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Chromatomyia syngenesiae is a species commonly known as the Ragwort Leafminer or Chrysanthemum leafminer and is apart of the Agromyzidae family. This species is most commonly in New Zealand and Austrailia.

Description
Adult Ragwort Leafminers look similar to many other species in the diptera order, some identifying features of this species are it’s, black-grey body with a pale grey head and red compound eyes, it has two short black antennae and overall the specimen is 4mm approximately in length when fully grown. Female Ragwort Leafminers are darker and narrower in their abdomen region, in the tip of their abdomen they also carry a Ovipositor, this is how the female deposits eggs inside of leaves. When the Larvae pupates this forms a dark brown or black structure called a puparium, this can be seen on the underside of the leaf. (Kelsey, 1937) ("Phytomyza syngenesiae media-Encyclopedia of Life", 2019)

Distribution
This species of leaf miner can be found throughout the world, its most noticeably found on the west coast of the united states and canada, New York and Toronto are outliers where the species has also been discovered. They are also found throughout most of central Europe and Southern Australia. Found throughout New Zealand’s islands, they are most commonly found in the North Islands region of Auckland, but have been commonly sighted in the South Island’s Canterbury region, noticeably Christchurch and the Selwyn district. The habitat this species prefers, is weedy unkempt bush preferably damp, the hosts commonly found in this kind of habitat that leaf miners have been known to exploit are species in the order Asterales such as the common sow thistle, cutleaf burnweed and hill fire weed. ("Observations", 2021)

Life Cycle
Once the adult female specimen laid her eggs inside the host plant’s leaf the eggs will then hatch into larvae which will trail the outside of the leaf making their way towards the vein of the leaf, eating away the inside cells of the leaves they are in. While in this larval state they are almost transparent in appearance until they reach the pupae stage of development. This is when they have grown to a larger size and start pupating which forms the dark puparium. Their pair of stigmata (Organs for breathing) will then pierce through the skin of the leaf, when the puparium breaks the juvenile fly has reached reproductive maturity and leave the leaf. Mature Ragwort Leafminers are seen around rotten fruit like most common flies and are able to breed all year around having approximately 15 generations in one year. (Kelsey, 1937)

Interactions
This species has been observed using many Asterales order species as host plants. Senecio hispidulus also known as Hill fireweed, Erechtites glomeratus commonly known as Cutleaf burnweed and Sonchus oleraceus known as common sow thistle are three common plant species the Phytomyza syngenesiae use as hosts.