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

 

AMSINCKIA. Fiddlenecks. [Boraginaceae]


Two species of Amsinckia are recorded in Britain. These include Common Fiddleneck (A. micrantha) and Scarce Fiddleneck (A. lycopsoides).

Only one British miner is recorded on Amsinckia.

A key to the European miners recorded on Amsinckia is provided in Bladmineerders van Europa.

Common Fiddleneck - Amsinkia micrantha. Image: © John Somerville
Common Fiddleneck -
Amsinkia micrantha



Key for the identification of the known mines of British
insects (Diptera and non-Diptera) recorded on Amsinckia


1 > Leaf-miner: A narrow linear leaf-mine, which developes into a large blotch. Several larvae frequently feed together and the resulting mine can entirely fill the leaf (Spencer, 1976: 89).

The mine begins with a narrow, parallel sided corridor af 1-8 cm in length, with a nice double frass line. After the first moult the corridor is succeeded, and mostly overrun, by a large, primary, brown blotch. Frass in the initial corridor in short thread fragments, in the blotch in angular granules and thread fragments that often are branching (the frass is unusally sticky). Primary and secondary feeding lines conspicuous. The final mine often is very large and generally contains several larvae, because normally several mines develop on a leaf, and coalesce into one big blotch. Before pupation the larvae leave the mine through a semicircular exit slit that mostly, but not invariably, is in the upper epidermis.

The initial narrow gallery contains frass in a double line. It then expands to form a blotch mine. Several larvae may occupy a leaf to form a large blotch.

On numerous genera of Boraginaceae, including Anchusa, Borago, Cynoglossum, Echium and Pulmonaria, but not yet on Amsinckia, in Britain. Widespread in Britain. Also recorded in the Republic of Ireland. Common and widespread throughout most of Europe.

Agromyza abiens Zetterstedt, 1848 [Diptera: Agromyzidae].



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