Atropa [Solanaceae]

ATROPA. Deadly Nightshade. [Solanaceae]

Deadly Nightshade (A. belladonna), is the only species of Atropa recorded in Britain. It is a native species.

Two Diptera miners, the polyphagous agromyzids Chromatomyia horticola and Liriomyza bryoniae, are recorded on Atropa in Britain.

Elsewhere the polyphagous agromyzid Liriomyza bryoniae and the anthomyiid Pegomya hyoscyami are recorded mining Atropa.

One non-Diptera leaf-miner, Acrolepia autumnitella, is recorded on Atropa 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 Atropa is provided in Bladmineerders van Europa. This includes Liriomyza bryoniae, Pegomya hyoscyami and Acrolepia autumnitella.

N.B. The key to mines below includes mines recorded on Atropa and Nicotiana (Solanaceae).

Deadly Nigthshade
Atropa belladona

Key for the identification of the mines of British Diptera recorded on
Atropa and Nicotiana

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: A short, irregular, linear upper surface mine on any part of the leaf, indistinguishable from the mine of Liriomyza sativae.

On 119 plant genera in 31 plant families of which only 4 plant genera in 2 plant families, including Atropa, but not yet on Nicotiana, are records in Britain. Local, probably introduced to Britain. Widespread in continental Europe particularly in Botanical Gardens and glasshouses. Also recorded in Egypt

Liriomyza bryoniae (Kaltenbach, 1858) [Diptera: Agromyzidae].

1b > 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 including Atropa and Nicotiana 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 Atropa or Nicotiana, in Britain.

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

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

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 forms large whitish or translucent blotches (UKMoths). Rather large, untidy blotch, full-depth for most of its surface, very transparent, without feeding lines and without association with midrib or leaf margin. The larva makes several mines. Often only its anterior part is inserted in the mine, that remains free of frass then. Pupation outside the mine in a silk cocoon (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Recorded on Atropa belladona and Solanum dulcamara in Britain and Atropa belladona, Physalis alkekengi and Solanum dulcamara elsewhere. Distributed mainly in the southern half of England, with a few scattered records further north in Britain. Widespread in conental Europe.

Acrolepia autumnitella Curtis, 1838 [Lepidoptera: Acrolepiidae]


	Last updated 03-Feb-2012 Brian Pitkin