Fact sheet

Exotic leaf miners

What are leaf miners? Leaf miners are small whose larvae feed internally on living plant tissue. They belong to the family . Infestations can cause significant damage and yield losses. In severe infestations total crop losses can occur due to both larval mining and leaf puncturing caused by females ovipositing and feeding on host plants.

There are exotic species in the Agromyza, Cerodontha, Chromatomyia, , Phytomyza and Pseudonapomyza genera that could negatively Ooi, Bugwood.org and P.A.C Merle Shepard, Gerald R.Carner, impact the grains industry if they were to enter Symptoms caused by exotic Pea (C. horticola) on pea Australia.

Key exotic Agromyzidae species include American (), Vegetable leaf miner () and Pea leaf miner (), which affect pulse crops, leaf miner (Phytomyza rufipes), which affects canola and Pea leaf miner (Chromatomyia horticola), which affects pulses, canola and sunflowers. Cereals are also affected by exotic leaf miners such as the Black wheat leaf miner (Agromyza albipennis). Several of these species affect multiple crops and could be introduced and Merle Shepard, Gerald R.Carner, and P.A.C Ooi, Bugwood.org and P.A.C Merle Shepard, Gerald R.Carner, spread on various host plants. Symptoms caused by Pea leaf miner (C. horticola) on mustard

What do they look like? Adult leaf miners are up to 2 mm long, predominantly black/grey in colour and some have a conspicuous bright yellow marking on the base of the thorax.

Larvae are legless maggots up to 3 mm in length and cream-yellowish in colour. Larvae mostly feed internally on leaves and stems creating a tunnel or ‘mine’. Mine shapes vary between species.

EXOTIC PLANT PEST HOTLINE Harpenden Archive, British Crown, Central Science Laboratory, Bugwood.org 1800 084 881 Adult Pea leaf miner (Liriomyza huidobrensis)

Grains Farm Biosecurity Program anything doneinreliance onthispublication. first obtainingprofessional advice.PlantHealthAustraliaand allpersonsactingforPlantHealthAustraliaexpressly disclaimliabilitywithrespect to Disclaimer: Thematerialinthispublicationisfor generalinformationonlyandnopersonshouldact,orfailtoacton the basisofthismaterialwithout Adult Vegetable leafminer(Liriomyzasativae) Adult Americanserpentineleafminer(Liriomyzatrifolii) ) larvaeintunnel Exotic Pealeafminer(Liriomyzahuidobrensis www.planthealthaustralia.com.au/gfbp

Pest and Diseases Image Library, Bugwood.org Central Science Laboratory, Harpenden Archive, British Crown, Plant Protection Service Archive, Plant Protection Service, Bugwood.org Bugwood.org Plant PestHotline If youseeanythingunusual,calltheExotic What shouldIlookfor? areas. material containinglarvaeistransportedbetween but mostlongdistancetransportoccurswhenplant Adult fliescanspread throughout acrop byflight, How dotheyspread? an agronomist ortheExoticPlantPestHotline. symptoms ongraincrops (includingcanola)contact depending onthespecies.Ifyouseeleafmining that canbeseeninthefield.Mineshapesvary Leaf mining(tunnelling)isthemostobvioussymptom miner symptomsshouldbeinvestigatedfurther. brassicae) mayoccasionallyaffect canola.Allleaf Australia. TheendemicCabbageleafminer(Liriomyza There are severalspeciesofendemicleafminerin What cantheybeconfusedwith? pests soyoucantellifseesomethingdifferent. the larvae.Makesure youare familiarwithcommon Check crop leavesforsignsofminingcausedby miners? How canIprotect myfarmfrom Leaf but haveawidedistributionoverseas. American serpentineleafminerare exotictoAustralia has somenativespecieshoweverotherssuchasthe Individual specieshaveuniquedistributions.Australia Where isitnow? PR BIOSECURIT GRAINS OG RA M FA

EXOTIC PLANT PEST HOTLINE 1800 084 881 RM Y

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