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 pascuum (Meigen, 1838)
[Diptera: Agromyzidae]


Agromyza pascuum Meigen, 1838. Syst. Beschr. 7: 402
Liriomyza pascuum (Meigen, 1838); Spencer, 1972b. Handbk ident. Br. Ins. 10(5g): 51 (figs 167-8), 54, 116
Liriomyza pascuum (Meigen, 1838); Spencer, 1990. Host specialization in the World Agromyzidae (Diptera) : 147, 149 (fig 561), 155.


Leaf-miner: A conspicuous blotch, with characteristic greenish diffused frass, several larvae frequently feeding together (Spencer, 1972b: 54).

Primary upper-surface blotch without a trace of a preceding corridor, generally containing several larvae. The mine contains much greenish and half-deliquescent frass. Pupation outside the mine (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Forms an upper surface blotch mine. The mine can contain several larvae (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 de Meijere (1938) and illustrated 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).

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Euphorbiaceae        
Euphorbia       British leafminers
Euphorbia       Robbins, 1991: 68
Euphorbia amygdaloides Wood Spurge British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Mines in BMNH
Euphorbia amygdaloides Wood Spurge British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1972b: 116

Hosts elsewhere:

Euphorbiaceae        
Euphorbia       Spencer, 1990: 155
Euphorbia amygdaloides Wood Spurge British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Euphorbia dulcis Sweet Spurge   Bladmineerders van Europa
Euphorbia nicaeensis subsp. glareosa     Bladmineerders van Europa
Euphorbia pithyusa     Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - mines: July-October.

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Apparently widespread, at least in the south including Kent, Surrey, Isle of Wight (Spencer, 1972b: 54), Gloucestershire (Southam) (British leafminers); Buckinghamshire, East Gloucestershire, East Sussex, Glamorgan, South Devon, Surrey, West Gloucestershire, West Sussex and Worcestershire (NBN Atlas).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Luxembourg (Bladmineerders van Europa), Belgium (de Bruyn and von Tschirnhaus, 1991), Corsica, French mainland, Germany, Poland, Romania and Spanish mainland (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Euphorbia amygdaloides, Euphorbia dulcis

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available  
Chorebus daimenes (Nixon, 1945) Braconidae: Alysiinae
Chorebus incertus (Goureau, 1851) Braconidae: Alysiinae
Apodesmia similis (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
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