Leaf miner

Leaf miner

Leaf miner is a term used to describe the larvae of many different species of insect which live in and eat the leaf tissue of plants. The vast majority of leaf-mining insects are moths (Lepidoptera) and flies (Diptera), though some beetles and wasps also exhibit this behavior.

Like Woodboring beetles, leaf miners are protected from many predators and plant defenses by feeding within the tissues of the leaves themselves, selectively eating only the layers that have the least amount of cellulose. In attacking Quercus robur they also selectively feed on tissues containing low tannin levels, which the tree has produced in greater abundance as a defence. [ [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0030-1299(198109)37:2%3C238:AADOLI%3E2.0.CO;2-F Paper linking Quercus species and the leaf miner] ]

The precise pattern formed by the feeding tunnel is very often diagnostic for which kind of insect is responsible, sometimes even to genus level. The mine often contains frass, or droppings, and the pattern of frass deposition, mine shape and host plant identity are useful to determine the species of leaf miner. A few mining insects utilise other parts of a plant, such as the surface of a fruit.

Relationship with Humans

Leaf miners are regarded as pests by many farmers and gardeners as they can cause damage to agricultural crops and garden plants, and can be difficult to control with insecticide sprays as they are protected inside the plant's leaves.

Leaf miner infection can be reduced or prevented by planting trap crops near the plants to be protected. For example, lambsquarter, columbine, and velvetleaf will distract leaf miners, drawing them to those plants and therefore reducing the incidence of attack on nearby crops. This is a method of companion planting.

References

ee also

*Agromyzidae (Leaf miner flies)
*Douglasiidae
*Gracillariidae
*Horse-chestnut leaf miner ("Cameraria ohridella")
*Tenthredinidae (some species)
*"Tinagma" (largest genus of Douglasiidae)
*Tischerioidea (Trumpet leaf-miner moths)
*Folivore

External links

* [http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/veg/leaf/a_serpentine_leafminer.htm "Liriomyza trifolii", American serpentine leafminer] on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* [http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/veg/leaf/vegetable_leafminer.htm "Liriomyza sativae", vegetable leafminer] on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* [http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/citrus/citrus_leafminer.htm "Phyllocnistis citrella", citrus leafminer] on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
* [http://www.leafmines.co.uk/ British leafminers] is an excellent resource on the British leaf mining fauna, many of which are distributed widely across Europe.



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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Leaf miner — Leaf Leaf (l[=e]f), n.; pl. {Leaves} (l[=e]vz). [OE. leef, lef, leaf, AS. le[ a]f; akin to S. l[=o]f, OFries. laf, D. loof foliage, G. laub, OHG. loub leaf, foliage, Icel. lauf, Sw. l[ o]f, Dan. l[ o]v, Goth. laufs; cf. Lith. lapas. Cf. {Lodge}.] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • leaf miner — n. any of various insect larvae, esp. of small moths and flies, that burrow into and eat the soft tissues of leaves and green stems …   English World dictionary

  • leaf miner — any of the larvae of any of numerous insects, as moths of the family Gracilariidae, that live in and feed on the parenchyma of leaves. Also, leafminer. [1820 30] * * * Any of various insect larvae that live and feed within a leaf, including… …   Universalium

  • leaf miner — noun any of various small moths or dipterous flies whose larvae burrow into and feed on leaf tissue especially of the family Gracilariidae • Syn: ↑leaf miner • Hypernyms: ↑insect …   Useful english dictionary

  • leaf-miner — noun any of various small moths or dipterous flies whose larvae burrow into and feed on leaf tissue especially of the family Gracilariidae • Syn: ↑leaf miner • Hypernyms: ↑insect …   Useful english dictionary

  • leaf miner — leaf′ min er n. ent any of various insect larvae, including small caterpillars, that tunnel into leaves and stems, leaving winding trails or broad blotches of pale tissue • Etymology: 1820–30 …   From formal English to slang

  • leaf miner — noun An insect larva that lives within leaf tissue …   Wiktionary

  • leaf miner — noun a small fly, moth, or sawfly whose larvae burrow between the two surfaces of a leaf …   English new terms dictionary

  • leaf-miner — /ˈlif maɪnə/ (say leef muynuh) noun any of various insect larvae which burrow into plants and feed on the leaf tissue …  

  • leaf miner — noun Date: 1830 any of various small insects (as moths or dipteran flies) that in the larval stages burrow in and eat the parenchyma of leaves …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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