Ophiomyia gnaphalii [Diptera: Agromyzidae] in Leaf and stem mines of British flies and other insects

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

Ophiomyia gnaphalii Hering, 1949
[Diptera: Agromyzidae]

Ophiomyia gnaphalii Hering, 1949d. Notul. ent. 29: 20
Ophiomyia gnaphalii Hering, 1949d; Spencer, 1972b. Handbk ident. Br. Ins. 10(5g): 24 (figs 50-52), 27, 113
Ophiomyia gnaphalii Hering, 1949d; Spencer, 1990. Host specialization in the World Agromyzidae (Diptera) : 270, 272 (fig. 1026), 273
Ophiomyia gnaphalii Hering, 1949; Bland, 1999. Br. J. ent. nat. hist. 12: 11-12.

Leaf- and stem-mine: An external stem mine on Gnaphalium sylvaticum (Spencer, 1972b: 27). In the latter a single larva moves from leaf to leaf, each leaf with 2-4 broad diverging tracks extending rarely more than two-thirds of the length of the leaf from the petiole into the leaf lamina; frass concentrated in the petiolar part of the mine. Pupation in mine (Spencer, 1972b: 27).

Mine in the leaf base of the lower leaves, often close to the midrib. From the leaf base corridors radiate into the leaf disk. Primary feeding lines in fresh mines well visible. Frass sparingly, granular. Puaparium in the mine, in the leaf base (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.

Posterior spiracles with approx. 8 bulbs (Spencer, 1964a).

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:

Asteraceae
Gnaphalium	sylvaticum	Heath Cudweed	Spencer, 1972b: 113
Gnaphalium	sylvaticum	Heath Cudweed	Robbins, 1991: 111

Hosts elsewhere:

Asteraceae
Antennaria	dioica	Mountain Everlasting	Spencer, 1990: 270
Antennaria	dioica	Mountain Everlasting	Bladmineerders van Europa
Gnaphalium			Spencer, 1990: 273
Gnaphalium	sylvaticum	Heath Cudweed	Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - mines: September.

Time of year - adults: June.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Uncommon. Herefordshire (Ross) (Spencer, 1972b: 27) and Perthshire (Fealar) (Bland, 1999).

Distribution elsewhere: Germany (Spencer, 1990) and Lithuania (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Antennaria dioica, Gnaphalium sylvaticum

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: Currently unknown.


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


	Last updated 05-Dec-2017 Brian Pitkin