Food Plant: A polyphagous species, favouring Compositae (Daisy), Cruciferae (Cabbage) and Leguminosae (Peaflowers) species

Mine: Bivoltine, late Spring and early Autumn

Pupa: at the end of the mine, usually lower surface of the leaf (two pupae are shown above)

Notes: A long whitish upper surface corridor, which eventually goes lower surface. Can be a pest on Peas.

There are two polyphagous miners which form indistinguishable mines on a large number of plant species. These are Chromatomyia syngenesiae and Chromatomyia horticola and together these comprise C.'atricornis'. The adults are distinguishable only by the male genitalia. Both from pupae in the mine and the mines are long and twisting. Chromatomyia syngenesiae are almost exclusively found on the Asteraceae and British records of C.syngenesiae, horticola or 'atricornis' on hosts other than Asteraceae in Britain, are assumed to represent horticola. Records on Asteraceae hosts which are not based on genitalia examinations may be either C.horticola or C.syngenesiae.

Data: 22.v.2009, Fleet, Hants, VC12

Image:© Rob Edmunds