ANTHEMIS. Chamomiles [Asteraceae]


Seventeen species of Anthemis are recorded in Britain. These include the native Corn Chamomile (A. arvensis) and Stinking Chamomile (A. cotula), and the introduced Yellow Chamomile (A. tinctoria) and Sicilian Chamomile (A. punctata).

Three Diptera miners, the agromyzids Chromatomyia 'atricornis', Ophiomyia curvipalpis and Phytomyza pullula, are recorded on Anthemis in Britain.

The agromyzid Napomyza lateralis feeds in the stems of Anthemis, Bidens, Calendula, Dimorphotheca, Matricaria, and Senecio in Britain, although it has also been found in the inflorescence of Matricaria.

Elsewhere the agromyzids Chromatomyia 'atricornis', Liriomyza centaureae , Liriomyza strigata, Ophiomyia curvipalpis, Phytomyza pullula and the tephritid Trypeta zoe are recorded mining Anthemis.

No non-Diptera miners are recorded on Anthemis in Britain.

Elsewhere two British non-Diptera mines, Bucculatrix cristatella and Coleophora follicularis, are recorded on Anthemis (see below).

A key to the European miners, based on characteristics of the mines, immature stages and where relevant the larval cases, recorded on Anthemis, Matricaria and Tripleurospermum is provided in Bladmineerders van Europa. This includes Coleophora follicularis, Bucculatrix cristatella, Scrobipalpula psilella, Trypeta zoe, Chromatomyia 'atricornis', Liriomyza strigata, Phytomyza pullula and Liriomyza centaureae but not Ophiomyia curvipalpis.




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




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 >Stem-miner: A narrow, inconspicuous stem mine. Pupation at the end of the mine. Puparium yellowish or completely black, anterior spiracles projecting through epidermis (Spencer, 1976: 64). Fine, upper- or lower-surface corridor, ending in a thick vein. From there the mine extends finally to the rind of the stem. There also the pupation takes place, usually not far from the root collar. Mines in the stem rind often are conspicuous through a red discoloration (Bladmineerders van Europa).

On Achillea, Achillea millefolium and possibly Anthemis, Matricaria and Medicago sativa in Britain. In Britain widespread in south, not uncommon. On Anthemis, Achillea, Artemisia, Aster, Centaurea, Clinopodium, Crepis, Hieracium, Matricaria, Reichardia, Solidago, Tanacetum, Tripleurospermum, Medicago, Satureja and Stachys elsewhere. Widespread in continental Europe.

Ophiomyia curvipalpis (Zetterstedt, 1848) [Diptera: Agromyzidae].

1b > Leaf-miner:

2

2a > Leaf-miner: Mine linear, whitish, both upper and lower surface. Pupation internal, at the end of the mine with the anterior spiracles projecting through the epidermis (Spencer, 1976: 433). Upper-surface, less often lower-surface corridor. Frass in isolated grains. Pupation within the mine, in a, usually lower-surface, pupal chamber (Bladmineerders van Europa). A long whitish upper surface corridor, which eventually goes lower surface (British leafminers).

Two highly polyphagous species of Chromatomyia, with indistinguishable mines, have been recorded in Britain. These are syngenesiae (Hardy) and horticola (Goureau, 1851) which can only be distinguished by the male genitalia. Both are polyphagous and widespread in Britain and elsewhere, although syngenesiae is almost entirely restricted to Asteraceae (see also 'atricornis').

Chromatomyia horticola is recorded on 55 plant genera in 19 families, but not yet on Anthemis, in Britain.

Chromatomya syngenesiae is recorded in Britain on 27 plant genera in the family Asteraceae and many more genera elsewhere, but not yet on Anthemis, in Britain.

Chromatomyia 'atricornis' has been recorded on Anthemis in Britain.

Chromatomyia horticola (Goureau, 1851) [Diptera: Agromyzidae].
OR
Chromatomyia syngenesiae Hardy, 1849 [Diptera: Agromyzidae].

2b > Leaf-miner: A narrow linear mine, even in the finest subdivisions of the leaves (Spencer, 1972: 77, as matricariae; Spencer, 1976: 478). Very fine corridor, upper- or lower-surface, even in the narrowest leaf segments. The corridor may be up to 14 cm long (Sehgal, 1971a). Generally the corridor descends towards the leaf base. Frass in pearl chains of loose grains, hardly in strings. Pupation outside the mine (Bladmineerders van Europa). Pupal posterior spiracles each with 18-20 bulbs.

On Achillea millefolium, Anacyclus pyrethrum, Anthemis, Tanacetum vulgare, Tripleurospermum, Tripleurospermum maritimum and Tripleurospermum maritimum x inodora in Britain and other Asteraceae elsewhere. Widespread in Britain and continental Europe. Also recorded in Canada.

Phytomyza pullula Zetterstedt, 1848 [Diptera: Agromyzidae].



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

 

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).

 

1a > Leaf-miner and case-bearer: Larva mines leaves. On Eupatorium the case is extended at the anal end by adding silk and widened by cutting a ventral gusset. On Inula the case is firstly extended by adding rings of leaf-cuticle at the oral end, before reverting to the method used when on Eupatorium. The full-grown case is 10 mm long (British leafminers). A slender tubular silken case, about 10 mm long, straw coloured, three valved. Mouth angle about 30° (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Recorded on Cirsium, Eupatorium, Inula and Pulicaria, but not yet on Anthemis, in Britain and Achillea, Anthemis, Carduus, Cirsium, Eupatorium, Inula, Leucanthemum, Pulicaria and Tanacetum elsewhere. Widespread in England. Also recorded in Republic of Ireland. Widespread in continental Europe.

 

Coleophora follicularis (Vallot, 1802) [Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae].

 

1b> Leaf miner, but not a case-bearer: The larva feeds in a leaf-mine to begin with, then later feeds externally on the leaves, shrivelling and blanching or browning them (UKMoths). Initially an extremely fine corridor along the leaf margin; these mines mainly in the lower leaves. Frass in a narrow central line. The larva can leave its mine and restart elsewhere. Older larvae live free, and feed by slicing open the margin of a leaf segment near its tip and eating away as much tissue as it can reach (to about one third of its body length). The result is a number of full depth blotch mines. When the larva has become too large even for this strategy, its starts to feed freely on the leaf (Bladmineerders van Europa). The larva pupates in a distinctive whitish ribbed cocoon (UKMoths).

Recorded on Achillea millefolium, but not yet on Anthemis, in Britain and also Anthemis tinctoria, Chrysanthemum and Leucanthemopsis alpina elsewhere. Fairly widespread in England. Widespread in continental Europe. Also recorded in the Republic of Ireland.

Bucculatrix cristatella (Zeller, 1839) [Lepidoptera: Bucculatricidae]



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