Atriplex Orache
Incl. Halimione, Obione.
Dichotomous table for leafminers
1a fleck mine => 2
1b mine full depth; larvae with distinct, chitinised head => 5
1c mine upper or (less commonly) lower-surface; larva a maggot => 16
1d galls, etc => Tables for all parasites per species
2a hole in the mine untidy, not exactly round; case helicoid: Apterona helicoidella
2b hole neatly rounded; case not helicoid (Coleophora spp.**) => 3
3a spathulate leaf case => 4
3b tubular leaf case: Coleophora salinella
4a mouth angle 20-25°: Coleophora picardella
4b mouth angle ca 55°: Coleophora ortneri
5a larva without feet: Pseudophytobius acalloides
5b larva with thoracic feet and prolegs => 6
5c larva with thoracic feet but without prolegs (Mediterranen species): Monoxia obesula
6a mine small of indefinite shape => 7
6b mine not unusually small, shape more or less constant => 9
7a larva: pinacula colourless (the bases of the setae themselves are black) : Cnephasia incertana
7b pinacula black => 8
8a larva: behind/below the anus a chitinous comb: Cnephasia asseclana
8b anal comb absent: Cnephasia stephensiana
9a mine in stem or midrib, rarely with extensions into the leaves: Scrobipalpa obsoletella
9b mine entirely in the leaves => 10
10a corridor, with “intestine-like” loops: Chrysoesthia drurella
10b blotch, with or without preceding corridor => 11
11a frass in a big black lump at the start of the blotch: Chrysoesthia sexguttella
11b frass distributed otherwise, less copious => 12
12a mine preceded by a corridor => 13
12b a more or less irregular blotch, without a preceding corridor => 14
13a corridor in one or more U-loops; older larvae free, among spun leaves: Scrobipalpa nitentella
13b corridor gently winding, no U-turns; larve mines all its life: Chrysoesthia atriplicella
14a larva mines from a silken tube; larva: prothoracic and anal plate green: Scrobipalpa atriplicella
14b no silken tube; prothoracic and anal plate brown or black => 15
15a larva: head and prothoracic plate light brown: Scrobipalpa instabilella
15b head and prothoracic plate black (mediterranean species): Scrobipalpa halymella
16a at the start of the initial mine (the larvae may change leave and start a new mine) one or more oval egg shells => 17
16b no egg shells at mine begin => 21
17a mines only in the leaves; larvae may leave a mine and start a new one from the outside the leaf elsewhere => 18
17b larva mines both the leaf and the stem (that becomes transparant): Delia echinata
17c the mines of Botanophila depressa are unsufficiently known
18a egg shell firm, ribbed, always single: Clanoneurum cimiciforme
18b egg shell tender (empty eggs usually collapse), finely reticulate, always (?) in groups of 3-6 => 19
19a lowest tooth of larval mandible exceptionally large: Pegomya cunicularia
19b
lowest tooth not that oversized => 20
20a larva: angle between terminal and subterminal tooth of the mandible almost 90°: Pegomya betae
20b this angle quite sharp: Pegomya hyoscyami
21a mine a corridor with strands of frass at either side => 22
21b mine different => 23
22a corridor pinnately branched: Liriomyza strigata
22b corridor irregularly, if at all, branched: Liriomyza bryoniae
23a mine a corridor from start to end; frass in isolated grains: Chromatomyia horticola
23b mines blotch-like, sometimes with offshoots or an initial corridor => 24
24a frass in wide green zones at the end of offshoots of the blotch (often only visible after the upper epidermis has been taken away): Scaptomyza graminum
24b frass very sparingly, in fine grains: Amauromyza flavifrons
Not included in the key: Chrysoesthia gaditella (mine not described); Coleophora atriplicis, sternipennella, versurella; Scrobipalpa halimioniella, halymella, ocellatella, salinella (improbable).