Serratula [Asteraceae]

SERRATULA. Saw-wort. [Asteraceae]

Only one species of Serratula is recorded in Britain - the native Saw-wort (S. tinctoria).

Only one Diptera miner, the polyphagous agromyzid Chromatomyia syngenesiae, is recorded on Serratula in Britain.

Elsewhere the agromyzids Chromatomyia 'atricornis' and Phytomyza spinaciae are recorded mining Serratula.

Two non-Diptera miners are recorded on Serratula in Britain (see below).

Elsewhere two additional British non-Diptera miners are recorded on Serratula (see below).

Key for the identification of the mines of British Diptera recorded on
Arctium and Serratula

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 > Blotch mine restricted by leaf veins; frass in irregular lumps.

Only on Arctium in Britain and elsewhere. Only recorded in Warwick in Britain. Also recordeded in continental Europe.

Pegomya laticornis (Fallén, 1825) [Diptera: Anthomyiidae].

1b > Leaf-miner: A large blotch, yellow or brown, preceded by a short, in the end mostly unrecognisable corridor. Generally several larvae in the mine. Especially in fresh mines the green primary and feeding lines area well marked. Pupation outside the mine.

On Angelica and possibly Arctium and Heracleum in Britain. Widespread but very rare in Britain. Also recorded in the Republic of Ireland and throughout Europe, except in the south.

Cryptaciura rotundiventris (Fallén, 1814) [Diptera: Tephritidae].

1c > Leaf-miner: Linear, corridor mine.

2a > Leaf-miner: Mine linear, whitish, both upper and lower surface. Pupation internal, at the end of the mine with the anterior spiracles projecting through the epidermis (Spencer, 1976: 433). Upper-surface, less often lower-surface corridor. Frass in isolated grains. Pupation within the mine, in a, usually lower-surface, pupal chamber (Bladmineerders van Europa). A long whitish upper surface corridor, which eventually goes lower surface (British leafminers).

Two highly polyphagous species of Chromatomyia, with indistinguishable mines, have been recorded in Britain. These are syngenesiae (Hardy) and horticola (Goureau) which can only be distinguished by the male genitalia. Both are polyphagous and widespread in Britain and elsewhere, although syngenesiae is almost entirely restricted to Asteraceae (see also 'atricornis').

Chromatomyia horticola is recorded on 55 plant genera in 19 families in Britain but not yet on Arctium in Britain.

Chromatomya syngenesiae is recorded in Britain on 27 plant genera in the family Asteraceae and many more genera elsewhere, including Arctium in Britain.

Chromatomyia 'atricornis' has been recorded on Arctium in Britain.

Chromatomyia horticola (Goureau, 1851) [Diptera: Agromyzidae].
OR
Chromatomyia syngenesiae Hardy, 1849 [Diptera: Agromyzidae].

2b > Leaf-miner: An unusually long, narrow, whitish linear mine, frequently following a vein. Numerous larvae can occur together in a single leaf which can be completely eaten out. Pupation external. Puparium black

On Arctium lappa, Arctium minus and Arctium nemorosum in Britain and elsewhere. Widespread and common throughout British Isles. Common in much of Europe. Range extending eastwards to Kazakhastan, Uzbekistan and the Kirghiz Republics of the [former] U.S.S.R.

Phytomyza lappae Goureau, 1851 [Diptera: Agromyzidae].

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

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).

1a > Leaf-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)

1b > Leaf-miner, but not a case-bearer: The larva lives mainly inside the mine. Mine usually contains frass. In later instars the larva may live sandwiched between two more or less circular sections cut from the leaf e.g. Incurvaria species.

2a > Leaf-miner and case-bearer: Larva mines leaves (British leafminers). The larva builds a case from silk, resembling a razor shell in appearance. (UKMoths). The full-grown case is 12 mm long and blackish-brown (British leafminers). The full grown larva lives in a blackish brown trivalved tubular silken case of about 8 mm.

Recorded on Arctium, Centaurea, Cirsium, Serratula in Britain and Arctium, Carduus, Centaurea, Cirsium, Saussurea and Serratula elsewhere. Widespread in Britain, Ireland and continental Europe.

Coleophora paripennella Zeller, 1839 [Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae].

3a > Leaf-miner: Short, gradually widening, brown, corridor, 9-13 mm long and 0.5-2 mm wide. At he start of the mine a small lower-surface hole, lined with silk, through which frass is ejected. The older larva lives free in a spinning under the leaf or, even later, in a leaf that is spun upwards into a pod (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Recorded on Serratula in Britain and elsewhere. Britain (Karsholt and van Nieukerken in Fauna Europaea) including East Cornwall and West Cornwall. Russia East and East Palaearctic.

Agonopterix kuznetzovi Lvovsky, 1983 [Lepidoptera: Depressariidae].

3b > Leaf-miner: The eggs of this species are laid on a leaf, with the larvae mining the underside of the leaf, until a late instar when it feeds in a web under the midrib of the leaf, causing visible blotching on the upperside (UKMoths). Short, full depth corridor. The larva relatively long lives as a miner, but finally leaves the mine and continues living in spinning along the midrib at the leaf underside, from where windows are eaten in the leaf (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Agonopterix propinquella on Cirsium arvense

Recorded on Cirsium, but not yet on Serratula, in Britain and Arctium, Carduus, Centaurea, Cirsium, Cynara, Mycelis and Serratula elsewhere. Widespread in Britain and continental Europe.

Agonopterix propinquella (Treitschke, 1835) [Lepidoptera: Depressariidae].

3c > 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 several plant families, but not yet on Serratula, in Britain. Recorded on numerous genera and species of several plant families, including Serratula, elsewhere. Widespread in Britain and continental Europe. Also recorded from the Channel Is.

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


	Last updated 02-Feb-2012 Brian Pitkin