The leaf and stem mines of British flies and other insects
 

(Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera)

by Brian Pitkin, Willem Ellis, Colin Plant and Rob Edmunds

 

Agromyza dipsaci Hendel, 1927
[Diptera: Agromyzidae]

Agromyza dipsaci Hendel, 1927a. Zool. Anz. 69: 251
Agromyza dipsaci Hendel, 1927a; Spencer, 1972b. Handbk ident. Br. Ins. 10(5g): 36 (figs 99-100), 38, 116
Agromyza dipsaci Hendel, 1927a; Spencer, 1990. Host specialization in the world Agromyzidae (Diptera) : 242, 243 (figs 913-4), 244.


Leaf-miner: A funnel-shaped blotch mine at margin of leaf (Spencer, 1972b: 36 (fig. 100), 38).

Forms a long mine, which rapidly broadens, at the leaf edge. The mine turns brown. (British leafminers).

Blotch, invariably beginning at the leaf margin, widening fast and strongly, giving the mine a funnel-like shape. Primary and secondary feeding lines very conspicuous. Frass in large grains. The larvae leaves the mine before pupation; according to Spencer (1954) the exit slit is in the lower epidermis (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Larva: The larvae of flies 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.

Posterior spiracles witth about 40 bulbs (Groschke, 1957a; Hering, 1957a) (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Puparium: The puparia of flies are 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).

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Dipsacaceae        
Dipsacus       Robbins, 1991: 108
Dipsacus fullonum Wild Teasel British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Mines in BMNH
Dipsacus fullonum Wild Teasel British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1972b: 116
Dipsacus fullonum Wild Teasel British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers

Hosts elsewhere:

Dipsacaceae        
Dipsacus       Spencer, 1990: 244
Dipsacus fullonum Wild Teasel British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Dipsacus pilosus Small Teasel British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - mines: June-July.

Time of year - adults: June. Only a single generation in summer.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Uncommon in England including Middlesex (Scratch Wood), Surrey (Chelsham) and Huntingdonshire (Monk's Wood) (Spencer, 1972b: 38), Surrey (Godstone) (pers. observation) and North Somerset and West Gloucestershire (NBN Atlas).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Belgium (Bladmineerders van Europa), Austria, Czech Republic, French mainland, Germany, Hungary and Slovakia (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Dipsacus fullonum, Dipsacus pilosus

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Chalcidoidea  
Chrysocharis amyite (Walker, 1839) Eulophidae: Entedoninae


External links: Search the internet:
Biodiversity Heritage Library
Bladmineerders van Europa
British leafminers
Encyclopedia of Life
Fauna Europaea
NBN Atlas
NHM UK Checklist
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