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SCROPHULARIA. Figworts. [Scrophulariaceae] |
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Eight species of Scrophularia are recorded in Britain. These include the native Water Figwort (S. auriculata), Common Figwort (S. nodosa), Balm-leaved Figwort (S. scorodonia) and Green Figwort (S. umbrosa). Only one Diptera miner, the agromyzid Amauromyza verbasci, is recorded on Scrophularia in Britain. The agromyzid Napomyza scrophulariae is recorded feeding in both seed heads and stems of Digitalis pupurea and possibly Scrophularia nodosa, Verbascum and Mentha in Britain. Elsewhere the polyphagus agromyzids Amauromyza verbasci, Chromatomyia horticola, Liriomyza bryoniae and Liriomyza strigata are recorded mining Scrophularia. One non-Diptera miner is recorded on Scrophularia in Britain. Elsewhere one British non-Diptera miner is recorded on Scrophularia. N.B. The key to mines below includes mines recorded on Buddleja (Buddlejaceae), Phygelius and Scrophularia (Scrophulariaceae). |
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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). 1 > Leaf-miner: Larva forming a linear-blotch mine with several mines often occurring in the same leaf. Puparium orange-yellow
Amauromyza verbasci (Bouche, 1847) [Diptera: Agromyzidae]. |
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Key for the identification of the mines of British
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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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1 > Leaf-miner: Rather long full depth corridor that winds freely through the leaf and may cross itself. In the end the corridor widens considerably. Frass mostly in a narrow central line, but may also be deposited along the sides or be missing. The larvae regular leave a mine to restart elsewhere. Pupation outside the mine. Neither larva or mine can be distinguished from that of related species (Bladmineerders van Europa). Larva without abdominal legs.
Apteropeda orbiculata (Marsham, 1802) [Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae] |
| Last updated 08-Feb-2012 Brian Pitkin |  |
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