ODONTITES. Bartsias. [Scrophulariaceae]


Two species of Odontites are recorded in Britain. These include the native Red Bartsia (O. vernus) and the introduced French Bartsia (O. jaubertianus).

One Diptera miner, Phytomyza rostrata, is recorded on Odontites in Britain.

The agromyzid Phytomyza isais feeds and pupates in the seed heads in Britain and elsewhere.

Elsewhere the agromyzid Phytomyza rostrata is recorded mining Odontites.

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

Sneezewort - Achillea ptarmica Image:  Brian Pitkin
Red Bartsia
Odontites vernus



Key for the identification of the mines of British Diptera recorded on
Odontites




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: Oviposition takes place in an upper leaf and a short mine is formed either in the leaf or stem, but the larva feeds primarily in the stem. Pupating in the stem

On Odontites in Britain and Euphrasia, Melampyrum, Odontites and Rhinathus elsewhere. Distribution in Britain unknown. Widespread in continental Europe. Also recorded in Canada.

Phytomyza rostrata Hering, 1934 [Diptera: Agromyzidae].



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Last updated 07-Feb-2012  Brian Pitkin Top of page