Ophiomyia pulicaria (Meigen, 1830)
[Diptera: Agromyzidae]


Agromyza pulicaria Meigen, 1830. Syst. Beschr. 6: 170.
Agromyza pulicaria Meigen, 1830; Hendel, 1931. Fliegen palaearkt. Reg. 6(2): 171.
Ophiomyia pulicaria (Meigen, 1830); Spencer, 1964a. Beitr. Ent. 14: 802.
Ophiomyia pulicaria (Meigen, 1830); Spencer, 1972. Handbk ident. Br. Ins. 10(5g): 11, 21 (fig. 34), 25, 113, 114, 115.
Ophiomyia pulicaria (Meigen, 1830); Spencer, 1976. Fauna ent. Scand. 5(1): 75, figs 96-7.
Ophiomyia pulicaria (Meigen, 1830); Spencer, 1990. Host specialization in the World Agromyzidae (Diptera) : 259, 260 (fig. 975), 261.


Mine of Ophiomyia pulicaria on Taraxacum officinale. Image: Willem Ellis (Source: Bladmineerders van Europa)
Mine of Ophiomyia pulicaria on Taraxacum officinale.
Image: Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa)

Leaf-mine: A whitish blotch-mine along the mid-rib, with lateral offshoots into the leaf blade. Pupation at base of leaf in petiole (Spencer, 1972: 25).

Broad corridor overlying the midrib, with short excursion into the blade, mainly in its basal part. Frass concentrated in the basal part of the mine, corridors almost free from frass. Pupation in the mine, also in the basal part (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Larva: The larva is described by de Meijere (1928) and Sasakawa (1961). Posterior spiracles on short stalks, each with an ellipse of 11-14 bulbs (Spencer, 1972: 25).

Puparium: Pale, whitish-yellow (Spencer, 1972: 25).

Comments: Leontodon autumnalis is treated as Scorzoneroides autumnalis (Autumn Hawkbit) by Stace (2010).

Hosts in Britain:

Asteraceae      
Crepis biennis Rough Hawks-beard Spencer, 1972: 113
Hieracium     Robbins, 1991: 124
Hypochaeris     Spencer, 1972: 25
Hypochaeris radicata Cat's-ear Spencer, 1972: 113
Leontodon autumnalis Autumn Hawkbit Spencer, 1972: 114
Picris hieracioides Hawkweed Oxtongue Spencer, 1972: 114
Pilosella officinarum Mouse-ear-hawkweed Spencer, 1972: 113 (as Hieracium pilosella)
Sonchus     Robbins, 1991: 124
Sonchus     Spencer, 1972: 25
Sonchus arvensis Perennial Sow-thistle Spencer, 1972: 115
Sonchus asper Prickly Sow-thistle Spencer, 1972: 115
Sonchus oleraceus Smooth Sow-thistle Robbins, 1989: 20
Taraxacum     Robbins, 1991: 124
Taraxacum     Spencer, 1972: 25
Taraxacum officinale Dandelion Mines in BMNH
Taraxacum officinale Dandelion Spencer, 1972: 115

Hosts elsewhere:

Asteraceae      
Andryala     Spencer, 1990: 259
Aposeris foetida   Bladmineerders van Europa
Chondrilla     Spencer, 1990: 259
Chondrilla juncea Skeletonweed Bladmineerders van Europa
Crepis     Spencer, 1976: 74
Crepis     Spencer, 1990: 259
Crepis     Bladmineerders van Europa
Hieracium     Spencer, 1976: 74
Hieracium     Spencer, 1990: 259
Hieracium     Bladmineerders van Europa
Hypochaeris     Spencer, 1976: 74
Hypochaeris     Spencer, 1990: 259
Hypochaeris     Bladmineerders van Europa
Lapsana     Spencer, 1990: 259
Lactuca     Bladmineerders van Europa
Lapsana communis Nipplewort Bladmineerders van Europa
Leontodon     Spencer, 1990: 259
Leontodon     Spencer, 1976: 74
Leontodon     Bladmineerders van Europa
Mycelis muralis Wall Lettuce Bladmineerders van Europa
Picris     Spencer, 1976: 74
Picris     Spencer, 1990: 259
Picris     Bladmineerders van Europa
Reichardia     Spencer, 1990: 259
Sonchus     Spencer, 1976: 74
Sonchus     Spencer, 1990: 259
Sonchus asper Prickly Sow-thistle Bladmineerders van Europa
Taraxacum     Spencer, 1990: 259
Taraxacum officinale Dandelion Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - mines: May, July.

Time of year - adults: There are at least two generations per year.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Widespread and common in Britain, including Lancaster (Formby) (Spencer, 1972: 25) and Warwickshire (Robbins, 1991: 124); Cambridgeshire, East Sussex, Glamorgan, North Somerset and South Wiltshire (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).

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 in continental Europe including Denmark, Finland, Norway (Spencer, 1976: 75), The Netherlands (Bladmineerders van Europa), Belgium (de Bruyn and von Tschirnhaus, 1991), Germany (Spencer, 1976: 75), Austria, Canary Is., Corsica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, European Turkey, French mainland, Hungary, Italian mainland, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Spanish mainland, Switzerland and Yugoslavia (Martinez in Fauna Europaea).

Range extending east to Siberia (Spencer, 1976: 75).

Also recorded from Canada (Spencer, 1969a: 93; Spencer, 1976: 75).

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

Crepis biennis, Hypochaeris radicata, Lapsana communis, Leontodon autumnalis (= Scorzoneroides autumnalis), Mycelis muralis, Picris hieracioides, Pilosella officinarum, Sonchus arvensis, Sonchus asper, Sonchus oleraceus, Taraxacum officinale

Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: Unknown.



External links: Search the internet:
Biodiversity Heritage Library
Bladmineerders van Europa.
British leafminers
Encyclopedia of Life
Fauna Europaea [128731]
NBN Gateway
Find using Google
Find using Google Scholar
Find images using Google


Valid HTML 4.01 Transitional
Last 26-Jan-2012  Brian Pitkin Top of page