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 robustella Hendel, 1936
[Diptera: Agromyzidae]


Phytomyza robusta Hendel, 1936. Fliegen pal. Reg. 6(2): 567. [Preoccupied by Napomyza (Phytomyza) robusta Meunier, 1905]. Phytomyza robustella Hendel, 1936. Fliegen palaearkt. Reg. 6(2): 567
Phytomyza robustella Hendel, 1936; Griffiths, 1964. Entomologiske Meddeleser XXXII: 393-4
Phytomyza robustella Hendel, 1936; Spencer, 1990. Host specialization in the World Agromyzidae (Diptera) : 259, 267
Phytomyza robustella Hendel, 1936; Henshaw, 2002. Dipterists Digest 9(2): 160.


Leaf-miner: The larvae tunnel in the mid-rib of the basal leaves. Their presence causes the vein to swell. Pupation within the mine (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.

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).

Comments: Species in the robustella group all feed in the petiole, sometimes causing a gall-like swelling (Spencer, 1990: 267).

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland: Currently unknown.

Hosts elsewhere:

Asteraceae        
Crepis biennis Rough Hawks-beard British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Spencer, 1990: 267
Crepis biennis Rough Hawks-beard British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - mines: April-May and June-July (Hering, 1957).

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Added to the British checklist by Henshaw (2002).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Germany (von Tschirnhaus, 1999), Austria, Czech Republic, Estonia, French mainland, Hungary and Italian mainland (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Crepis biennis

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Chalcidoidea   
Chrysocharis entedonoides (Walker, 1872) Eulophidae: Entedoninae
Chrysocharis pubicornis (Zetterstedt, 1838) Eulophidae: Entedoninae
Seladerma diffine (Walker, 1833) Pteromalidae: Miscogastrinae
Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available  
Chorebus alecto (Morley, 1924) Braconidae: Alysiinae
Chorebus ovalis (Marshall, 1896) Braconidae: Alysiinae
Dacnusa ocyroe Nixon, 1937 Braconidae: Alysiinae
Dacnusa pubescens (Curtis, 1926) Braconidae: Alysiinae

 



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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