Conopodium [Apiaceae]

CONOPODIUM. Pignut. [Apiaceae]

Pignut or Earthnut (C. majus) is the only species of Conopodium recorded in Britain.

Only one Diptera miner, the agromyzid Phytomyza chaerophylli, is recorded on Conopodium in Britain and elsewhere and this is also recorded on Chaerophyllum, Daucus, Torilis and possibly Sison in Britain.

Elsewhere the agromyzid Phytomyza chaerophylli is recorded mining Conopodium.

No non-Diptera miners are recorded on Conopodium in Britain.Elsewhere one British non-Diptera miner is recorded on Conopodium (see below).

A key to the European miners, based on characteristics of the mines, immature stages and where relevant the larval cases, recorded on Conopodium is provided in Bladmineerders van Europa. This includes Phytomyza chaerophylli, Cnephasia asseclana and Cnephasia incertana.

Key for the identification of the mines of British Diptera recorded on
Chaerophyllum, Conopodium, Daucus, Sison and Torilis

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, narrow, linear mine, generally closely following margin of leaf segment; in very small sections of a leaf producing a secondary blotch. Puparium shining black

On Anthriscus, Chaerophyllum, Conopodium, Daucus, Torilis and possibly Sison in Britain and additional Apiaceae elsewhere. Common and widespread throughout Britain. Also recorded in the Republic of Ireland and widespread and common throughout much of Europe.

Phytomyza chaerophylli Kaltenbach, 1856 [Diptera: Agromyzidae].

1b > Leaf miner: Oviposition as a rule in the stem, only occasionally in a leaf. In the latter case the larva makes an upper-surface corridor that ends in a thick vein. From there it descends, through petiole and stem, down to the root. Here the pupation takes place

On Daucus carota, but not yet on Chaerophyllum, Conopodium, Sison or Torilis in Britain and additionally Anthriscus sylvestris elsewhere. Only recorded from Norfolk in Britain. Widespread elsewhere in continental Europe.

Napomyza carotae Spencer, 1966 [Diptera: Agromyzidae].

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

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 Conopodium, in Britain. Recorded on numerous genera and species of plant families including Conopodium elsewhere. Widespread in Britain and continental Europe. Also recorded from the Channel Is.

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


	Last updated 04-Feb-2012 Brian Pitkin