Egg on Hogweed

[JRsbugs]

Hi,

I found two of these on Hogweed, ~2mm tall. The leaf mine looks like Phytomyza spondylii, in the larger shot there's another egg under the leaf edge but the close up shot was on top of the leaf.

Maybe a moth or butterfly egg?

Janet

[Dogghound]

I think its a pupa rather than an egg, definitely doesnt look like a lepidopteran egg.

[JRsbugs]

You could be right Dogg, in that case maybe dipteran?

It seems to have a 'lid' on top which can be popped off! This is what made me think egg, bug eggs have a lid which lifts like a lid on a jar.

[Dogghound]

I thought it could be a Dip. Doesnt quite look right for a bug egg to me, seems to have a cremaster.

[JRsbugs]

No I didn't think it was a bug egg, just likening the 'lid' structure to it.

I've put it on diptera.info.. I wonder if it's the pupa of the leaf miner? They usually pupate outside the mine, and the pupa under the edge of the leaf has a mine to the tip.

Diptera.info - Discussion Forum: Dipteran pupa?

[JRsbugs]

I found pupae of two different Phytomyza, there is a similarity except they don't look as interesting and are not vertical!

holly leafminer, Phytomyza ilicis (Diptera: Agromyzidae) - 1296080

columbine leafminer (Phytomyza aquilegivora ) on columbine (Aquilegia spp. ) - 5304001

[Dogghound]

After seeing these photo's I think your onto something Janet, looks very good foo for a Diptera pupa. Could you relocate it?

[JRsbugs]

I couldn't find it when I next looked Dogg, but I have found it is the pupae of Phytomyza spondylii!!!!

Phytomyza spondylii Robineau-Desvoidy (a leaf-mining fly)

[Dogghound]

Fantastic , always good to find out what these things are. Thinking about it I may have overlooked similar pupa to this in the past. Is this quite a common species?

[JRsbugs]

I don't know how common it is, but I guess as Hogweed is common it might be. I can't find a pic of the fly though!

There is a description of the puparium on the flymines site..

Phytomyza spondylii [Diptera: Agromyzidae]