CLOSED: Agromyzidae sp. Diptera

I have some pics of flies identified as Agromyzidae sp., but I very much doubt I will get a Genus let alone a species. Is it acceptable to add these as just Agromyzidae sp, this is what I'm often seeing with other pics I find. There are hundreds of species so I doubt it I will get an answer to a Genus, although I have asked.

http://nlbif.eti.uva.nl/bis/agromyzidae.php?menuentry=soorten

I can only say it's not Liriomyza by the description of 3 species in Europe, they have a yellow area between the wings.

I looked through the list on microscopy and one is a possibility, Phytomyza crassiseta, the male has yellow on the face as well as white lines across the back of the abdomen but no female pics, and they have a "?".

http://micropics.org.uk/Agromyzidae/agromyzidae.htm

http://micropics.org.uk/Agromyzidae/Phytomyza/crassiseta/phytomyza%20crassiseta.htm

There is a lit of British Leafminers here,

http://www.leafmines.co.uk/html/species_list.htm

I guess as it was on Aquilegia, and I do get leaf mining on them, and I also have Thalictrum aquilegifolium, the logical choice would be Phytomyza aquilegiae. :) First find a pic, lol.

http://www.leafmines.co.uk/html/Diptera/P.aquilegiae.htm

http://www.ukflymines.co.uk/Flies/Phytomyza_aquilegiae.html

Getting somewhere! On the following site it states:

"Three dipterous miners, the agromyzids Ophiomyia aquilegiana, Phytomyza aquilegiae and Phytomyza minuscula are recorded on Aquilegia in Britain. Two of these miners are also recorded on Thalictrum in Britain."

http://www.ukflymines.co.uk/Keys/AQUILEGIA.html

The type of mining I recognise is from Phytomyza minuscula, strangely that is not mentioned as being on Thalictrum aquilegifolium in Britain where another is. But they were on Aquilegia.

http://www.ukflymines.co.uk/Flies/Phytomyza_minuscula.html


I took my fly pics on 6th May and there are males and females, that would fit for leaf mining time! I think their size was closer to 2-3mm.

http://diptera.info/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=17086

It might be safe to say it's at least Phytomyza minuscula, or Phytomyza aquilegiae therefore a Phytomyza sp. unless someone has a pic of them!

A female

janet, I don't think we should have any insects in BugFiles that are not identified as afar as the genus.

I have several species myself that are identirfied only to the family, but they remain in the too hard basket and await perhaps future identification, but do not get published on the net.

The form of Family sp. is one I use myself, but in BugFiles it has the possibilty of multiple species being stored in the one entry and adding numbered species is something we also want to avoid.

Good luck with your ID. I am not going to comment on its identity based on your research here, But if you do firm up on the genus, I will be happy to create an entry and would definitely like to see the family represented in BugFiles,

Ken

Thanks Ken, perhaps I should try to see if I can email someone on the ulflymines site, or elsewhere! It would be great to get at least a Genus for certain.

I think I can do this by elimination, on the following site it states:

"Leafmines are small tunnels or blotches made by insect larvae feeding within the leaves. The traces left by these miniature miners are very characteristic. Moreover, most species live on but one, or a few closely related, plant species. The combination of plant species and characteristics of the mine makes that the roughly 800 miners occurring in the Netherlands and neighbouring Western Europe can easily be identified."

http://www.bladmineerders.nl/

As on the UK site, there are links to host plants which gives the same two Phytomyza sp.

http://www.bladmineerders.nl/plantenf/pfranunculaceae/aquilegia.htm

Again, I have never seen the damage caused by Phytomyza aquilegiae, but that doesn't mean it couldn't be that, I might not have noticed this particular damage! That is stretching it a bit as I think I would notice the dark purple-brown damage which covers most of the leaf, but can't be guaranteed and these things can easily be forgotten.

This is the interesting part, read what it says about Phytomyza on this site:

http://nlbif.eti.uva.nl/bis/agromyzidae.php?selected=beschrijving&menuentry=soorten&id=24

"Phytomyza is as far as we know a paraphyletic assemblage of species related to Aulagromyza, Napomyza, Chromatomyia and Ptochomyza"

and

"Adults
There is no distinctive external character to identify any species as Phytomyza but the following two may succeed in most cases: Orbital setulae proclinate orbitalsetulae id.pct (also in Chromatomyia, Napomyza, Ptochomyza and some Phytoliriomyza and Ophiomyia); second cross vein lacking (present in some Phytomyza species and lacking in several agromyzid groups as well)."

So, excluding Ophiomyia as mentioned above, if I am reading that correctly it would seem I have a Phytomyza sp. whatever it is! :)

Ophiomyia, although a possiblity, is a stem miner so not likely.

But I have found the answer! A search on the site for Ophiomyia reveals:

http://nlbif.eti.uva.nl/bis/agromyzidae.php?selected=beschrijving&menuentry=soorten&id=10#

"The monophyly of this genus could not be established yet. The general description of the Tribe Ophiomyiini can be applied to Ophiomyia"

And by clicking on the link for 'tribe Ophiomyiini' I get what I need.

Adults, external
Halteres entirely black, body either greenish or bluish shining or not.

Take a look at the pic of the female, and the other pic where the top male can be seen from behind, they both have white halteres!

I therefore have Phytomyza sp., case proven! ^_^

Ken, I have made an entry if you would like to use a pic for Family illustration.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/go/5406/

Thanks Janet, yes I have used one of your images to illustrate the family,

Ken