HYDROCHARIS. Frog-bit. [Hydrocharitaceae]


Frog-bit (H. morsus-ranae) is the only species of Hydrocharis recorded in Britain.

Three Diptera miners, the ephydrids Hydrellia cochleariae, Hydrellia griseola and Hydrellia mutata, are recorded on Hydrocharis in Britain, although all are ambiguous records.

Elsewhere the agromyzid Ophiomyia pulicaria is recorded mining Hydrocharis.

One non-Diptera miner, Elophila nymphaeata, is recorded on Hydrocharis in Britain.

A key to the European miners, based on characteristics of the mines, immature stages and where relevant the larval cases, recorded on Hydrocharis is provided in Bladmineerders van Europa. This includes Elophila nymphaeata and Hydrellia albifrons.




Key for the identification of the mines of British Diptera recorded on
Hydrocharis and Stratiotes




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).

1# > Leaf miner: Details of mine unknown.

On Alisma, Hydrocharis, Stratiotes and Lemna in Britain and/or elsewhere (records ambiguous). Southern England including Cambridge, East Kent, Hunts and South Hants in Britain. Widespread in continental Europe.

Hydrellia mutata (Zetterstedt, 1846) [Diptera: Ephydridae].

1a > Leaf mine: Irregular mine, locally shallow, elsewhere much deeper, giving it a mottled appearance. In broadleaved plants the mine often begins as a blotch with stellate extensions, but sometimes as a very fine, shallow corridor. In grasses the mine often begins in the leaf sheath. The frass is very fine-grained, initially scattered, later in aggregates.

Mine of Hydrellia griseola on Glyceria fluitans. Image: Willem Ellis (Source: Bladmineerders van Europa)
Mine of Hydrellia griseola on Glyceria fluitans
Image: Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa)

On ? Alisma, ? Damasonium, ? Sagittaria, ? Bellis, ? Rorippa, Tropaeolum , ? Lychnis, ? Stellaria, ? Carex, ? Cyperus, ? Scirpus, ? Hydrocharis, ? Stratiotes, ? Lamium, ? Lemna, ? Allium, Arrhenatherum, ? Polygonum, ? Potamogeton, ? Veronica, ? Typha in Britain and ? Alisma, ? Damasonium, ? Sagittaria, ? Bellis, ? Rorippa, Tropaeolum, Lychnis, ? Stellaria, Carex, ? Scirpus, Trifolium, ? Hydrocharis, Lamium, ? Lemna, Allium, Papaver, Agrostis, Alopecurus, Apera, Arrhenatherum, Avena, Avenula, Brachypodium, Briza, Bromus, Calamagrostis, Dactylis, Desmazeria, Digitaria, Echinochloa, Eleusine, Elymus, Festuca, Gaudinia, Glyceria, Holcus, Hordeum, Lagurus, Lolium, Panicum, Phalaris, Phleum, Phragmites, Poa, Secale, Setaria, Triticum, ? Polygonum, ? Potamogeton, Veronica, ? Typha and Verbena elsewhere. Widespread in England. Also recorded in the Republic of Ireland. Widespread in the Palaearctic region. Also recorded from Nearctic and Australasian Regions.

Hydrellia griseola (Fallén, 1813) [Diptera: Ephydridae]

1b > Leaf-miner: Makes short, straight mines, with little frass. The larva crosses from leaf to leaf through the stem. It pupates in the stalk, rarely in the leaf (British leafminers).

On Callitriche and Hydrocharis in Britain and/or elsewhere (records ambiguous), Stratiotes in Britain and Potomegeton elsewhere. Recorded from Cambridge, East Suffolk, North Essex, West Norfolk and West Suffolk in Britain and Widespread in continental Europe.

Hydrellia cochleariae Haliday, 1839 [Diptera: Ephydridae].



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

 

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: Full depth or lower-surface blotch, usually near the attachement of the petiole. Older larvae do not mine any longer but live in a flat case, made out of leaf fragments, and cause window feeding at the leaf underside (Bladmineerders van Europa). It mines the leaf for the first three days and then forms a flat case from which the larva feeds (British leafminers).

Recorded on Hydrocharis, Potamogeton and Sparganium in Britain and Hydrocharis, Nuphar, Nymphaea and Potamogeton elsewhere. Widespread in Britain and continental Europe. Also recorded in the Republic of Ireland.

Elophila nymphaeata (Linnaeus, 1758) [Lepidoptera: Crambidae]



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Last updated 05-Feb-2012  Brian Pitkin Top of page