Phytomyza ferulae Hering, 1927
IMPORTANT CHARACTERS
Adults
Wing length: 1.4 - 2 mm. Notopleuron light brown, conspicuously lighter than mesonotum.
Male terminalia
Hyaline, shown on Phy ferulae aedeagus.pct.
Immature stages
Puparium shining black, posterior spiracles each with an ellipse of some 15 minute pores.
BIONOMICS
A leaf miner that forms linear mines, which may develop to a secondary blotch.
HOST PLANTS
Daucus carota L. (both wild and cultivated), Ferula communis (both Apiaceae).
DISTRIBUTION
Mediterranean: Known from the Canary Islands, the Mediterranean Spain, Malta, Sicily, and the former Yugoslavia.
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
Spencer, 1973 reported they can be very abundant and might be a danger for seedlings. However, actual economic loss has not been found so far. Phytomyza ferulae can be thus recognized as potential pest on carrots in the Mediterranean region.