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

 

Aulagromyza cornigera (Griffiths, 1973)
[Diptera: Agromyzidae]

Paraphytomyza cornigera Griffiths, 1973b. Entomologist's Gaz. 24(4): 307
Paraphytomyza lonicerae (Robineau-Desvoidy, 1851); Spencer, 1972. Handbk ident. Br. Ins. 10(5g): 64-5. [Misidentification.]
Paraphytomyza cornigera Griffiths, 1973b; Spencer, 1990. Host specialization in the world Agromyzidae (Diptera) : 238, 239 (fig. 895-6), 240, 242
Aulagromyza cornigera (Griffiths, 1973).


Leaf-miner: A long white mine. Pupation external (Spencer, 1972b: 62 (fig. 209), 65, as lonicerae).

Strongly widening, upper-surface, unbranched corridor; its first section usually follows the leaf margin for some distance. Pupation outside the mine; exit slit in upper epidermis (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Leaf mine is formed in the young tender leaf. Larva forming long white mine which widens (British leafminers).

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 with a distinctive horn-like process within the ellipse of bulbs (Spencer, 1972b: 65, as lonicerae). The larvae are described Griffiths (1973), Dempewolf (2001: 166) and illustrated in Bladmineerders van Europa.

Aulagromyza cornigera puparium
Aulagromyza cornigera larva, lateral
Image: © Willem Ellis (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).

Posterior spiracles with a distinctive horn-like process within the ellipse of bulbs (Spencer, 1972b: 65, as lonicerae). The puparium is illustrated in Bladmineerders van Europa.

Aulagromyza cornigera puparium
Aulagromyza cornigera puparium
Image: © Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa)

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Caprifoliaceae        
Leycesteria formosa Himalayan Honeysuckle   British leafminers
Lonicera       Robbins, 1991: 107
Lonicera periclymenum Honeysuckle British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Lonicera periclymenum Honeysuckle British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Griffiths, 1973b: 307
Lonicera periclymenum Honeysuckle British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Mines in BMNH
Lonicera periclymenum Honeysuckle British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1972b: 110, as lonicerae
Symphoricarpos       Robbins, 1991: 106
Symphoricarpos albus (as rivularis) Snowberry   British leafminers
Symphoricarpos albus (as rivularis) Snowberry   Spencer, 1972b: 110, as lonicerae

Hosts elsewhere:

Caprifoliaceae        
Lonicera       Griffiths, 1973b
Lonicera       Griffiths, 1974
Lonicera       Spencer, 1990: 238
Lonicera periclymenum Honeysuckle British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Lonicera periclymenum Honeysuckle British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Dempewolf, 2001: 166
Lonicera xylosteum Fly Honeysuckle British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Symphoricarpos       Griffiths, 1973b: 307
Symphoricarpos       Griffiths, 1974
Symphoricarpos albus Snowberry   Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - mines: May-June.

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Warwickshire (Exhall, Hartshill and Alvecote) (Robbins, 1991: 106-7) and Hampshire (Fleet) (British leafminers); East Norfolk, Glamorgan, Kintyre, Main Argyll, Merionethshire, Shropshire, and West Lancashire (NBN Atlas).

Ireland National Biodiversity Data Centre Map).

Distribution elsewhere: The Netherlands (Bladmineerders van Europa), Germany (Dempewolf, 2001: 166), French mainland, Poland and Spanish mainland (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Lonicera periclymenum, Lonicera xylosteum, Symphoricarpos albus

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Chalcidoidea   
Chrysocharis crassiscapus (Thomson, 1878) Eulophidae: Entedoninae
Chrysocharis pentheus (Walker, 1839) Eulophidae: Entedoninae
Chrysocharis viridis (Nees, 1934) Eulophidae: Entedoninae
Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available  
Coloneura stylata Förster, 1862 Braconidae: Alysiinae
Colastes braconius Haliday, 1833 Braconidae: Exothecinae


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


XHTML Validator Last updated 09-Jul-2019 Brian Pitkin Top of page