SILENE. Campions and Catchflys. [Caryophyllaceae]

Forty-four species of Silene are recorded in Britain. These include the native Moss Campion (S. acaulis), Sand Catchfly (S. conica), Red Campion (S. dioica), Small-flowered Catchfly (S. gallica), White Campion (S. latifolia), Night-flowering Catchfly (S. noctiflora), Nottingham Catchfly (S. nutans), Spanish Catchfly (S. otites), Sea Campion (S. uniflora) and Bladder Campion (S. vulgaris).

Lychnis chalcedonica is treated as Silene chalcedonica and Lychnis flos-cuculi is treated as Silene flos-cuculiby Stace (2010).

Moss Campion (S. acaulis) is protected in Northern Ireland under Schedule 8 of the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order, 1985.

Six Diptera miners, the agromyzids Amauromyza flavifrons, Ophiomyia melandricaulis and the anthomyiids Delia echinata, Pegomya flavifrons and Pegomya hyoscyami, the drosophilid Scaptomyza graminum are recorded on Silene in Britain. The record of Delia cardui on Silene is unsubstantiated (Mick Ackland, pers. comm.).

The tephritid Philophylla caesio is tentatively recorded on Silene in Britain. It is recorded as a petiole miner on Urtica elsewhere.

The agromyzid Ophiomyia melandryifeeds in the stems of Silene in Britain and elsewhere.

Elsewhere the agromyzids Liriomyza strigata, Amauromyza flavifrons and Ophiomyia melandricaulis and the anthomyiids Delia cardui, Delia echinata, Pegomya flavifrons and Pegomya hyoscyami and the drosophilid Scaptomyza graminum are recorded mining Silene.

Three non-Diptera miners are recorded on Silene in Britain (see below).

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

The tortricid Cnephasia conspersana is recorded as a seed / shoot-feeder on Silene in Britain.

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 > Leaf-mine or stem-mine.

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1b > Leaf and stem miner: Eggs are scattered individually over the leaf upper surface; they are only loosely attached to the plant. The egg shell has a honeycomb structure. The larva begins with first mining one of the top leaves completely out. Next the larva moves down to another leaf, by way of a tunnel made in the stem. In this way several leaves are mined out, completely and full depth. In the attacked part of the plant the stem has become translucent; the damage causes the plant tip to wilt. In the first mines almost no frass is to be found, further down it is deposited in coarse grains. Pupation generally outside the mine (Miles, 1953) (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Host records ambiguous. Recorded on ? Agrostemma, ? Arenaria, ? Cerastium, ? Dianthus, ? Gypsophila , ? Lychnis, ? Saponaria, Silene, ? Spergularia, ? Stellaria, Vaccaria, Atriplex, ? Chenopodium, Spinacia and ? Phlox in Britain. Recorded on Amaranthus, Agrostemma, Arenaria, Cerastium, Dianthus, Gypsophila , Lychnis, Saponaria, Silene, Spergularia, Stellaria, Vaccaria, Atriplex, Chenopodium, Spinacia, Phlox and Primula elsewhere. Recorded from Warwick and West Ross in Britain. Widespread in continental Europe.

Delia echinata (Seguy, 1923) [Diptera: Anthomyiidae].

2a > Stem mine. A shallow external stem-mine. The mine generally starts as a fine, lower-surface, corridor the seems to end upon a thick vein. In reality the corridor continues by way of the petiole to the stem, where a very long mine is formed in the rind. Frass in widely spaced grains. Pupation within the mine, mostly just above a node; the front spiracula penetrate the epidermis. Puparium pale brown

On Lychnis, Moehringia and Silene in Britain and additional genra and species of Caryophyllaceae elsewhere. Only known from Hunts, Monmouth and Warwick in Britain. Widespread in continental Europe.

Ophiomyia melandricaulis Hering, 1943 [Diptera: Agromyzidae].

2b > Leaf mine.

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3a > A white linear-blotch mine, the linear section sometimes not detectable as it becomes enveloped in later blotch. Puparium reddish brown

On Agrostemma, Dianthus, Lychnis, Saponaria, Silene, Stellaria [Caryophyllaceae] and Atriplex, Beta and Spinacia [Chenopodiaceae] in Britain. Widespread in Britain and continental Europe. Also Canada.

Amauromyza flavifrons (Meigen, 1830) [Diptera: Agromyzidae].

3b > Upper side blotch mine beginning with a deeper, almost full depth corridor. Frass grains not in thread-like pieces, irregularly scattered. In the large, later blotch indistinct primary and secondary frass lines are found; the frass accumulated in the middle.

On Cerastium, Lychnis, Myosoton, Silene and Stellaria in Britain and elsewhere. Widespread in Britain and continental Europe.

Pegomya flavifrons (Walker, 1949) [Diptera: Anthomyiidae].

3c > Large blotch mine, often with several larvae, beginning with a short deeper corridor at a single egg shell on the surface of the leaf. The broad deep corridor later ends in a blotch but can be recognised (beneath the blotch) by its greater depth. Mine predominantly dorsal or ventral, greenish in transmitted light. Frass grains irregularly scattered except in the initial corridor.

On Silene [Caryophyllaceae], Atriplex, Beta, Chenopodium [Chenopodiaceae] and possibly Solanum [Solanaceae] in Britain and additional genera of Chenopodiaceae and Solanaceae elsewhere. Known only from Inner Hebrides, Ayr and Warwick in Britain. Also recorded in continental Europe and the East Palaearctic.

Pegomya hyoscyami (Panzer, 1809) [Diptera: Anthomyiidae].

3d > A long, narrow, winding corridor running towards the midrib, widening to a blotch. Pupation usually in the soil, less often in the leaf (and then generally not in the mine itself but in a small separated mine, that may even be made in the petiole)

Mine of Scaptomyza graminum on Cerastium glomeratum Image: Jean-Yves Baugnée (Bladmineerders van Europa)

On ? Amaranthus, ? Rorippa, Cerastium, Lychnis, Myosoton, Silene, Stellaria, Atriplex, ? Anthyllis, ? Lupinus, ? Medicago, ? Montia and ? Antirrhinum in Britain and Amaranthus, Lepidium, Moricandia, ? Rorippa, Agrostemma, Arenaria, Cerastium, Coronaria, Corrigiola, Cucubalus, Dianthus, Gypsophila, Lychnis, Moehringia, Myosoton, Polycarpon, Saponaria, Silene, Spergularia, Stellaria, Vaccaria, Viscaria, Atriplex, Beta, Chenopodium, Obione, Salicornia, Spinacia, Anthyllis, Lupinus, Medicago, Allium, Montia, Portulaca and Antirrhinum elsewhere. Widespread in Britain and continental Europe.

Scaptomyza graminum (Fallén, 1823) [Diptera: Drosophilidae].