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

  

Phytomyza conii Hering, 1931
[Diptera: Agromyzidae]

Phytomyza conii Hering, 1931a. Z. wiss. InsektBiol. 26: 96
Phytomyza conii Hering, 1931a; Spencer, 1972b. Handbk ident. Br. Ins. 10(5g): 8, 76 (fig. 249), 80, 81, 121
Phytomyza conii Hering, 1931a; Spencer, 1990. Host specialization in the World Agromyzidae (Diptera) : 159.

Leaf-miner: Mine linear, greenish. Larva makes an exit slit through the upper surface and the puparium remains glued to leaf beyond the end of the mine (Spencer, 1972b: 76 (fig. 249, 81).

Very shallow upper-surface corridor, often following the leaf margin. Frass in two rows, often forming pearl chains. Pupation outside the mine; exit slit in upper epidermis. The puparium is often found stuck to the leaf (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.

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).

Shining brownish black (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Apiaceae        
Conium       Robbins, 1991: 64
Conium maculatum Hemlock British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Mines in BMNH
Conium maculatum Hemlock British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1972b: 121

Hosts elsewhere:

Apiaceae        
Conium       Spencer, 1990: 159
Conium maculatum Hemlock British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - mines: June.

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Local. Huntingdonshire (Woodwalton Fen), Suffolk (Clare) (Spencer, 1972b: 80) and Warwickshire (Coombe and Dosthill) (Robbins, 1991: 64); Cambridgeshire (NBN Atlas).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Germany (Bladmineerders van Europa) and Romania (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Conium maculatum

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available  
Exotela cyclogaster Förster, 1862 Braconidae: Alysiinae

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

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