Serpentine leaf miner
Encyclopedia
The serpentine leaf miner is the larva of a small fly, Liriomyza brassicae, that eats out slender, winding, whitish or greenish burrows in the leaves of cabbage
and related plants, cultivated and wild. In addition to cabbage, it is considered a serious pest on broccoli
, cauliflower
and Chinese broccoli.
The fly is the most cosmopolitan species known in the leaf miner fly family, Agromyzidae
. It is not found in Britain and parts of northern Europe, but it is widely distributed in the Pacific, including Australia
and Hawaii
, and parts of Asia and Africa. In North America it can be found locally in Canada
and is abundant in California
, as well as Florida
and other southern states.
Larva
e feed as leaf miner
s on the mesophyll
of the leaf. Thread-like black frass
occasionally extends from the mines. Individual mines are of little significance, but entire leaves may be weakened when larval populations are large. Injury to mature cabbage plants is usually confined to the outer leaves and does not affect plant growth. However, seedlings may be killed or severely weakened by high larval densities.
The average life cycle of the fly is 21 days but can be as short as 15 days, varying with host and temperature. Eggs are laid singly in punctures in the leaf epidermis
, either upper or lower. The freshly laid eggs are creamy white and shaped like an elongated oval. The eggs are small, one hundredth of an inch in length, and hatch in 2 to 4 days. The legless, wedge-shaped maggots may be whitish or bright yellow to yellow green, 1/6- to 1/8-inch long and 1/50-inch broad. There are three larval stages of 2 to 3 days each. Pupa
e are light brown, oval and ringed with ridges. Adult flies are 1/8-inch long, with yellow and black thorax and a black head. They fly quickly for short distances when disturbed.
The American serpentine leafminer (Liriomyza trifolii) is a closely related species.
Another member of the Genus, Liriomyza commelinae (Frost) occurs widely in the neotropics and pupates within the mine. It feeds mainly on plants within the Genus Commelina.
The serpentine leaf miner is the subject of the song 'Outdoor Miner' by the English post-punk
band Wire
.
Cabbage
Cabbage is a popular cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea Linne of the Family Brassicaceae and is a leafy green vegetable...
and related plants, cultivated and wild. In addition to cabbage, it is considered a serious pest on broccoli
Broccoli
Broccoli is a plant in the cabbage family, whose large flower head is used as a vegetable.-General:The word broccoli, from the Italian plural of , refers to "the flowering top of a cabbage"....
, cauliflower
Cauliflower
Cauliflower is one of several vegetables in the species Brassica oleracea, in the family Brassicaceae. It is an annual plant that reproduces by seed...
and Chinese broccoli.
The fly is the most cosmopolitan species known in the leaf miner fly family, Agromyzidae
Agromyzidae
The family Agromyzidae is commonly referred to as the leaf-miner flies, for the feeding habit of larvae, most of which are leaf miners on various plants....
. It is not found in Britain and parts of northern Europe, but it is widely distributed in the Pacific, including Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, and parts of Asia and Africa. In North America it can be found locally in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and is abundant in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, as well as Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and other southern states.
Larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e feed as 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 , sawflies and flies , though some beetles and wasps also exhibit this behavior.Like Woodboring beetles, leaf...
s on the mesophyll
Mesophyll
Mesophyll can refer to:* Mesophyll tissue, in plant anatomy, photosynthetic parenchyma cells that lie between the upper and lower epidermis layers of a leaf...
of the leaf. Thread-like black frass
Feces
Feces, faeces, or fæces is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus or cloaca during defecation.-Etymology:...
occasionally extends from the mines. Individual mines are of little significance, but entire leaves may be weakened when larval populations are large. Injury to mature cabbage plants is usually confined to the outer leaves and does not affect plant growth. However, seedlings may be killed or severely weakened by high larval densities.
The average life cycle of the fly is 21 days but can be as short as 15 days, varying with host and temperature. Eggs are laid singly in punctures in the leaf epidermis
Epidermis (botany)
The epidermis is a single-layered group of cells that covers plants' leaves, flowers, roots and stems. It forms a boundary between the plant and the external environment. The epidermis serves several functions, it protects against water loss, regulates gas exchange, secretes metabolic compounds,...
, either upper or lower. The freshly laid eggs are creamy white and shaped like an elongated oval. The eggs are small, one hundredth of an inch in length, and hatch in 2 to 4 days. The legless, wedge-shaped maggots may be whitish or bright yellow to yellow green, 1/6- to 1/8-inch long and 1/50-inch broad. There are three larval stages of 2 to 3 days each. Pupa
Pupa
A pupa is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. The pupal stage is found only in holometabolous insects, those that undergo a complete metamorphosis, going through four life stages; embryo, larva, pupa and imago...
e are light brown, oval and ringed with ridges. Adult flies are 1/8-inch long, with yellow and black thorax and a black head. They fly quickly for short distances when disturbed.
The American serpentine leafminer (Liriomyza trifolii) is a closely related species.
Another member of the Genus, Liriomyza commelinae (Frost) occurs widely in the neotropics and pupates within the mine. It feeds mainly on plants within the Genus Commelina.
The serpentine leaf miner is the subject of the song 'Outdoor Miner' by the English post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
band Wire
Wire (band)
Wire are an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman , Graham Lewis , Bruce Gilbert , and Robert Gotobed...
.
External links
- Liriomyza brassicae. Knowledge Master, University of Hawaii.
- Serpentine Leafminer. Texas A&M University.
- Liriomyza commelinae University of the West Indies.