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: An upper surface linear mine with frass in conspicuous greenish
strips, largely alternating at each side of the channel. Puparium
yellow
On
numerous genera of Fabaceae in Britain and elsewhere, including Colutea and Astragalus in Britain. Widespread
in Britain. Also recorded in the Republic of Ireland and widespread
and common throughout most of Europe
Liriomyza
congesta (Becker, 1903) [Diptera: Agromyzidae].
1b > Leaf-miner: A narrow linear mine adjoining the leaf margin in the first instar,
which later develops into an irregular blotch with conspicuous lumps
of greenish frass. Puparium reddish brown
On Astragalus and Colutea in Britain and Anthyllis, Astragalus, Cicer, Colutea, Coronilla, Cytisus, Lathyrus, Oxytropis,
Securinega and Vicia elsewhere. Recorded from Northamptonshire
in Britain. Widespread in continental Europe.
Phytoliriomyza
variegata (Meigen, 1830) [Diptera: Agromyzidae]. |