Anemone [Ranunculaceae]

ANEMONE. Anemones. [Ranunculaceae]

Wood Anemone (A. nemorosa) is the only native species of Anemone recorded in Britain. Introductions include Blue Anemone (A. apennina), Balkan Anemone (A. blanda), Poppy anemone (A. coronaria), Japanese anemone (A. hupehensis), Snowdrop anemone (A. sylvestris) and Yellow Anemone (A. ranunculoides).

Two Diptera miners, the agromyzids Phytomyza anemones and Phytomyza hendeli, are recorded on Anemone in Britain, both on A. nemorosa.

The agromyzid Phytomyza nigripennis feeds internally in the stem of Anemone (Spencer, 1990), although it has not been reared in Britain.

Elsewhere, in addition to Phytomyza anemones and Phytomyza hendeli, the principally Ranunculus-feeding Phytomyza ranunculi and the polyphagous agromyzids Liriomyza huidobrensis and Liriomyza trifolii are recorded mining Anemone.

Wood Anemone
Anemone nemorosa

One non-Diptera leaf-miner, Endophytus anemones, is recorded on Anemone in Britain and elsewhere (see below).

A key to the European miners, based on characteristics of the mines, immature stages and where relevant the larval cases, recorded on Anemone is provided in Bladmineerders van Europa. This includes Coleophora rectilineella, Endophytus anemones, Pseudodineura heringi, Cnephasia ecullyana, Cnephasia asseclana, Cnephasia stephensiana, Phytomyza pulsatillae, Phytomyza hendeli, Phytomyza ranunculi, Phytomyza albimargo, Phytomyza anemones, Phytomyza anemonantheae and Phytomyza narcissiflorae but not Liriomyza huidobrensis or Liriomyza trifolii.

Key for the identification of the mines of British Diptera recorded on
Anemone

Note: Diptera larvae may live in a corridor mine, a corridor-blotch mine, or a blotch mine, but never in a case, a rolled or folded leaf, a tentiform mine or sandwiched between two more or less circular leaf sections in later instars. Pupation never in a cocoon. All mining Diptera larvae 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. The larvae lie on their sides within the mine and use their pick-like mouthparts to feed on plant tissue. In some corridor miners frass may lie in two rows on alternate sides of the mine. In order to vacate the mine the fully grown larva cuts an exit slit, which is usually semi-circular (see Liriomyza huidobrensis video). The pupa is 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).

1a > Leaf-miner: Mine linear but normally developing into secondary blotch, feeding confined to apex of a leaf segment. Puparium reddish brown

On Anemone in Britain and elsewhere. Widespread in England and Europe. Also recorded in the Republic of Ireland

Phytomyza anemones Hering, 1925 [Diptera: Agromyzidae].

1b > Leaf-miner: Mine narrow, whitish, linear, normally adjoining margin of leaf; in small leaves can become blotch-like. Puparium black

Mine of Phytomyza hendeli on Anemone nemerosa
Image: Patrick Roper (British leafminers)

On Anemone in Britain and elsewhere. Somerset, East Kent and East Sussex in Britain. Widespread in central and western Europe.

Phytomyza hendeli Hering, 1923 [Diptera: Agromyzidae].

Key for the identification of the mines of British non-Diptera recorded on
Anemone

Note: The larvae of mining Coleoptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera may live in a corridor mine, a corridor-blotch mine, a blotch mine, a case, a rolled or folded leaf, a tentiform mine or sandwiched between two more or less circular leaf sections in later instars. Larva may pupate in a silk cocoon. The larva may have at least six legs (although they may be reduced or absent), a head capsule and chewing mouthparts with opposable mandibles (see video of a gracillarid larva feeding). Larvae of Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera usually also have abdominal legs (see examples). Frass, if present, never in two rows. Unless feeding externally from within a case the larva usually vacates the mine by chewing an exit hole. Pupa with visible head appendages, wings and legs which lie in sheaths (see examples).

1 > Leaf-miner: Oviposition at the underside of a thick vein. From this point the larva makes a corridor that quickly widens into a full depth blotch, mostly in the distal half of the leaf. Frass initially in a central line, further on in scattered lumps (Bladmineerders van Europa). There is normally one mine per leaf (British leafminers).

Recorded on Anemone in Britain and elsewhere. Distibution in Britain unknown. Widespread in continental Europe.

Endophytus anemones (Hering, 1925) [Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae]


	Last updated 03-Feb-2012 Brian Pitkin