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

  

Liriomyza centaureae Hering, 1927
[Diptera: Agromyzidae]

Liriomyza centaureae Hering, 1927c. Z. angew. Ent. 13: 182
Liriomyza centaureae Hering, 1927c; Spencer, 1972b. Handbk ident. Br. Ins. 10(5g): 55
Liriomyza centaureae Hering, 1927c; Spencer, 1976. Fauna ent. Scand. 5(1): 238-9, fig. 410.
Liriomyza centaureae Hering, 1927c; Spencer, 1990. Host specialization in the World Agromyzidae (Diptera) : 251, 252 (fig. 946), 253.

Leaf-miner: A short irregular linear mine with frass in more or less connected threads (Spencer, 1976: 238).

Fairly long, upper-surface, little branched corridor; loops close together. Frass in pearl chains or strings. Pupation outside the mine (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Mine of Liriomyza centaurea on Centaurea scabiosa. Image: Willem Ellis (Source: Bladmineerders van Europa)
Mine of Liriomyza centaurea on Centaurea scabiosa
Image: © Willem Ellis (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 (1937: 199, as Liriomyza sp. on Centaurea jacea); posterior spiracles each with 8-10 bulbs (Spencer, 1976: 238).

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).

Yellow (Paklaniskis, 1994a).

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Asteraceae        
Centaurea jacea Brown Knapweed   Mines in BMNH
Centaurea montana Perennial Cornflower British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Robbins, 1991: 122
Centaurea nigra Common Knapweed British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Mines in BMNH
Centaurea nigra Common Knapweed British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Robbins, 1991: 122
Centaurea nigra Common Knapweed British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1972b: 112
Centaurea scabiosa Greater Knapweed British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Mines in BMNH
Centaurea scabiosa Greater Knapweed British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Robbins, 1991: 122

Hosts elsewhere:

Asteraceae        
Anthemis tinctoria Yellow Chamomile   Bladmineerders van Europa
Centaurea       Spencer, 1976: 238
Centaurea       Spencer, 1990: 253
Centaurea cineraria     Bladmineerders van Europa
Centaurea jacea Brown Knapweed   Spencer, 1976: 238
Centaurea jacea Brown Knapweed   Bladmineerders van Europa
Centaurea macroptilon     Bladmineerders van Europa
Centaurea montana Perennial Cornflower British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1976: 238
Centaurea montana Perennial Cornflower British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Centaurea nigra Common Knapweed British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1976: 238
Centaurea nigra Common Knapweed British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1990: 253
Centaurea phrygia     Bladmineerders van Europa
Centaurea phrygia subsp. pseudophrygia     Bladmineerders van Europa
Centaurea rhenana Panicled Knapweed   Bladmineerders van Europa
Centaurea scabiosa Greater Knapweed British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1976: 238
Centaurea scabiosa Greater Knapweed British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1990: 253
Centaurea scabiosa Greater Knapweed British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - mines: June-October.

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Widespread in Britain including Surrey (Box Hill), Middlesex (Scratch Wood), Buckinghamshire (nr Tring), Cambridge (Chippenham Fen), Glam (Cefn Rhigos), Denbighshire (Cefn-y-bedd), Aberdeen (Den of Pitlurgh), Sutherland (Loch Assynt) (Spencer, 1972b: 55), Warwickshire (Kingsbury) (Robbins, 1991: 122); Anglesey, Cambridgeshire, East Gloucestershire, South-west Yorkshire and Stafford (NBN Atlas).

Distribution elsewhere: Common and widespread in much of Europe, including Denmark, Norway, Sweden (Spencer, 1976: 238), The Netherlands, Luxembourg (Bladmineerders van Europa), Germany (Spencer, 1976: 558), Estonia, European Turkey, French mainland, Hungary, Italian mainland, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Spanish mainland (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Anthemis tinctoria, Centaurea jacea, Centaurea montana, Centaurea nigra, Centaurea rhenana, Centaurea scabiosa

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available  
Chorebus misellus (Marshall, 1895) Braconidae: Alysiinae
Dacnusa maculipes Thomson, 1895 Braconidae: Alysiinae
Grammospila rufiventris (Nees, 1812) Braconidae: Alysiinae
Apodesmia similis (Szépligeti, 1898) Braconidae: Opiinae
Opius pallipes Wesmael, 1835 Braconidae: Opiinae
Phaedrotoma diversa Szépligeti, 1898 Braconidae: Opiinae
Phaedrotoma diversa (Szépligeti, 1898) 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		 Find using Google
Find using Google Scholar
Find images using Google

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