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GENISTA.
Greenweeds, Petty Whin and Broom. [Fabaceae]
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Eleven
species of Genista are recorded in Britain. These include
the native Hairy Greenweed (G. pilosa) and Petty Whin (G.
anglica) and Dyer's Greenweed (G. tinctoria).
Two
Diptera miners, the agromyzids Agromyza
johannae and Agromyza
pulla, are recorded on Genista in Britain.
Elsewhere
the agromyzid Agromyza
pulla is recorded mining Genista and the agromyzid
Hexomyza sarothamni
is recorded galling twigs of Genista.
Eight
non-Diptera miners are recorded on Genista in Britain (see below).
A
key to the European miners, based on characteristics of the mines,
immature stages and where relevant the larval cases, recorded on
Genista including Chamaespartium (=Genistella)
and Pterospartum is provided in Bladmineerders van Europa. This includes Agromyza
johannae, Agromyza pulla,
Cnephasia asseclana, Cnephasia
incertana, Cnephasia stephensiana, Coleophora colutella, Coleophora
genistae, Coleophora hartigi, Coleophora onobrychiella, Coleophora
sardocorsa, Coleophora
saturatella, Coleophora trifariella, Coleophora
vibicella, Leucoptera genistae, Leucoptera
laburnella, Micrurapteryx kollariella, Mirificarma cytisella,
Oryxolaemus flavifemoratus, Phyllonorycter cerasinella, Phyllonorycter
estrela, Phyllonorycter etnensis, Phyllonorycter fraxinella, Phyllonorycter
genistella, Phyllonorycter juncei, Phyllonorycter triflorella, Phyllonorycter
staintoniella, Syncopacma
albipalpella, Syncopacma cincticulella, Syncopacma
suecicella, Syncopacma vinella but not Coleophora glaseri,
Coleophora pterosparti or Leucoptera andalusica.
N.B.
The key to mines below includes mines recorded on Genista,
Spartium and Ulex
(Fabaceae).
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Key for the identification of the mines of British Diptera recorded on
Genista, Spartium and Ulex
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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 >
Initially a linear mine, normally adjoining leaf-margin and running
towards apex of leaf, then turning and widening into a blotch in
area of mid-rib. Puparium reddish-orange
On
Cytisus, Genista, Lupinus, Spartium and Ulex in
Britain and elsewhere. Common in gardens in Britain where Cytisus
is frequently cultivated. Widespread in continental Europe.
Agromyza
johannae Meijere, 1924 [Diptera: Agromyzidae].
1b >
Leaf mine. An initial linear mine, which later develops into a blotch.
On
Genista and Spartium, but not yet on Ulex, in Britain and elsewhere. Widespread
in southern Britain and continental Europe.
Agromyza
pulla Meigen, 1830 [Diptera: Agromyzidae].
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Key for the identification of British non-Diptera mines recorded on Genista
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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).
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1a > Miner and case bearer. The larva lives outside the mine, protected by a case, and feeds on the underlying plant tisses via a hole cut in the epidermis. Mine does not contain frass (Coleophora species)
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1b > Miner, but not a case-bearer, although it may live sandwiched between two more or less circular sections cut from the leaf in later instars e.g. Incurvaria species. The larva lives mainly inside the mine. Mine usually contains frass
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2a > Leaf-miner
and case-bearer: The larva feeding on the leaves, and sometimes
the flowers. The leaves are blanched by the feeding and the species
often feeds gregariously, becoming a pest. The larval case is built
in a distinctive herringbone-like fashion, and is sometimes likened
to a spikelet of certain grasses (UKMoths).
Lobe
case. Each lobe consists of a mined leaflet, that has been sliced
open at one side. The lobes are attached alternatively dorsally
and ventrally, resulting in a sharp dorsal and ventral keel. The
complete case strongly resembles a grass spikelet, like of Bromus.
Mouth angle 20-40° (Bladmineerders
van Europa).
Recorded
on Genista in Britain and elsewhere. Widespread in Britain
and continental Europe.
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Coleophora
genistae Stainton, 1857 [Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae].
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2b > Leaf-miner
and case-bearer: Very untidy, bivalved, lobe case of 7-8 mm.
The mouth angle is 90°, causing the case to be perpendicular
to the leaf (Bladmineerders
van Europa)
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Recorded
on Cytisus and Genista in Britain and Cytisus,
Genista, Spartium and Ulex elsewhere. Britain including
West Kent and South Gloucester. Widespread in continental Europe.
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Coleophora
saturatella Stainton, 1850 [Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae].
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2c > Leaf-miner
and case-bearer: Larva in a huge (19 mm) shining black tubular silken case; mouth
angle 60°. The end of the case is strongly rolled in (remnant
of the youth case) and bears a small pallium (Bladmineerders
van Europa)
The
final case is the largest of any coleophorid in the UK, being
19mm long. The anal end of this case incorporates the remains
of the spiral first case and is hooded in a pallium (British
leafminers).
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Recorded
on Genista in Britain and Chamaespartium, Genista and Vicia elsewhere. Southern England. Widespread in continental
Europe.
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Coleophora
vibicella (Hübner, 1813) [Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae].
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3a > Bark-mine: A gallery in the bark of the food plant generally mining upwards,
similar to that of Trifurcula immundella, which usually mines
downwards (British
leafminers).
The
mines are very hard to detect, but in late spring, the small white
pupal cocoons are easy to spot among the dark stems (UKMoths).
Recorded
on Cytisus and Genista in Britain. Hosts elsewhere
unknown. Widespread in Britain, Ireland and continental Europe.
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Leucoptera
spartifoliella (Hübner, 1813) [Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae].
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3b > 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 Genista, in Britain. Recorded on numerous genera
and species of plant families including Genista elsewhere.
Widespread in Britain and continental Europe. Also recorded from
the Channel Is.
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Cnephasia
incertana (Treitschke, 1835)
[Lepidoptera: Tortricidae].
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3c > Leaf-miner: An irregular gallery filled with greenish frass, leading to a
circular or oval blotch with blackish frass arranged in a spiral
fashion (British
leafminers).
The
very first part of the mine is a densely contorted corridor of
about 2 mm long, that quickly turns brown. It is followed by a
more or less straight corridor of c. 10 mm, entirely filled with
greyish green frass. This suddenly widens into a round blotch
that during its expansion overruns the earlier corridor and in
the end may occupy half of a Laburnum leaflet. The frass, greenish
at first, black later, is deposited in the bloth in roughly concentric
arcs, glued to the upper epidermis. Pupation external, exit slit
in upper epidermis (Bladmineerders
van Europa).
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Recorded
on Cytsisus, Genista, Laburnum, Lupinus and Piptanthus in Britain and Astragalus, Chamaecytisus, Genista, Laburnum,
Laburnocytisus, Lupinus and Petteria elsewhere. Widespread
in Britain and continental Euorpe. Also recorded in the Republic
of Ireland.
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Leucoptera
laburnella (Stainton, 1851) [Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae].
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3d > Leaf-miner: Upper-surface tentiform mine (according to Hering, 1957a, mostly
lower-surface in Laburnum). The mine is strongly contracted, almost
folding the leaflet to a pod and concealing the mine. Pupa in the
mine in a flimsy cocoon. Frass in a corner of the mine (Bladmineerders
van Europa).
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Mines of Phyllonorycter staintoniella on Genista pilosa
near Porthtowan, Cornwall
Image:© Bob Heckford |
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Recorded
on Genista in Britain and Chamaecytisus, Cytisus,
Genista and Laburnum elsewhere. Britain including
West Cornwall. Widespread in continental Europe.
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Phyllonorycter
staintoniella (Nicelli, 1853) [Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae].
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3e > Leaf-miner: The larva lives among spun leaves, mining them from this position
by gnawing irregular, more or less oval holes in the epidermis and
eating from there the leaf tissue. Obviously, the mines contain
little or no frass (Bladmineerders
van Europa).
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Mine of Syncopacma albipalpella on Genista anglica
Image: Rob Edmunds (British leafminers) |
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Recorded
on Genista in Britain and elsewhere. Britain including
East Sussex. Widespread in continental Europe.
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Syncopacma
albipalpella (Herrich-Schäffer, 1855) [Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae].
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3f > Leaf-miner: The larva feeds between spun leaves, often mining them (Bladmineerders
van Europa).
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Recorded
on Genista in Britain and elsewhere. Britain including
West Cornwall. Widespread in continental Europe.
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| Syncopacma
suecicella (Wolff, 1958) [Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae] |
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