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 diversicornis Hendel, 1927
[Diptera: Agromyzidae]

Phytomyza diversicornis Hendel, 1927a. Zool. Anz. 69: 270
Phytomyza diversicornis Hendel, 1927a; Hendel, 1935. Fliegen palaearkt. Reg. 6(2): 392
Phytomyza diversicornis Hendel, 1927a; Spencer, 1976. Fauna ent. Scand. 5(1): 411-2, fig. 720.
Phytomyza diversicornis Hendel, 1927a; Spencer, 1990. Host specialization in the World Agromyzidae (Diptera) : 222, 227, 228 (fig. 857).

Stem-borer: Larva feeding internally in the pith of stems, more rarely forming a true mine in the outer parenchymatous tissue (Spencer, 1976: 412; Spencer, 1990: 227).

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.

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, elongate, deeply segmented; posterior spiracles each with an ellipse of 30-32 bulbs around a minute central horn (Spencer, 1976: 412).

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland: Currently unknown.

Hosts elsewhere:

Scorphulariaceae        
Pedicularis palustris Marsh Lousewort British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1976: 412
Pedicularis palustris Marsh Lousewort British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1990: 227
Pedicularis palustris Marsh Lousewort British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bland, 2009
Pedicularis sylvatica Lousewort British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bland, 2009

Time of year - larvae: Currently unknown.

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Added to the British checklist by Bland (see Chandler, 1998). Anglesey, Caernarvonshire and East Ross (NBN Atlas).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria, Denmark and Germany (Spencer, 1976: 412); Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Pedicularis palustris

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available  
Chorebus crassipes (Stelfox, 1954) Braconidae: Alysiinae
Utetes rotundiventris (Thomson, 1895) 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		 Find using Google
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