CARTHAMUS. Safflowers [Asteraceae]

Five species of Carthamus are recorded in Britain. All are introduced.

No Diptera miners are recorded on Carthamus in Britain.

Elsewhere the agromyzids Chromatomyia horticola, Chromatomyia syngenesiae, Liriomyza huidobrensis, Liriomyza strigata and Liriomyza trifolii are recorded mining Carthamus.

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

Elsewhere one British non-Diptera miner, Cnephasia incertana, is recorded on Carthamus (see below).

A key to the European miners, based on characteristics of the mines, immature stages and where relevant the larval cases, recorded on Carthamus is provided in Bladmineerders van Europa. This includes Liriomyza strigata, Chromatomyia 'atricornis' and Cnephasia incertana.

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

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: In the first instar the larva mines the leaves, forming short, irregular, blotch-like mines, but in later instars it lives externally, feeding in spun leaves and often twisting those of tender shoots. Larval head light-brown or yellowish brown, edged with black postero-laterally, ocellar area blackish; prothoracic plate black edged with whitish anteriorly; abdomen dull dark green; pinacula distinct, black, sometimes brownish but with black bases to setae; anal plate large, black (Bradley et al., 1973). Small, full depth mine without a definite shape; little frass. Some silk is deposited in the mine. The larva soon leaves the mine and continues feeding among spun leaves (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Recorded on numerous genera and species of plant families, but not yet on Carthamnus, in Britain. Recorded on numerous genera and species of plant families including Carthamnus elsewhere. Widespread in Britain and continental Europe. Also recorded from the Channel Is.

Cnephasia incertana (Treitschke, 1835) [Lepidoptera: Tortricidae]