Leaf-mine: An irregular serpentine mine tending to be restricted by veins within segments of the leaf and undulating between upper and lower surface.

Corridor; usually the mine begins with a short upper-surface stretch, then continues lower-surface, in the sponge parenchyma. Often the mine follows the midrib or a thick lateral vein for long distances. Most mines are found in the basal half of the leaf. Frass in thread fragments and strings. Pupation outside the mine (Bladmineerders van Europa).

The mine is also illustrated in British leafminers.

Larva: Posterior spiracles of the larva with 6-9 bulbs (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Puparium: Puparium yellow to reddish-brown (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Video: Liriomyza huidobrensis (Bayer CropScience)

Comments: A highly polyphagous pest of ornamental and vegetable crops occasionally intercepted at UK points of entry. The species has been found under glass in England and Wales, but all populations have been and continue to be eradicated (Dom Collins, pers. comm.). Hosts cited here include 128 plant genera in 34 plant families.

Liriomyza huidobrensis is listed in the European Community Plant Health Directive (2000/29/EC). As a non-native notifiable pest species, its occurence in the United Kingdom should be notified immediately to the Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate (tel: +44 (0) 1904 462000, e-mail: info@fera.gsi.gov.uk ) However, in order to be certain of the identity, the male genitalia should be critically examined. Diagnostic protocols may be found at /protocols/liriomyza.pdf See also Collins (1996).

Parella and Bethke (1984) discuss the biology of L. huidobrensis on Chrysanthemum, Aster and pea and Prando and Cruz (1986) discuss aspects of its biology in the laboratory. Linden (1991) discusses the biological control of the leafminer on Dutch glasshouse tomatoes.

Joan Childs discovered this miner in Pisum sativa (pea) imported from Nicaragua, at a shop in Potton in Bedfordshire in January 2005 (British leafminers).

Chenopodium ambrosioides is treated as Dysphania ambrosioides (Mexican-tea); Lycopersicon esculentum is treated as Solanum lycopersicum (Tomato) and Picris echioides is treated as Helminthotheca echioides (Bristly Oxtongue) by Stace (2010).

Hosts: Liriomyza huidobrensis is recorded from Acanthaceae, Aizoaceae, Alstromeriaceae, Amaranthaceae, Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Balsaminaceae, Boraginaceae, Brassicaceae, Campanulaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Fabaceae, Gentianaceae, Goodeniaceae, Lamiaceae, Liliaceae, Linaceae, Malvaceae, Oxalidaceae, Papaveraceae, Polemoniaceae, Primulaceae, Ranunculaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Valerianaceae and Violaceae.

Time of year - mines: Unknown.

Time of year - adults: Unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Found under glass in England and Wales, but all populations have been and continue to be eradicated (Dom Collins, pers. comm.); Surrey (NBN Gateway - N.B. includes Watsonian Vice Counties having publicly available records that fall within or overlap the vice county border at 10km resolution or better i.e. a record for a vice county may relate to an adjacent vice county - for included datasets see NBN Grid map below).

Added to the Irish list by O'Connor, Dunne and Hume (1990).

NBN Grid map: Note that not all datasets on the NBN Gateway may be available on the map below. If you are an NBN Gateway registered user you can request access for missing datasets via the link 'Open interactive map in new window' below.

Distribution elsewhere: Worldwide. Europe including Austria, Belgium, Canary Is., Corsica, Crete, Cyclades Is., Cyprus, Czech Republic, Dodecanese Is., European Turkey, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Greek mainland, Hungary, Italian mainland, Malta, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Portuguese mainland, Sicily, Spanish mainland, Switzerland and The Netherlands (Martinez in Fauna Europaea).

Native to the Americas (Spencer, 1990). Recorded from Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Argentina, Brazil, Goias, Minas Gerais, Sao Paulo, Chile, Colombia, Easter Island, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, U.S.A. (California, Florida, Hawaii, Utah, Virginia), Canada (Ontario), Hawaii, Easter Island, Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, Reunion, Seychelles, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, China, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hebei, Shandong, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Yunnan, India, Uttar Pradesh, Indonesia, Java, Sulawesi, Sumatra, Israel, Japan, Korea Dem People's Republic, Lebanon, Malaysia, Peninsular Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Comoros, Kenya, Mauritius, Morocco, Reunion, Seychelles, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Australia and Guam (CABI Distribution Maps of Plant Pests, 2002, Map 568).

NBN interactive distribution map(s) of known host species in Great Britain and Ireland and elsewhere:

Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: