(Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera)
by
Brian Pitkin, Willem Ellis, Colin Plant and Rob Edmunds
Ophiomyia
galii Hering, 1937
[Diptera:
Agromyzidae]
Ophiomyia
galii Hering, 1937c. Blattminen Mittel- und NordEuropas
Lief 5, 6: 562
Ophiomyia galii Hering, 1937c; Spencer, 1972b. Handbk
ident. Br. Ins. 10(5g): 23 (figs 44-5), 27, 119
Ophiomyia galii Hering, 1937c; Spencer, 1990. Host specialization
in the World Agromyzidae (Diptera) : 233, 236.
Stem-miner:An inconspicuous external stem mine, frass in widely-spaced grains. Pupation in the mine (Spencer, 1972b: 27).
The mine begins as a corridor in a leaf, descends from there as a rind mine; there also the pupation (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.
The larva is described by de Meijere (1937: 186, as O. sp.) and Dempewolf (2001: 77). Posterior spiracles each with 4-5 bulbs (Bladmineerders van Europa).
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).
Black; posterior spiracles each with 4-5 bulbs (Spencer, 1972b: 27).
Comments: Galium mollugo is treated as Galium album (Hedge Bedstraw) by Stace (2010).
Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:
Hosts elsewhere:
Time of year - mines: June-July and August-September (Hering, 1957).
Time of year - adults: August-September.
Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Uncommon. Suffolk (Woodditton Wood) and Surrey (Betchworth) (Spencer, 1972b: 27).
Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Germany (Dempewolf, 2001: 77; Bladmineerders van Europa), Corsica, Czech Republic, French mainland, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Spanish mainland (Fauna Europaea).
NBN Atlas links to known host species:
British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: Currently unknown.