ANTENNARIA. Mountain Everlasting. [Asteraceae]

Only one species of Antennaria is recorded in Britain, Mountain Everlasting (A. dioica), and this is native.

Two Diptera miners, Phytomyza heckfordi and Phytomyza antennaria, are recorded on Antennaria in Britain.

Only one British non-Diptera leaf-miner, Scrobipalpa murinella, is recorded on Antennaria 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 Antennaria is provided in Bladmineerders van Europa. This includes Ophiomyia gnaphalii, Phytomyza kyffhusana, Scrobipalpa murinella and Scrobipalpula cacuminum

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: Oviposition near the leaf margin, in the distal half of the leaf. From here a narrow gallery of c. 15 mm runs to the leaf tip, then down again; then the gallery widens into a brown blotch that may occupy the entire width of the leaf. In the blotch the frass lies dispersed as black granules of variable sizes. Pupation external (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Only known from Scotland on Antennaria dioica.

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

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: The larvae make large blotches in the lower leaves. They regularly move from one leaf to another (often resting outside their mine) and in doing so create a loose spinnng around the leaves. Pupation outside the mine (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Recorded on Antennaria in Britain and elsewhere. Scotland and the Republic of Ireland. Widespread in continental Europe.