100 More Species #43: Serpentine leaf-miner fly

[urbpan]

The animal itself is not visible, but the trail it made through the leaf helps identify the species.
Serpentine leaf-miner fly Ophiomyia quinta

There are at least three orders of insects "mine" plant leaves--moths, sawflies, and flies. Using the excellent field guide "Tracks and Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates" by Charley Eiseman and Noah Charney, I was able to suspect that this leaf was mined by a fly larva. I asked Charley Eiseman on facebook if the species O. quinta was the likely culprit, and he replied "Yes I would say so." Good enough for me.


Leaf-mining is a feeding method where the maggot or caterpillar lives between the layers of leaf epidermis, eating material and moving along, creating a distinctive colorless path. The larva is less exposed to predators and parasitoids, and has a readily available food source. I've named this fly the "serpentine" leaf-miner because that's the shape of its leaf mine, and the word "Ophio" meaning snake is in the genus name.


The dark line within the light leaf-mine is the larva's excrement.

You really really should get the field guide.

Comments

Re: Leaf-mining flies

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for the additional information! Your book is a real treasure, and I hope this post directs at least a few more pairs of eyeballs toward it.