About Phytomyza ranunculi (Schrank, 1803)
Phytomyza ranunculi (Schrank, 1803) is a species of fly belonging to the family Agromyzidae. It is found in the Palearctic region, and is widespread across Europe. During its life cycle, females lay eggs on plants in the Ranunculaceae family. The larvae are primarily leaf-miners; they create a long, conspicuous white mine, with frass deposited in close continuous strings. In 2018, the first confirmed adult individuals of this species were reared from stem-mines of meadow buttercup (Ranunculus acris). This is a rare documented case of 'organoxeny', a term describing when a plant-feeding insect develops on a different part of a plant than its usual location. Mature larvae pupate inside a greyish or brown puparium, and each posterior spiracle of the puparium holds around 18 to 20 bulbs. Adult Phytomyza ranunculi reach approximately 2 mm in body length. Adult colouration is highly variable, with several formally named variants. These include the pale form P. ranunculi var. flava, and two dark forms: P. ranunculi var. flavoscutellata and P. ranunculi var. islandica.
