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 notata Meigen, 1830
[Diptera: Agromyzidae]

Phytomyza notata Meigen, 1830. Systematische Beschreibung der bekannten europaischen zweiflugeligen Insekten. 6: 193
Phytomyza pygmaea Zetterstedt, 1848. Diptera Scandinaviae. 7: 2822
Phytomyza pygmaea Zetterstedt, 1848; Rydén, 1953. Ent. Meddr. 26: 15
Phytomyza notata Meigen, 1830; Spencer, 1972b. Handbk ident. Br. Ins. 10(5g): 70 (fig. 228), 73, 118, 119
Phytomyza pseudonotata Hering, 1949c. Entomon 1(8): 207
Phytomyza notata Meigen, 1830; Spencer, 1976. Fauna ent. Scand. 5(1): 460-1, fig 804-6
Phytomyza notata Meigen, 1830; Spencer, 1990. Host specialization in the World Agromyzidae (Diptera) : 22, 41, 42 (fig. 148), 400.

Leaf-miner: Mine short, broad, essentially linear, sometimes with a small brown patch at beginning. Pupation external (Spencer, 1972b: 70 (fig. 228), 73); Spencer, 1976: 459 (fig. 806), 460).

A short, broad corridor, with irregular sides. The mine often starts at a browned spot in the centre of the leaf. Pupation outside the mine (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Mine of Phytomyza notata on Ranunculus acris. Image: Willem Ellis (Source: Bladmineerders van Europa)
Mine of Phytomyza notata on Ranunculus acris
Image: © Willem Ellis (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).

Dark brown; posterior spiracles each with an ellipse of some 20 minute bulbs (Spencer, 1976: 460).

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Ranunculaceae        
Ranunculus       Spencer, 1972b: 73
Ranunculus acris Meadow Buttercup British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1972b: 118
Ranunculus repens Creeping Buttercup British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Mines in BMNH
Ranunculus repens Creeping Buttercup British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1972b: 119
Ranunculus repens Creeping Buttercup British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bland, 1992

Hosts elsewhere:

Ranunculaceae        
Ranunculus       Mines in BMNH
Ranunculus       Spencer, 1976: 460
Ranunculus       Spencer, 1990: 22
Ranunculus acris Meadow Buttercup British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1976: 460
Ranunculus acris Meadow Buttercup British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Ranunculus alpestris     Bladmineerders van Europa
Ranunculus auricomus Goldilocks Buttercup British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1976: 460
Ranunculus auricomus Goldilocks Buttercup British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Ranunculus bulbosus Bulbous Buttercup British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1976: 460
Ranunculus bulbosus Bulbous Buttercup British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Ranunculus montanus     Bladmineerders van Europa
Ranunculus oreophilus     Bladmineerders van Europa
Ranunculus repens Creeping Buttercup British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Mines in BMNH
Ranunculus repens Creeping Buttercup British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - mines: July-August, October-November.

Time of year - adults: August.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Probably widespread, at least in south. Surrey (Mickleham), Middlesex (Scratch Wood) (Spencer, 1972b: 73), Inner Hebrides (Isle of Coll) (Bland, 1992); Cambridgeshire, Dorset, Glamorgan, Monmouthshire, South-west Yorkshire and Surrey (NBN Atlas).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, the [former] U.S.S.R. (Kr, Svir) (Spencer, 1976: 460), Poland (Mines in BMNH), The Netherlands (Bladmineerders van Europa), Germany (Spencer, 1976: 574), Belarus, French mainland, Lithuania, Poland and Switzerland (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Ranunculus acris, Ranunculus auricomus, Ranunculus bulbosus, Ranunculus repens

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Chalcidoidea   
Chrysocharis orbicularis (Nees, 1834) Eulophidae: Entedoninae
Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available  
Dacnusa laevipectus Thomson, 1895 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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