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

 

Heterarthrus aceris (Kaltenbach, 1856)
[Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae]


Eriocampa (Phyllotoma) aceris (Kaltenbach, 1856)
Heterarthrus aceris (Kaltenbach, 1856) [not 1874]
Phyllotoma aceris Kaltenbach, 1856 [not 1874].
Heterarthrus fumipennis (Cameron, 1888)
Phyllotoma fumipennis Cameron, 1888.


Leaf miner: A large upper-surface (often almost full depth) blotch, without a trace of an initial corridor, beginning in the very tip of a leaf segment. The full grown larva spins itself a disc shaped cocoon within the mine. Just before, it has made a circle of perforations in the upper epidermis with its mandibles. The cocoon is formed, attached to the upper epidermis, and the larva becomes immobile. The perforated circle of epidermis starts to dry, warps, and finally becomes detached from the surrounding tissue and drops to the ground. The resulting excision has a diameter of about 7 mm, and is best seen when the leaf is held against the light (Bladmineerders van Europa).

The mine is also illustrated in British leafminers.

Larva: The larvae of sawflies have a head capsule, chewing mouthparts with opposable mandibles, six thoracic legs and abdominal legs (although they may be reduced) (see examples).

The larva is illustrated in British leafminers. Like all Heterarthrus species the thoracic feet are reduced to small stumps (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Pupa: The pupae of sawflies have visible head appendages, wings and legs which lie in sheaths.

Adult: Details unknown.

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Aceraceae        
Acer pseudoplatanus Sycamore British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Acer pseudoplatanus Sycamore British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant

Hosts elsewhere:

Aceraceae        
Acer pseudoplatanus Sycamore British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - larvae: Univoltine: early summer (British leafminers).

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Comments: Full synonymy and references are listed in ECatSym - Electronic World Catalog of Symphyta.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Widespread in England including Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cumberland, Middlesex, North Wiltshire, North-west Yorkshire, South Wiltshire, South-east Yorkshire, South-west Yorkshire, Surrey, Warwickshire, West Lancashire, Westmorland and Worcestershire (NBN Atlas).

Also recorded in the Republic of Ireland (Fauna Europaea).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria, Corsica, Croatia, Czech Republic, French mainland, Germany, Italian mainland, Poland, Sweden, ? Switzerland and ? Ukraine (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Acer pseudoplatanus

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available  
Shawiana catenator (Haliday, 1836) Braconidae: Exothecinae
Shawiana laevis (Thomson, 1892) Braconidae: Exothecinae
Mesoleius aceris Kasparyan & Shaw, 2003 Ichneumonidae: Euryproctinae
Scambus foliae (Cushman, 1938) Ichneumonidae: Pimplinae


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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