British fly miners
Acidia cognata larva mining a Tussilago farfara leaf.
This account of British leaf- and stem-miners is concerned primarily with the flies or Diptera of Britain.
The majority of fly mines can be readily distinguished from those of moths, sawflies and beetles. Diptera mining larvae, often called maggots, typically cut a semi-circular exit slit through the leaf epidermis, whereas moth, sawfly and beetle larvae chew a hole. The larvae of Diptera lack a head capsule and legs, but have a characteristic chitinised cephalo-pharyngeal skeleton.
The majority of fly miners feed within the leaves or stems of herbs, whereas the majority of moth, beetle and sawfly miners feed within the leaves of trees.
A total of 461 species of flies are discussed.
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Checklists of British fly miners
Browse checklists for species of British flies which mine the leaves, stems or roots of plants and their characteristics.
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Search the database
Search the database for British insects that mine plants. Learn more about individual miner species, their host plants, biology and distribution. Find the parasitoids of miner species and look up related references.
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Browse host plants
Browse list of host plants to learn about the British insects that mine them.