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ALOPECURUS. Foxtails. [Poaceae]

Thirteen species of Alopecurus are recorded in Britain. These include the native species Orange Foxtail (A. aequalis), Black-grass (A. myosuroides), Alpine Foxtail (A. borealis), Bulbous Foxtail (A. bulbosus), Marsh Foxtail (A. geniculatus) and Meadow Foxtail (A. pratensis). Two miners, the agromyzids Cerodontha denticornis, Cerodontha calamagrostidis are recorded on Alopecurus in Britain. Miners on grasses should be reared, whenever possible, to confirm their identity. Elsewhere the grass-feeding agromyzids Agromyza mobilis, Cerodontha atra, Cerodontha calamagrostidis, Cerodontha flavocingulata, Cerodontha incisa, Chromatomyia fuscula, Chromatomyia nigra and Metopomyza flavonotata and the polyphagous ephydrid Hydrellia griseola are recorded mining Alopecurus. No non-dipterous miners are recorded on Alopecurus in Britain. Elsewhere three British non-dipterous miners are recorded on Alopecurus (see below).

Key for the identification of the known Diptera mines in Britain.

1> Larva feeds mainly in the leaf sheaths. The short mines which may be formed in the leaf blade may be easily overlooked. Pupation internal. Cerodontha (Cerodontha) denticornis (Panzer) [Agromyzidae]. ->Lower-surface corridor; larva solitary. Pupation mostly outside the mine. Cerodontha (Poemyza) calamagrostidis Nowakowski [Agromyzidae]

British non-dipterous miners recorded on Alnus elsewhere Coleophora lixella Zeller, 1849 Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae     Elachista albifrontella (Hübner, 1817) Lepidoptera: Elachistidae Elachista maculicerusella (Bruand, 1859) Lepidoptera: Elachistidae

Last updated 09-Sep-2008  Brian Pitkin

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