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

 

Melanagromyza albocilia Hendel, 1931
[Diptera: Agromyzidae]


Melanagromyza albocilia Hendel, 1931. Fliegen palaearkt. Reg. 6(2): 161
Melanagromyza albocilia Hendel, 1931; Spencer. 1966a. Beitr. Ent. 16: 13.
Melanagromyza albocilia Hendel, 1931; Spencer, 1976. Fauna ent. Scand. 5(1): 45-46, figs 24-5
Melanagromyza albocilia Hendel, 1931; Spencer, 1990. Host specialization in the World Agromyzidae (Diptera) : 191 (figs 717-8), 193, 194.


Stem-borer: Larva boring in stem (Spencer, 1976: 46).

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.

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: Currently unknown.

Hosts elsewhere:

Convolvulaceae        
Convolvulus arvensis Field Bindweed British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1976: 46
Convolvulus arvensis Field Bindweed British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1990: 194

Time of year - larvae: Currently unknown.

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Recorded from England by Spencer (1976: 45).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Hungary (Spencer, 1976: 45), Canary Is., Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Spanish mainland (Fauna Europaea).

Also recorded in Egypt and Israel (Spencer, 1976: 45).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Convolvulus arvensis

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Chalcidoidea  
Sphegigaster pedunculiventris (Spinola, 1808) Pteromalidae: Pteromalinae
Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available  
Bracon picticornis Wesmael, 1838 Braconidae: Braconinae


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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