Leaf-mine: A distinctive mine primarily above mid-rib, with irregular short lateral offshoots into leaf blade. Pupation external (Spencer, 1972: 51 (fig. 172), 55; Spencer, 1976: 270, 271 (fig. 486)).

Branched, whitish, upper-surface corridor; main axis overlying the midrib; side branches overlying the main lateral veins. (In Campanula and Phyteuma the mine is much less branched, sometimes nothing more than a corridor on top of the midrib). Frass in rather long strings. Usually the mines begins as a long and narrow, shallow, tortuous lower-surface corridor that ends upon the midrib but otherwise is not associated with the leaf venation. Often this initial corridor is filled with callus, and then even less conspicuous. Pupation outside the mine (Bladmineerders van Europa).

A linear mine on the upper surface, usually following the midrib and showing side branches along the veins. The frass is in strings (British leafminers).

Larva: The larva is described by Dempewolf (2001: 152). Posterior spiracles each with an ellipse of 10-12 bulbs (Spencer, 1972: 55). The larva is illustrated in Bladmineerders van Europa.

Puparium: Posterior spiracles each with an ellipse of 10-12 bulbs (Spencer, 1972: 55.

Comments: A polyphagous species recorded here from 240 host plant genera in 35 plant families worldwide and 47 host plant genera in 15 plant families in Britain.

Alyssum saxatile is treated as Aurinia saxatile (Golden Alison) and Arabis arenosa is treated as Arabidopsis arenosa (Sand Rock-cress) by Stace (2010).

Diagnostic protocols to distinguish L. strigata from bryoniae, huidobrensis and sativae in quaratine or under glass, may be found at /protocols/liriomyza.pdf.

Chrysanthemum coronarium is treated as Glebionis coronarium (Crown Daisy); Chrysanthemum segetum is treated as Glebionis segetum (Corn Marigold); Leontodon autumnalis is treated as Scorzoneroides autumnalis (Autumn Hawkbit); Lychnis flos-cuculi is treated as Silene flos-cuculi (Ragged-Robin); Lycopersicon esculentum is treated as Solanum lycopersicum (Tomato); Senecio fluviatilis is treated as Senecio sarracenicus (Broad-leaved Ragwort) and Stachys officinalis is treated as Betonica officinalis (Betony) by Stace (2010).

Hosts in Britain:

Time of year - mines: June-November.

Time of year - adults: Unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Widespread throughout Britain including Perthshire (Killin) (Spencer, 1972: 55), Warwickshire (Coventry, Holbrooks) (Robbins, 1991), Buckinghamshire (Langley's Wood, nr. Holmer Green) (Tony Marshall, pers. comm.), Hampshire (Fleet) (British leafminers); Cambridgeshire, East Sussex, Middlesex, Peebles, Pembrokeshire, South Somerset 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 (Spencer, 1972: 55).

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 continental Europe including Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland (Spencer, 1976: 270), The Netherlands, Luxembourg (Bladmineerders van Europa), Belgium (de Bruyn and von Tschirnhaus, 1991), Germany (Spencer, 1976: 558; Dempewolf, 2001: 152), Albania, Belarus, Corsica, Cyclades Is., Czech Republic, Dodecanese Is, Estonia, European Turkey, French mainland, Greek mainland, Italian mainland, Lithuania, Madeira, North Aegean Is., Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spanish mainland and Switzerland (Martinez in Fauna Europaea).

Range extending eastwards in the [former] U.S.S.R. to the Republics of Kirghiz, Kazakh and Uzbek (Spencer, 1976: 270).

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

Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: