Leaf-mine: A small primary blotch, often several larvae feeding together (Spencer, 1972: 56 (fig. 186); Spencer, 1976: 270, 271 (fig. 483)).

Brown, upper-surfsce blotch; often several larvae in a mine. The blotch is preceded by a short initial corridor, often overrun by the later blotch. Frass in a few, small grains. Secondary feeding lines well visible. Pupation outside the mine, exit slit in upper epidermis (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Small upper surface blotch, with occasional galleries leading from the blotch. Often several larvae feeding together (British leafminers).

Larva: The larva is briefly described by de Meijere (1925, as hieracii), Hering (1957a), Sasakawa (1961) and illustrated in Bladmineerders van Europa. Posterior spiracles each with an ellipse of 8-10 bulbs (Spencer, 1976: 270).

Liriomyza sonchi larva, lateral Image: Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa)

Puparium: The puparium is illustrated in Bladmineerders van Europa.

Liriomyza sonchi puparium Image: Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa)

Comments: The host-specificity of sonchi has been experimentally tested in Canada (Peschken and Derby, 1988: 593-600). The species is restricted to Sonchus, the records of sonchi on Lapsana (Robbins, 1991: 123) and Lactua and Mycelis muralis (Bladmineerders van Europa) require confirmation.

Hosts in Britain:

Hosts elsewhere:

Time of year - mines: June-September.

Time of year - adults: Unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Widespread, at least in south. Records include London (Hampstead), Middlesex (Scratch Wood), Berkshire (Pangbourne) (Spencer, 1972: 57); Warwickshire (Robbins, 1991: 123); Cambridgeshire, East Suffolk and Surrey (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: Co. Clare, Co. Wexford (Rosslare) (Spencer, 1972: 57).

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 and common in much of Europe including Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland (Spencer, 1976: 270), The Netherlands (Bladmineerders van Europa), Belgium (de Bruyn and von Tschirnhaus, 1991), Germany (Spencer, 1976: 558), Austria, Czech Republic, French mainland, Hungary, Italian mainland, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Spanish mainland (Martinez in Fauna Europaea).

Also recorded in Canada (Peschken and Derby, 1988).

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

Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Biodiversity Heritage Library
Bladmineerders van Europa
British leafminers
Encyclopedia of Life
Fauna Europaea [128219]
NBN Gateway