Food Plant: Asteraceae: Arctium pubens, Arnoseris minima, Chrysanthemum argyrophyllum, Inula crithmoides, Leucanthemum vulgare, Leontodon autumnalis Bland, Senecio arvensis, Senecio asper, Senecio jacobaea, Sonchus oleraceus, Serratula tinctoria, Tanacetum vulgare, Taraxacum, (Daisy family)

Mine: Summer

Pupa: Is normally white, but can be brown . The anterior spiracles project through the leaf epidermis

Notes: The larva forms a linear mine and then pupates at the end of the mine. Widespread and common throughout Europe. There are two polyphagous miners which form indistinguishable mines on a large number of plant species. These are Chromatomyia syngenesiae and Chromatomyia horticola and together these comprise C.'atricornis'. The adults are distinguishable only by the male genitalia. Both form pupae in the mine and the mines are long and twisting.
Chromatomyia syngenesiae are almost exclusively found on the Asteraceae and British records of C.syngenesiae, horticola or 'atricornis' on hosts other than Asteraceae in Britain, are assumed to represent horticola. Records on Asteraceae hosts which are not based on genitalia examinations may be either C.horticola or C.syngenesiae.
Mine is shown On Sonchus oleraceus. Adults emerged 03.vi.2024

Data: 25.v.2024, Downham Market, Norfolk, VC28

Image:© Rob Edmunds