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

 

Phytomyza archangelicae Hering, 1937
[Diptera: Agromyzidae]

? BRITISH


Phytomyza archangelicae Hering, 1937c. Blattminen Mittel- und NordEuropas Lief 5, 6: 566
Phytomyza nilssoni Rydén, 1956. Opusc. ent. 21: 199
Phytomyza nilssoni Rydén, 1956; Griffiths, 1964. Ent. Meddr. 32: 400.
Phytomyza archangelicae Hering, 1937c; Spencer, 1976. Fauna ent. Scand. 5 (1): 382-4, figs 665-9
Phytomyza archangelicae Hering, 1937c; Spencer, 1990. Host specialization in the World Agromyzidae (Diptera) : 160. 172 (fig. 646), 173.


Leaf-miner: An irregular whitish linear mine, not associated with leaf margin (Spencer, 1976: 383 (fig. 666)).

Corridor, lower-surface at first, upper-surface later. The upper part is 7-10 cm long and no more than 2 mm wide in the end. Frass in thick, black frains, sometimes in pearl chains. Pupation outside the mine, exit slit either in upper or in 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.

The larva is described by Griffiths (1973c), Hering (1955a, as nilssoni), de Meijere (1937) and illustrated in Bladmineerders van Europa. Posterior spiracles each with 24-28 bulbs (Spencer, 1976: 383 (fig. 669)).

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).

Black.

Comments: Robbins (1989 and 1991: 66) recorded mines of Phytomyza archangelicae on Angelica and Angelica sylvestris. Pitkin & Plant, following Robbins, also recorded mines on Angeliaca sylvestris. Henshaw in Chandler, 1998: 139, says that confirmation of its British status is required.

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Apiaceae        

? Angelica

      Robbins, 1989: PAGE
? Angelica sylvestris Wild Angelica British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Robbins, 1991: 66
? Angelica sylvestris Wild Angelica British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant

Hosts elsewhere:

Apiaceae        
Angelica &nbww.royensoc.co.uk/sites/default/files/Vol10_Part05g.pdf" target="_blank">Spencer, 1972b: 118
Thalictrum aquilegifolium French Meadow-rue   British leafminers

Hosts elsewhere:

Ranunculaceae        
Aegopodium podagraria Ground-elder British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Angelica sylvestris Wild Angelica British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Aquilegia       Spencer, 1990: 22
Aquilegia atrata     Bladmineerders van Europa
Aquilegia flabellata     Bladmineerders van Europa
Aquilegia vulgaris Columbine British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Thalictrum       Spencer, 1990: 22
Thalictrum aquilegifolium French Meadow-rue   Spencer, 1976: 380
Thalictrum aquilegifolium French Meadow-rue   Bladmineerders van Europa
Thalictrum flavum Common Meadow-rue British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Thalictrum lucidum Shining Meadow-rue   Bladmineerders van Europa
Thalictrum minus Lesser Meadow-rue British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - mines: June-September.

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Common in south particularly in gardens (Spencer, 1972b: 82) including Warwickshire (Coventry) (Robbins, 1991: 28); Anglesey, Caernarvonshire, East Ross, East Suffolk, Easterness, Glamorgan, Leicestershire, Merionethshire, North Somerset, Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, South Essex, South Lancashire, South-west Yorkshire, Surrey and West Gloucestershire (NBN Atlas).

Also recorded on Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris), 12 June 1985 at Castlecurragh, Co. Limerick, Ireland (H.C.J. Godfray).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Denmark, Finland, Norway (Spencer, 1976: 380), Belgium (de Bruyn and von Tschirnhaus, 1991), The Netherlands (Bladmineerders van Europa), Czech Republic, French mainland, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Switzerland (Fauna Europaea).

Range extending eastwards to the Kirghiz and Kazakh Republics of the [former] U.S.S.R. (Spencer, 1976: 380).

References to aquilegiae in North America have all proven inaccurate (Spencer, 1976: 380).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Aegopodium podagraria, Angelica sylvestris, Aquilegia vulgaris, Thalictrum aquilegiifolium, Thalictrum flavum, Thalictrum lucidum, Thalictrum minus

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Chalcidoidea   
Chrysocharis amyite (Walker, 1839) Eulophidae: Entedoninae
Chrysocharis orbicularis (Nees, 1834) Eulophidae: Entedoninae
Chrysocharis pentheus (Walker, 1839) Eulophidae: Entedoninae
Closterocerus trifasciatus Westwood, 1833 Eulophidae: Entedoninae
Neochrysocharis formosus (Westwood, 1833) Eulophidae: Entedoninae
Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available  
Dacnusa aquilegiae Marshall, 1896 Braconidae: Alysiinae
Phaedrotoma staryi Fischer, 1958 Braconidae: Opiinae


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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