Phytomyza aconiti Hendel, 1920
[Diptera: Agromyzidae]


Phytomyza aconiti Hendel, 1920. Arch. Naturgesch. 84A(7) (1918): 159.
Phytomyza aconiti Hendel, 1920; Hendel, 1934. Fliegen palaearkt. Reg. 6(2): 329.
Phytomyza aconiti Hendel, 1920; Spencer, 1972. Handbk ident. Br. Ins. 10(5g): 77, 118.
Phytomyza aconiti Hendel, 1920; Spencer, 1976. Fauna ent. Scand. 5(1): 364-6, figs 633-5.
Phytomyza aconiti Hendel, 1920; Spencer, 1990. Host specialization in the World Agromyzidae (Diptera) : 21, 26 (figs 58-9), 27, 50.


Leaf-mine: Larvae feeding communally, as many as six together, forming large blackish blotch (Spencer, 1972: 77).

Large, greyish-brown, upper-surface blotch, mostly near the tip of a leaflet, without a preceding corridor. Primary feeding lines conspicuous. Several larvae share a mine. Pupation outside the mine. Exit slit in upper epidermis (Pakalniskis, 2004a) - see also Bladmineerders van Europa.

Larva: Details unknown.

Puparium: Dark brown, somewhat elongate (Spencer, 1972: 77).

Hosts in Britain:

Ranunculaceae      
Aconitum     Mines in BMNH
Aconitum     Robbins, 1991: 26
Aconitum     Spencer, 1972: 118
Delphinium     Mines in BMNH
Delphinium     Robbins, 1991: 26
Delphinium     Spencer, 1972: 118
Delphinium elatum Alpine Delphinium Mines in BMNH

Hosts elsewhere:

Ranunculaceae      
Aconitum     Spencer, 1976: 366
Aconitum     Spencer, 1990: 21
Aconitum carmichaellii   Bladmineerders van Europa
Aconitum lycoctonum subsp. neapolitanum   Bladmineerders van Europa
Aconitum napellus Monkshood Bladmineerders van Europa
Aconitum variegatum   Bladmineerders van Europa
Consolida ajacis Larkspur Bladmineerders van Europa
Delphinium     Spencer, 1976: 366
Delphinium     Spencer, 1990: 21
Delphinium elatum   Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - mines: June-July.

Time of year - adults: Unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Widespread in gardens. London (Buckingham Palace Gardens), Surrey (Kew Gardens, Wisley RHS Gardens), Hampshire (Ringwood), Suffolk (Newmarket) (Spencer, 1972: 77) and Warwickshire (Coventry) (Robbins, 1991: 26); Easterness, Elgin 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).

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, Sweden (Spencer, 1976: 366), The Netherlands (Bladmineerders van Europa), Germany (Spencer, 1976: 566), Czech Republic, French mainland and Poland (Martinez in Fauna Europaea).

Also recorded in the eastern U.S.A. and Canada (Quebec) (Spencer, 1976: 366).

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

Aconitum napellus, Consolida ajacis

Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Chrysocharis crassiscapus (Thomson, 1878) Hymenoptera: Eulophidae
Chrysocharis viridis (Nees, 1934) Hymenoptera: Eulophidae


External links: Search the internet:
Biodiversity Heritage Library
Bladmineerders van Europa
British leafminers
Encyclopedia of Life
Fauna Europaea [127461]
NBN Gateway
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Last updated 26-Jan-2012  Brian Pitkin Top of page