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

 

Liriomyza tanaceti de Meijere, 1924
[Diptera: Agromyzidae]


Liriomyza tanaceti de Meijere, 1924. Tijdschr. Ent. 67: 124, as subsp. of hieracii Kaltenbach
Liriomyza tanaceti de Meijere, 1924; Hendel, 1931. Fliegen palaearkt. Reg. 6(2): 251
Liriomyza tanaceti de Meijere, 1924; Spencer, 1972b. Handbk ident. Br. Ins. 10(5g): 56 (fig. 190), 57, 112, 115
Liriomyza tanaceti de Meijere, 1924; Spencer, 1976. Fauna ent. Scand. 5(1): 272-4, fig. 489.
Liriomyza tanaceti de Meijere, 1924; Spencer, 1990. Host specialization in the World Agromyzidae (Diptera) : 300 (fig. 1158), 301, 303.


Leaf-miner: A narrow linear mine, with frass in black strips (Spencer, 1972b: 57; Spencer, 1976: 274). Narrow upper-surface corridor.

The corridor often follows nerves, causing it to branch now and then. Frass in strings. Pupation outside the mine (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Mine of Liriomyza tanaceti on Tanacetum vulgare. Image: Willem Ellis (Source: Bladmineerders van Europa)
Mine of Liriomyza tanaceti on Tanacetum vulgare
Image: © Willem Ellis (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.

The larva is described by de Meijere (1925). Posterior spiracles each with an ellipse of 8-10 bulbs (Spencer, 1972b: 57; Spencer, 1976: 274).

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).

Yellowish-black (Spencer, 1976: 274).

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Asteraceae        
Artemisia       Robbins, 1991: 117
Artemisia vulgaris Mugwort British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Robbins, 1989: 22
Chrysanthemum       Spencer, 1972b: 112
Tanacetum vulgare Tansy British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Mines in BMNH
Tanacetum vulgare Tansy British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Robbins, 1991: 117
Tanacetum vulgare Tansy British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1972b: 115

Hosts elsewhere:

Asteraceae        
Tanacetum       Spencer, 1990: 301, 303
Tanacetum vulgare Tansy British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1976: 274
Tanacetum vulgare Tansy British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - mines: July, October.

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Surrey (Godalming) (Spencer, 1972b: 57) and Warwickshire (Allesley) (Robbins, 1991: 117).

Also recorded in the Republic of Ireland: Co. Clare (Burren) and Co. Kerry (Dingle) (Spencer, 1972b: 57).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread and not uncommon in much of western Europe including Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden (Spencer, 1976: 274), The Netherlands, Luxembourg (Bladmineerders van Europa), Belgium (Scheirs, de Bruyn and Verdyck, 1993), Germany (Spencer, 1976: 562), Canary Is., French mainland, Lithuania, Poland and Spanish mainland (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Artemisia vulgaris, Tanacetum vulgare

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
Find using Google
Find using Google Scholar
Find images using Google


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