(Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera)
by
Brian Pitkin, Willem Ellis, Colin Plant and Rob Edmunds
Phytobia
errans (Meigen, 1830)
[Diptera:
Agromyzidae]
Agromyza
errans Meigen, 1830. Syst. Beschr. 6: 178
Agromyza errans Meigen, 1830; Hendel, 1931. Fliegen
palaearkt. Reg. 6(2): 26
Phytobia errans (Meigen, 1830); Spencer, 1972b. Handbk
ident. Br. Ins. 10(5g): 40 (fig. 125), 44.
Phytobia
errans (Meigen, 1830); Spencer, 1976. Fauna ent. Scand.
5(1): 155, figs 281-2.
Lifestyle: Unknown, probably a stem-borer.
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.
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).
Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland: Currently unknown.
Hosts elsewhere: Currently unknown.
Time of year - larvae: Currently unknown.
Time of year - adults: July.
Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Britain including Kent (Dartford and Tunbridge Wells), Hertfordshire (Felden), Oxford (Hill Copse, Hogley, Yarnton), Dunbartonshire (Bonhill) (Spencer, 1972b: 44); Glamorgan, Montgomeryshire and Stafford (NBN Atlas).
Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria, Germany, The Netherlands and Denmark (Spencer, 1976: 155), French mainland, Italian mainland, Spanish mainland (Fauna Europaea).
NBN Atlas links to known host species:
British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: Currently unknown.