Aulagromyza populi (Kaltenbach, 1864)
[Diptera: Agromyzidae]

Poplar Leaf-miner


Agromyza populi Kaltenbach, 1864. Verh. naturh. Ver. preuss. Rheinl. 21: 336.
Phytomyzapopulivora Hendel, 1926. Blattminenkinde Europas 1: 55.
Agromyza populi Kaltenbach, 1864; Hendel, 1932. Fliegen palaearkt. Reg. 6(2): 288.
Phytomyzapopulivora Hendel, 1926; Nowakowski, 1962. Annls zool., Warsz. 20: 102.
Paraphytomyza populi (Kaltenbach, 1864); Spencer, 1972. Handbk ident. Br. Ins. 10(5g): 67.
Paraphytomyza populi (Kaltenbach, 1864); Spencer, 1976. Fauna ent. Scand. 5(1): 320-1, figs 576-8.
Paraphytomyza populi (Kaltenbach, 1864); Spencer, 1990. Host specialization in the world Agromyzidae (Diptera) : 81, 93.


Leaf-mine: A long winding, whitish linear mine, initially lower surface, later upper surface. Pupation takes place within the leaf, in a distinct pupal blister, the anterior spiracles projecting through the epidermis (Spencer, 1976: 320-1, fig. 578).

Yellowish, tortuous corridor with the sides very untidily eaten out. The mine frequently starts at the lower surface, mostly, but by no means always, turning upper-surface later on. Frass in isolated grains, irregularly distributed at either side of the corridor. Puparium brown, in a widened pupal chamber in the mine; near the frontal end of the pupa the epidermis is already more or less torn open (Bladmineerders van Europa).

A long winding white gallery (as shown), starting lower side, shallow and going upper side, broad. The mines may not be upper surface and in some cases may be totally lower surface. There may be several mines in a leaf (British leafminers).

Larva: The larva is described by (Skuhravá and Roques, 2000) and illustrated in Bladmineerders van Europa.

Puparium: Dark brown; posterior spiracles each having an ellipse of some 20 minute bulbs (Spencer, 1976: 320). The puparium is illustrated in Bladmineerders van Europa.

Aulagromyza populi puparium
Aulagromyza populi puparium
Image: Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa)

Hosts in Britain:

Salicaceae      
Populus     Mines in BMNH
Populus nigra Black-poplar Mines in BMNH
Populus nigra Black-poplar British leafminers
Populus nigra Black-poplar Spencer, 1972: 119
Populus nigra Black-poplar Robbins, 1991: 89

Hosts elsewhere:

Salicaceae      
Populus     Spencer, 1990: 81, 93
Populus alba White Poplar Bladmineerders van Europa
Populus x berolinensis Berlin Poplar Bladmineerders van Europa
Populus canadensis Hybrid Black-poplar Bladmineerders van Europa
Populus deltoides Necklace Poplar Bladmineerders van Europa
Populus x euramericana Hybrid Black Poplar Bladmineerders van Europa
Populus gileadensis   Bladmineerders van Europa
Populus nigra Black-poplar Spencer, 1976: 320
Populus nigra Black-poplar Bladmineerders van Europa
Populus nigra 'italica'   Bladmineerders van Europa
Populus simonii Chinese-poplar Bladmineerders van Europa
Populus tremula Aspen Bladmineerders van Europa
Populus trichocarpa Western Balsam-poplar Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - mines: September, November.

Time of year - adults: Unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Widespread in Britain including London (Hampstead), Surrey, Oxford (Spencer, 1972: 67) and Warwickshire (Canley, Coleshill and Foleshill) (Robbins, 1991: 89). Surrey, West Gloucestershirem and Worcestershire (NBN Gateway - N.B. includes Watsonian Vice Counties having publicly available records that fall within or overlap the vice county border at 10km resolution or better i.e. a record for a vice county may relate to an adjacent vice county - for included datasets see NBN Grid map below).

Also recorded in the Republic of Ireland (Martinez in Fauna Europaea).

NBN Grid map: Note that not all datasets on the NBN Gateway may be available on the map below. If you are an NBN Gateway registered user you can request access for missing datasets via the link 'Open interactive map in new window' below.

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in western and central Europe including Denmark, Norway, Sweden (Spencer, 1976: 320), The Netherlands (Bladmineerders van Europa), Belgium (Scheirs et al., 1994), Germany (Spencer, 1976: 562), Albania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, European Turkey, French mainland, Italian mainland, Lithuania, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Slovakia and Spanish mainland (Martinez in Fauna Europaea).

Range extending eastwards to the Kirghiz Republic of the [former] U.S.S.R. (Spencer, 1976: 320).

NBN interactive distribution map(s) of known host species in Great Britain and Ireland and elsewhere:

Populus alba, Populus x berolinensis, Populus x canadensis, Populus gileadensis, Populus nigra, Populus tremula, Populus trichocarpa

Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Chrysocharis amyite (Walker, 1839) Hymenoptera: Eulophidae
Chrysocharis orbicularis (Nees, 1834) Hymenoptera: Eulophidae
Chrysocharis pentheus (Walker, 1839) Hymenoptera: Eulophidae
Chrysocharis pubicornis (Zetterstedt, 1838) Hymenoptera: Eulophidae
Chrysocharis viridis (Nees, 1934) Hymenoptera: Eulophidae
Cirrospilus diallus Walker, 1838 Hymenoptera: Eulophidae
Cirrospilus pictus (Nees, 1834) Hymenoptera: Eulophidae
Cirrospilus vittatus Walker, 1838 Hymenoptera: Eulophidae
Closterocerus trifasciatus Westwood, 1833 Hymenoptera: Eulophidae
Diglyphus chabrias (Walker, 1838) Hymenoptera: Eulophidae
Diglyphus crassinervis Erdös, 1958 Hymenoptera: Eulophidae
Diglyphus isaea (Walker, 1838) Hymenoptera: Eulophidae
Diglyphus minoeus (Walker, 1838) Hymenoptera: Eulophidae
Pediobius metallicus (Nees, 1834) Hymenoptera: Eulophidae
Pnigalio soemius (Walker, 1839) Hymenoptera: Eulophidae
Schimitschekia populi Boucek, 1965 Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae


External links: Search the internet:

Biodiversity Heritage Library
Bladmineerders van Europa
British leafminers
Encyclopedia of Life
Fauna Europaea [128600]
NBN Gateway

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Last updated 19-Jan-2012  Brian Pitkin Top of page