
Lupinus       British leafminers
Spartium junceum Spanish Broom British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Mines in BMNH
Ulex europaeus Gorse British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1972b: 118

Hosts elsewhere:

Fabaceae        
Chamaecytisus hirsutus     Bladmineerders van Europa
Cytisus       Spencer, 1990: 113
Cytisus hirsutus     Bladmineerders van Europa
Cytisus scoparius Broom British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Cytisus scoparius Broom British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1976: 117
Genista       Spencer, 1976: 117
Genista       Spencer, 1990:
Genista       Bladmineerders van Europa
Lupinus       Spencer, 1976: 117
Lupinus       Bladmineerders van Europa
Spartium       Spencer, 1990: 113
Spartium junceum Spanish Broom British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Ulex       Spencer, 1990: 113
Ulex europaeus Gorse British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - mines: June-August.

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Common in gardens in Britain where Cytisus is frequently cultivated (Spencer, 1976) including London (Hampstead), Hertfordshire (Barnet), Surrey (Headley) (Spencer, 1972b: 42), Warwickshire (Keresley) (Robbins, 1991: 42), Inverness (Aviemore) (Spencer, 1972b: 42), Rum (Bland in Whiteley, 1994) and Hampshire (Fleet) (British leafminers) and Northern Ireland: Belfast (Spencer, 1972b: 42); Merionethshire and South-west Yorkshire (NBN Atlas).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe, including Denmark, Norway and Sweden (Spencer, 1976: 117), The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg (Bladmineerders van Europa), Germany (Spencer, 1976: 546; Dempewolf, 2001: 57), Crete, Czech Republic, Dodecanese Is., Estonia, French mainland, Italian mainland, Lithuana, Poland and Sicily (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Cytisus scoparius, Genista aetnensis, Genista tinctoria, Spartium junceum, Ulex europaeus

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Ichneumonoidea  
Chorebus lar (Morley, 1924) Braconidae: Alysiinae
Dacnusa maculipes Thomson, 1895 Braconidae: Alysiinae

External links: Search the internet:
Biodiversity Heritage Library
Bladmineerders van Europa
British leafminers
Encyclopedia of Life
Fauna Europaea
NBN Atlas
NHM UK Checklist		 Find using Google
Find using Google Scholar
Find images using Google

XHTML Validator Last updated 07-Oct-2019 Brian Pitkin Top of page