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Description, Biology, Life Cycle, Damage, Common Names, Images
[R]Biology
- Host plants: newly introduced to Europe, this highly polyphagous leaf miner lives on flowers, vegetables and weeds. The main host plants currently known in France are the chicory, lettuce, cabbage, rape, cucumber, celery, bean, chilli pepper, capsicum, tomato, potato, Chrysanthemum, etc.
- Adult: not very mobile. To feed, the female perforates the epidermis of the flower with its ovipositor then imbibes the liquid which exudes; the male uses the puncture holes made by the females.
- Egg: the female inserts eggs singly in the parenchyma of the leaves (*) . Embryo development is from 4 to 6 days under optimum conditions.
- Larva: lives as a leaf miner. Larval development is from 5 to 6 days; on completion of growth the larva leaves the leaf and pupates.
- Puparium: depending on the host plant and the abiotic conditions, this may be found on the leaf, partly emerged from the mine (*) , attached to supporting vegetation or on the ground. Pupal stage lasts 7 to 14 days.
[R]Life Cycle
- 3 to 4 generations in a year.
- According to initial observations, the life-cycle is completed in approximately 3 weeks.
- This leaf miner is found from February onwards in heated greenhouses then as the temperature rises, in open fields until the coldest weather arrives.
[R]Damage
-The feeding punctures and the mines (*) reduce the value of the crop which is rendered unsaleable (chicory, lettuce, celery). On Chrysanthemum, photosynthesis is severely affected and there is delayed growth of vegetation (smaller plants, smaller flowers).
DE: Südamerikanische Minierfliege ES: Minadora sudamericana FR: Mouche mineuse sud-américaine IT: Mosca minatrice sudamericana PT: Larva mineira sul-americana GB: South American leaf miner, South American miner fly
HYPPZ on line : Species (scientific name), Pests (common names), Glossary, Crops.
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