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 ranunculivora Hering, 1932
[Diptera: Agromyzidae]


Phytomyza ranunculivora Hering, 1932a. Z. wiss. InsektBiol. 26: 160
Phytomyza ranunculivora Hering, 1932a; Hendel, 1935. Fliegen palaearkt. Reg. 6(2): 467
Phytomyza lingua Lundquist, 1947. Opusc. ent. 12(1-3): 75. [Synonymised by Spencer, 1976: 484]
Phytomyza ranunculivora Hering, 1932a; Spencer, 1972b. Handbk ident. Br. Ins. 10(5g): 70 (fig. 230B), 90, 119
Phytomyza ranunculivora Hering, 1932a; Spencer, 1976. Fauna ent. Scand. 5(1): 482-5, figs 849-51.
Phytomyza ranunculivora Hering, 1932a; Spencer, 1990. Host specialization in the World Agromyzidae (Diptera) : 22, 41, 44 (fig. 160), 50, 125, 140, 177.


Leaf-miner: Long, upper-surface corridor with the frass in relatively large, widely dispersed fragments. Pupation outside the mine; exit slit in lower epidermis (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Forms an elongated linear mine with the frass grains are widely spaced, which enables distinction between this species and P.ranunculi, where the frass is in closely adjoining grains. Pupation is external (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.

The larva is described by de Meijere (1938a) (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).

Yellow; posterior spiracles each with 12 well-defined bulbs, forming an almost complete circle (Spencer, 1976: 483 (fig. 488B)). Orange-yellow (British leafminers).

Phytomyza ranunculivora puparium
Phytomyza ranunculivora puparium
Image: © Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa)

Comments: Ranunculus ficaria is treated as Ficaria verna (Lesser Celandine) by Stace (2010).

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Ranunculaceae        
Ranunculus       Mines in BMNH
Ranunculus       Robbins, 1991: 27
Ranunculus acris Meadow Buttercup British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1972b: 119
Ranunculus acris Meadow Buttercup British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Ranunculus repens Creeping Buttercup British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British Leafminers

Hosts elsewhere:

Ranunculaceae        
Ranunculus       Spencer, 1976: 484
Ranunculus       Spencer, 1990: 22
Ranunculus aconitifolius Aconite-leaved Buttercup   Bladmineerders van Europa
Ranunculus acris Meadow Buttercup British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Ranunculus breyninus     Bladmineerders van Europa
Ranunculus ficaria Lesser Celandine British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Ranunculus flammula Lesser Spearwort British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Ranunculus lanuginosus     Bladmineerders van Europa
Ranunculus lingua Greater Spearwort British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Ranunculus montanus     Bladmineerders van Europa
Ranunculus polyanthemos     Bladmineerders van Europa
Ranunculus repens Creeping Buttercup British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - mines: July-August, October.

Time of year - adults: May the following year.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Widespread in Britain including Surrey (Chipsetad), Middlesex (Mill Hill), Pembs (Tenby) (Spencer, 1972b: 90), Mid Perth (Balrobbie Farm) (Bland, 1994c: 83), Warwickshire (Kingsbury Wood) (Robbins, 1991: 27); Anglesey, Cumberland, Leicestershire, Main Argyll, Mid-west Yorkshire, Shropshire, South Somerset and South-west Yorkshire (NBN Atlas).

Also recorded in Northen Ireland. See National Biodiversity Data Centre Map).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Spain (Menorca) (Spencer, 1976: 484), The Netherlands, Luxembourg (Bladmineerders van Europa), Germany (Spencer, 1976: 484), Austria, Balearic Is., Belarus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Italian mainland, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Ranunculus aconitifolius, Ranunculus acris, Ranunculus ficaria (= Ficaria verna), Ranunculus flammula, Ranunculus lingua, Ranunculus repens

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: Currently unknown.



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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