Cheilosia caerulescens (Meigen, 1822)
on Sempervivum
Hoofddorp, 21.vii.2020 © Laurens van der Linde: ovipositing female
Sempervivum tectorum, Belgium, prov. Antwerp, Mol, 12.x.2018 © Carina Van SteenwinkelL general aspect of the infestation
detail
large mined out lead
mined leaf in back light
larva, penetrating a fresh leaf
Sempervivum arachnoideum, Belgium, prov. Antwerp, Mol, 12.x.2018 © Carina Van Steenwinkel
the outer leaves of the rosette are fully mined out
mine
An egg is deposited in the centre of the rosette. The larva makes untidy, winding and crossing corridors. When a leaf that has been eaten out it is left through an opening, and a new one is entered. Up to five leaves can be mined out in this way; they turn brown and shrivel. Pupation is outside the mine, in the ground.
host plants
Crassulaceae, monophagous
Sempervivum arachnoideum, montanum, tectorum.
These species are quite popular in rock gardens.
d’Aguilar & Coutin noemen daarnaast nog Geum montanum, Solidago virgaurea en Tussilago farfara; een bron wordt daarbij niet vermeld.
phenology
Larvae in two generations, in June and August (d’Aguilar & Coutin, 1988a). Hibernation as pupa in the ground.
BENELUX
BE recorded (Verlinden, 1991a).
NE known from the country since 1987 (van Aartsen, 1993a; van der Goot 1989a); since then at several localities all over the country (Reemer, 1999a).
LUX not recorded (Fauna Europaea, 2007).
distribution within Europe
From Poland to the Iberian Peninsula, and from the Netherlands to Italy and Serbia (Fauna Europaea, 2007); UK (Collins & Halstead).
larva
See Stuke (2000a).
references
van Aartsen (1993a), d’Aguilar & Coutin (1988a), Collins & Halstead (2008a), van der Goot (1989a), Reemer (1999a), Reemer, Renema, van Steenis ao (2009a), Speight (2017a), van Steenis & Barendregt (2002a), Stuke (2000a), Verlinden (1991a).