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Tag Archives: British leaf mines

Leaf mines: Phytomyza ilicis

23 Tuesday Feb 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects, plants

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British leaf mines, Holly, Holly leaf-miner, Ilex aquifolium, leaf mines, leaf-mining fly larvae, Phytomyza ilicis

The tale of the Holly leaf miner (Phytomyza ilicis) is a tangled one. Way back in December 2016, I blogged about the leaf-mining life of this tiny fly’s larvae. Then, early in 2020, doubt was cast on the true identity of this leaf miner, when two scientists published a paper, stating that, through genital examination of one particular Phytomyza ilicis specimen, they had determined there were in fact two very similar species to be found in Britain. Of course, this called into question the true identification of all prior records, and no subsequent records could be confirmed without genital examination of specimens.

210223 phytomyza ilicis (1)
210223 phytomyza ilicis (2)

At that stage, I stopped recording leaf mines on Holly. But now I can start again because the work of those earlier scientists has recently been disproved. The organiser of the Agromyzidae Recording Scheme (the family to which Phytomyza ilicis belongs) re-examined the questionable specimen and found the genitals had actually been damaged, which had led to them being wrongly identified.

210223 phytomyza ilicis (4)
210223 phytomyza ilicis (3)

So, until that ‘other’ Holly leaf miner (Phytomyza jucunda) makes its way from Europe to Britain and so long as the mines look similar to the various ones I’ve included here, it is safe to record the Holly leaf mines we see as Phytomyza ilicis.

210223 phytomyza ilicis (5)
210223 phytomyza ilicis (6)

You can access the splendid new website of the Agromyzidae Recording Scheme here, and read more about the story of the Holly leaf miner in a recent newsletter here.

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Wild word: pupa

20 Wednesday Jan 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature, plants

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British leaf mines, Cerodontha iridis, leaf-mining fly pupae, leafminer, pupa, pupae of Cerodontha iridis

Pupa: Noun (pl. pupae); An insect in its inactive immature form between larva and adult, e.g. a chrysalis; Origin: late 18th century modern Latin, from Latin pupa ‘girl, doll’ (Oxford Dictionary).

210120 pupa cerodontha iridis (2)

I don’t find pupae very often so I was very pleased to find these – all the black oblong shapes, not just the one outside the leaf – the pupae of the leaf-mining fly Cerodontha iridis. More about that creature in my blog post of 7 December.

210120 pupa cerodontha iridis (1)

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356/366 Leaf mines: Euleia heraclei

21 Monday Dec 2020

Posted by sconzani in insects, plants

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Alexanders, Alexanders plants, British leaf mines, Celery fly, Celery leaf fly, Euleia heraclei, leaf mines, leaf-mining fly larvae, leafminers

Finally, a leaf mine where I’ve actually seen the adult – in this case, a fly rather than a moth – and not the specific adult that laid the eggs that hatched into the larvae that made these particular leaf mines, but rather adult flies seen on other occasions. And very pretty little flies they are too!

201221 Euleia heraclei (1)

These are Euleia heraclei, also known as Celery flies or Celery leaf flies because one of the plants their larvae feed on is Celery. Other plants include Parsley, Hogweed, Angelica, Lovage, Wild parsnip and, the plant I found these leaf mines on, Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum). In the photos below, the fly on the left is the male, the one on the right the female.

201221 Euleia heraclei male
201221 Euleia heraclei female

According to the Nature Spot website, the adult flies are usually seen between April and November, and the British Leafminers website says that the larval mines can be seen throughout summer and into early autumn, though one of my photos below was taken as recently as 27 November and the larva is clearly visible so perhaps they have a longer season when the weather conditions are mild.

201221 Euleia heraclei (4)
201221 Euleia heraclei (5)

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327/365 Stigmella leaf mines

23 Saturday Nov 2019

Posted by sconzani in autumn, insects, leaves, nature

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bramble leaf mines, British leaf mines, British moths, Golden pigmy moth, leaf mines on brambles, leaf-mining moth, Stigmella aurella, stigmella species

Before the heavy rain came in yesterday I managed a quick local walk, part of which was to look at maple trees for the leaf mines of a tiny moth called Stigmella aceris, which has slowly been expanding its range in south Wales. I didn’t find any on the few trees I looked at, though I will continue to look and will report back here if I do manage to find any.

191123 stigmella aurella leaf mines (1)
191123 stigmella aurella leaf mines (2)

I decided to switch my focus on to another of the Stigmella moth species, Stigmella aurella, the Golden pigmy moth, which lives its larval life in mines burrowed in bramble leaves. Though you might never see the adult moth, you will undoubtedly be able to find its leaf mines as they are common and widespread throughout most of Britain, and I easily found several examples during my local meander. Now to find the maple-leaf-burrowing variety!

191123 stigmella aurella leaf mines (4)
191123 stigmella aurella leaf mines (3)

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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  • Mossy gravestone February 27, 2021
  • Nipplewort Rust February 26, 2021
  • First hoverfly February 25, 2021
  • Spot the spider February 24, 2021
  • Leaf mines: Phytomyza ilicis February 23, 2021

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