Blotch Mines Research Articles

Screening of Karanj, Pongamia pinnata L. against various insect pests under agro-silvi pattern of cropping system at Raipur (C.G.)

Six provenances of P. pinnata were screened namely Raipur, Ambikapur, Jabalpur, Nainpur, Zaheerabad and Keesaragutta. Fortnightly recorded of various insect pests along with the number of their associated natural enemies were also recorded. The major insect pests were the common banded awl, leaf webber, leaf blotch miner, pod borer, leaf hopper, leaf eating beetle, mealy bugss and green lace wing, mantis along with some species of spiders were observed as the natural enemies. Maximum population of common banded awl, Hasora chromus was recorded as 17.00 larvae/twig on provenance Jabalpur. Maximum infestation (36.3%) seeds were by pod borer, Ephestia sp. was recorded on Nainpur. Population of leaf webber was maximum (3.92 larvae/ twig) on Jabalpur and Keesaragutta, blotch miner (8.41 blotches/leaf) on Jabalpur, leaf eating beetles (5.25 beetles/twig) Zaheerabad, leaf hoppers 5.58 (nymphs and adults/ leaf) on Keesaragutta, mealy bugss (6.50 nymphs and adults/twig). How to view point the article : Sahu, Chandramani, Ganguli, J.L., Kerketta, A. and Painkra, K.L. (2016). Screening of Karanj, Pongamia pinnata L. against various insect pests under agrosilvi pattern of cropping system at Raipur (C.G.). Internat. J. Plant Protec., 9(2) : 570-577, DOI : 10.15740/HAS/IJPP/9.2/570-577.

Beetles (Coleoptera) of Peru: A Survey of the Families. Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae Gyllenhalsensu lato

Diversity in Peru: 18 tribes, 49 genera, 620 species. Recognition: Cassidinae is a distinct branch within Chrysomelidae, with 36 tribes and ,6000 species recognized worldwide. Cassidines were formerly recognized as two subfamilies, which is still reflected in the two online catalogs on classical leafmining leaf beetles (Hispinae; Staines, 2012) and tortoise beetles (Cassidinae; Borowiec and Świetojanska, 2014). These catalogs overlap in their coverage of Imatidiini and Spilophorini, reflecting the lack of clarity about monophyly and relationships at the tribal level within Cassidinae. The subfamily Cassidinae encompasses a wide diversity of morphology and behavior (Chaboo, 2007). However, all cassidines share fundamental diagnostic traits—the head is opisthognathous with the vertex projecting forward and the mouth directed ventrad; the tarsomeres are not pseudotetramerous (as in other leaf beetles) but the 4th tarsus has become lost so the tarsal formula is 4-4-4; and the abdomen has ventrites 1–2 connate with the suture indicated as a groove. Across Cassidinae, the adults of basal taxa are elongate and linear and have the head exposed (the hispine forms) while adults of the derived taxa (tortoise beetles) are more rounded and have the pronotal and elytral margins expanded, with the pronotal margin usually covering the head in dorsal view, leaving only the antennae exposed. The eggs, larvae and pupae also show diverse biology and morphology within the subfamily; all stages occur on the same host plants as adults. Leaf-mining larvae are poorly documented, requiring close examination of leaves for blotch and linear mines. Habitat: Cassidines are herbivorous, and spend the entire life cycle on their host plants. Host records are documented for the majority of genera, indicating that species can be highly restricted to one or a few genera and certain families. A few species show more labile host choices. Given the tendency to specialize on certain families, it is most efficient to collect cassidines by targeted beating with sheet on such plants. General beating will help to discover new host plant records. Certain tribes are fairly restricted to Zingiberales (Arescini and Cephaloleiini; Staines, 2004, 2012; Jalinsky et al., 2014), palms (e.g., Hemisphaerotini; Mariau, 2004; Alurnini Staines, 2012), Bignoniaceae (e.g., Dorynotini), and bamboo or bambusiform grasses (e.g., see Staines, 2012). Tortoise beetles tend to be sun-lovers and are generally found in more open, disturbed habitats (e.g., road-cut vegetation, trails, tree-fall gaps); it is unclear if they occur in the canopy of intact forests. Cassidine juveniles may be solitary or gregarious, cryptic or exposed, and may be guarded by mothers in highly

A new Nearctic Scolioneura (Hymenoptera, Tenthredinidae) mining leaves of Vaccinium (Ericaceae)

Scolioneura vaccinii Smith & Eiseman, sp. n., is described. It was reared from blotch mines in Vaccinium parvifolium Sm. (Ericaceae) collected in Washington State, USA. This is the first known native species of Scolioneura in the Nearctic Region and the first known sawfly leaf miner of Vaccinium as well as the order Ericales. Characters are given to separate it from other species of Scolioneura, and the life history is presented. One parasitoid, Shawiana sp. (Braconidae) was reared from the leaf mines.

Potential Impact of Climate Change on Dynamics of Coffee Berry Borer (Hypothenemus hampi Ferrari) in Ethiopia

The aim of this paper is to review the potential effect of climate change on dynamics of coffee berry borer and to generate information for researches concerned on it. Coffee (Coffea arabica L.), which is originated in Ethiopia, is the backbone of the country's economy. It accounts for 70% of the for- eign exchange earning, 10% of the government revenue and employs 25% of the domestic labor force. There are four coffee production systems in Ethiopia such as modern plantation, gardens, semi-forest and forest coffee. Among the major factors limiting increased Coffee production glo- bally are losses due to pests and estimated to be 13% worldwide. Over 47 species of insect pests are recorded on Coffee in Ethiopia. Among which Antestia bug, Antestiopsis intricate, A. facetoids and Coffee blotch miner, Leucopteracaffeinia are the major ones inflicting considerable damage as well as insect pests such as Coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei, Coffee thrips, Diarthroth- ripscoffeae, green scale, Coccusalpinus and Coffee cushion scale, Stictococcusformicarius, are po- tentially important insect pests in Ethiopia. In addition to pest constraints, Africa are expected to be placed under considerable additional stress by climate change. This is of particular importance for crops such as coffee, which serves as the economic foundation for many countries in the trop- ics. The Greater Horn of Africa is among the most vulnerable regions to the impacts of climate va- riability and change. Smallholder coffee farmers are more vulnerable to it, because of various con- straints negatively affecting their livelihoods. Climate-induced stress may render plants more vulnerable to opportunistic herbivores. Before 1984, temperatures in the Ethiopian highland's coffee growing regions were cool enough to keep the coffee berry borer in check. However, rising temperatures have enabled several generations of beetles per coffee season. While surveys in 1967 did not show any evidence of coffee berry borers, those conducted in 2003 found that the beetle was widespread in Southwestern Ethiopia. The rise in temperatures and infestation of cof- fee berry borers may already be affecting Ethiopian coffee crops. From 2002 to 2009, coffee yields plunged by nearly 35 percent. Rising temperatures are threatening the nation's coffee crops by * Corresponding author.

A review of the leaf blotch miners of the genus Phyllonorycter Hübn. (Lepidoptera, Gracillariidae) in the Middle Volga Area, with a key to the species using morphological characters of the female genitalia

Data on the fauna and bionomics of the leaf blotch miner genus Phyllonorycter Hbn. of the Middle Volga Area are given. Twenty-eight species have been reared from leaf mines on more than 20 species of hosts in the investigated area. The harmful species Phyllonorycter medicaginella (infesting herbaceous legumes), Ph. apparella (the larvae heavily infest poplar leaves), and Ph. issikii are new to the region. Details of the female genitalia of Phyllonorycter are reported, and their characters are used for species diagnostics for the first time. A key to 13 Phyllonorycter species is given, with data on their host plants.

Aster leafminer moth Leucospilapteryx venustella (Clemens) (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae)

Leucospilapteryx venustella (Clemens) (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) is a small, mostly light brown moth that, during its larval stages, creates mines in the leaves of plants in the family Asteraceae. Feeding damage by the early instars is characterized by serpentine mines that are expanded by later instars to form tentiform or blotch mines. This 4-page fact sheet was written by Rodrigo Diaz, Esteban Tapia, Veronica Manrique, William Overholt, and Donald Davis, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, February 2014.
 EENY585/IN1029: Aster leafminer moth Leucospilapteryx venustella (Clemens) (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) (ufl.edu)

Local and Regional Variation in Local Frequency of Multiple Coffee Pests Across a Mosaic Landscape in Coffea arabica's Native Range

AbstractShaded coffee has been highlighted for its potential to conserve biodiversity, and thus perhaps also a diversity of natural enemies that could control pest organisms. In southwestern Ethiopia, coffee is grown in shade both in contiguous forests and in forest patches with native trees surrounded by open fields. We hypothesized that coffee grown in contiguous forests, which is the natural habitat for coffee (Coffea arabica) and its interacting organisms, would have less pest damage due to high protection by natural enemies. We surveyed pests on coffee plants in plots within contiguous forests (10 sites) and in forest patches (21 sites). In general, the variation in number of damaged or attacked leaves by individual insect or fungal pests was larger between plants than between plots, which suggests that very local conditions or processes are important. The spatial signals were generally weak. Coffee rust and coffee blotch miner tended to have lower infestation rates in accordance with our hypothesis, while fruit flies in ripe berries were more abundant in forest patches closer to contiguous forest. Based on interviews, olive baboons showed a clear dependency on contiguous forest habitat and were regarded as a problem only in contiguous forests and forest patches close to contiguous forests. In conclusion, we found no support for a generally stronger top‐down control on coffee pests in sites within, or with connectivity to, contiguous moist afromontane forests in the native range of coffee.

Evaluating the impact of insecticides on Scaptomyza flava and its parasitoid, Asobara persimilis

The leaf miner, Scaptomyza flava (Diptera: Drosophilidae), causes commercial losses to brassica crops, particularly in unsprayed Asian brassicas such as ‘Joi Choi’, ‘Pak Choi Sum’, and Chinese cabbage. The objective of this study was to assess the susceptibility of a larval/pupal parasitoid, Asobara persimilis (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), of this pest to insecticides registered for use on brassicas and to an insecticide, abamectin, used to control agromyzid leaf miners overseas, as a contribution to the development of an integrated pest management programme. Adults of A. persimilis were exposed to leaf discs dipped in solutions of field rates of abamectin and 13 insecticides registered for use on vegetable brassicas. Mortality after 24 h varied from 0% to 100%. In four replicated field trials in Pukekohe (South Auckland, New Zealand), Asian brassicas ‘Joi Choi’, ‘Pak Choi Sum’, and Chinese cabbage were sprayed with insecticides and numbers of leaves with leaf mines and fly damage were recorded from 5 plants per plot at harvest. Fly pupae emerging from leaf mines during the 4 days after sampling were kept to assess fly and parasitoid emergence rates. All insecticides tested reduced the numbers of leaves with blotch mines, although results achieved with spinosad were inconsistent. Parasitism by A. persimilis varied from 7.6% to 82% in untreated plants. Parasitoids emerged from pupae reared from plants exposed to all insecticide treatments. Although A. persimilis can reduce populations of leaf miners in summer and prevent crop damage, insecticide applications are required in spring and early summer.

Natural Enemies of Brazilian Peppertree (Sapindales: Anacardiaceae) from Argentina: Their Possible Use for Biological Control in the USA

Brazilian peppertree (Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi, Anacardiaceae) is a perennial tree native to Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. The plant was introduced into the USA before 1900. Originally grown as an ornamental, Brazilian peppertree is now considered an noxious plant in Hawaii and Florida, where it is ranked among the most important threats to biodiversity in natural areas. Recent surveys conducted in northeastern Argentina recovered one fungus associated with distorted leaves and 36 phytophagous insects collected on Brazilian peppertree. A leaf-feeding notodontid moth, a new species of gracillariid leaf blotch miner, and a stem-boring weevil have been selected for further studies to determine their potential as biological control agents of Brazilian peppertree in the USA. The results of these surveys are summarized herein and descriptions are included of the insects that are considered most promising for biological control of this weed.

Evidence of temporary mining in the Cretaceous fossil mine assemblage of Negev, Israel

AbstractTemporary mining is a peculiar behavioral trait in leaf parasites requiring adaptations of consecutive larval stages to the endophytic and ectophytic life. The first fossil evidence for the origin of the trait comes from the Cretaceous (Turonian) plant–insect locality of the Negev Desert containing rich trace assemblages of leaf parasites, including blotch mines with leaf pieces cut out for case construction, as well as attached larval cases. The host plants are deciduous broadleafs or aquatic angiosperms with emergent leaves, suggesting that initial acquisition of the habit might have been related to leaf abscission and the risk for the larva being chocked in the mine during floods. Unlike tracks of permanent miners, temporary mines never co‐occur on leaves with other type mines, which attests to their effect of enhancing plant resistance. Mine predation appears to have been widespread in the Cretaceous biotic community, suggesting a possibility of top‐down regulation of mining habits at this early stage of their evolutionary development.

Looks are important: parasitic assemblages of agromyzid leafminers (Diptera) in relation to mine shape and contrast

Summary We test the hypothesis that leaf mine appearance can affect the risk of leafminers being discovered by parasitoids, and therefore influence parasitic assemblages, using a comparative study of parasitic complexes associated with 28 agromyzid species in Central Argentina. Analyses were based on size, structure (defined as the number of species in host‐range categories) and impact (percentage parasitism) of parasitic complexes on leafminers. Mine appearance was defined in terms of shape (linear, linear‐blotch, blotch) and colour (high or low contrast with the leaf lamina). Irrespective of the agromyzid species involved, significant differences were found in the structure of the parasitoid complexes: specialists were more abundant and generalists rarer than expected in blotch and cryptically coloured mines. There were no differences in average parasitoid species richness and parasitism rates among differently coloured or shaped galleries. However, mine appearance significantly affected parasitic assemblage structure, with shape driving generalist species richness and contrast influencing that of specialists. Mine shape also affected parasitism rates, which were highest for generalists in linear mines, and for specialists in blotch mines. The existence of a gradient of discovery from the cryptically coloured blotch mines to the most apparent highly contrasting linear ones was supported by significant correlations of this gradient with richness and parasitism rates of generalist and specialist parasitoids. Taxonomic composition of parasitic complexes (analysed through parasitoid species abundance) was separated significantly according to host mine shape. An even more significant classification of assemblages was achieved when the combination of mine shape and colour was considered in the discoverability gradient. Our results suggest that despite leaf mines being an ecologically homogeneous resource, their morphology might offer varying degrees of refuge against different parasitoids.

Physiological Responses of Leaves of Rumex obtusifolius to Damage by a Leaf Miner

1. Larvae of the leaf-mining fly Pegomya nigritarsis cause blotch mines on leaves of Rumex obtusifolius. 2. Effects of mines on net photosynthesis, water vapour conductance and stomatal functioning were measured. 3. Net photosynthesis of mined tissue was on average 20% of healthy tissue. 4. Water vapour conductance was significantly higher from the abaxial surface than the adaxial. Conductance from the adaxial surface of younger (smaller) mines was significantly lower than from adjacent healthy adaxial epidermis. For older (larger) mines, conductance was higher from the mined area than from adjacent healthy lamina. 5. Water loss from detached leaves with mines occurred at a faster rate than from undamaged leaves. 6. Stomata in the epidermis above mines did not function properly. In smaller mines stomata tended to remain closed whereas in older mines stomata tended to remain open. 7. Consequences arising from insect damage in the field are discussed.

IEA joint trials: New lessons from old plantations

Two international trials of potential biomass species families and clones planted in 1985 have been analyzed to determine changing patterns in growth, diseases, and insects. In the Swedish trial, with close spacing and short rotations, Salix viminalis clones gave the best average yield of 17.4 Mg/Ha/yr on the first coppice rotation. In the Minnesota, USA trial, with wider spacings and a longer rotation Populus alba hybrid clones gave the best average yields of 5.5 Mg/Ha/yr. The most important disease and insect problems encountered were Septoria musiva stem cankers on some Populus clones; frost die back in some Salix clones; and the leaf blotch miner, Fenusa dohrnii , on most Alnus families. Recommendations for future international cooperation in field trials are presented.

Occurrence and performance of the aspen blotch miner, Phyllonorycter salicifoliella, on three host-tree species.

Larvae of the aspen blotch miner, Phyllonorycter salicifoliella Chambers (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), feed within leaves of three host-tree species in north-central Minnesota, USA. Far more individuals occur on Populus tremuloides than on P. balsamifera or P. grandidentata. We tested whether this pattern of host use reflected variable performance among alternative hosts by examining survivorship, sources of mortality, pupal mass, feeding efficiency, and development time of miners on each tree species. We also determined foliar water, nitrogen, condensed tannin, and phenolic glycoside content of host trees to test if host-tree chemical attributes were responsible for differences in performance. There was no significant difference in egg-to-adult survival among miners on different hosts, although dominant sources of mortality did vary. Miners on P. grandidentata suffered less parasitism and more predation than those on the other hosts, even though most parasitoid species attacked miners on all hosts. The other performance parameters varied among host species, but not in a consistent pattern. Pupal mass was greatest on P. tremuloides and P. balsamifera, the hosts with comparatively high foliar nitrogen and low phenolic glycoside concentrations. However, feeding efficiency was greatest and development time shortest for miners on P. grandidentata. Thus, pupal mass was the only index of performance maximized on P. tremuloides, the most commonly used host. Infrequent occurrence of Phyllonorycter salicifoliella on P. grandidentata results in part from phenological differences between this and the other host species. Low oviposition rates on P. balsamifera are correlated with low abundance of this host at the study site and a phenolic glycoside profile different from that of the other host species.

Relative Impact of Interactions within and between Trophic Levels During an Insect Outbreak

The aspen blotch miner, Phyllonorycter salicifoliella, has occurred at extremely high, "epidemic" densities on its quaking aspen host trees for at least 10 yr in Itasca Park, Minnesota, USA. During the 1986 through 1988 growing seasons, I censused density, survival, and sources of mortality for eggs, larvae, and pupae on branches at two heights on four host trees. I constructed cohort life tables to determine: (1) dominant sources of mortality, and (2) which sources of mortality were spatially density dependent. The impact of parasitism on leaf miner success was also measured by excluding parasitoids with cages from four trees in 1986. Most mortality occurred during larval development and was caused by interference, parasitism, and unknown causes. Interference means that one larva kills another when mines coalesce during the first three instars. Egg mortality, predation, and death from premature leaf abscission were generally low, except in 1988 when a severe drought caused significant early leaf fall. I tested if dominant sources of mortality were density dependent at four spatial scales: per leaf, twig, branch and tree. Larval interference was the only consistently density—dependent cause of death. No between—trophic—level interactions imposed density—dependent mortality. Although interference was spatially density dependent, it appears incapable of regulating P. salicifoliella population size. Instead, P. salicifoliella densities approached population "ceilings" delimited each year by availability of young leaves during oviposition. Cessation of the outbreak is unlikely until stochastic meteorological events increase overwintering mortality and/or severely disrupt synchrony between ovisposition flights and availability of young foliage.

Blotch Miner Associated with Mango Leaf Anthracnose in Micronesia

Blotch Miner Associated with Mango Leaf Anthracnose in Micronesia

Morphology and feeding behaviour of the leaf-mining larva ofCheilosia semifasciata(Diptera: Syrphidae)

In North Wales the larva of Cheilosia semifasciata (Diptera: Syrphidae) makes full-depth blotch mines in leaves of Umbilicus rupestris. Mines occur mostly on shaded plants with one larva per plant. Each larva mines several leaves to complete development and initiates new mines by curling round the leaf margin and puncturing the epidermis under the leaf. Unlike other dipteran leaf-miners which feed on their sides, only the thorax is turned sideways when feeding. The larva uses a grasping organ on the anal segment to grip the substrate when moving externally on the food-plant. Inside leaf mines, position is further secured by the integumental vestiture which grips the epidermis above the larva. The morphology and behaviour of the larva of C. semifasciata differs markedly from larvae of three congeneric species that tunnel in stems and roots.

Life Histories and Geographic Distributions of Two Leafminers, Tildenia georgei and T. inconspicuella (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), on Solanaceous Weeds

Life histories and geographic ranges of two host-specific leafminers are compared. The irregularly shaped blotch mines of Tildenia georgei Hodges on Physalis heterophylla Nees were found on all parts of the leaf, in buds, and in tied leaves. Silk and frass were deposited externally and larvae moved freely to new mines and leaves. T. inconspicuella (Murtfeldt) formed blotch mines on leaf margins of Solanum carolinense L. Silk and frass were deposited internally. Both species had five larval instars. Development times were not different but T. inconspicuella was slightly heavier. Both were multivoltine with overlapping generations. T. georgei was found in the midwestern United States and T. inconspicuella in the Midwest, South, and East.

Population Dynamics of the Alfalfa Blotch Leafminer, Agromyza frontella, and its Influence on Alfalfa Yield in Massachusetts1

The population dynamics of the alfalfa blotch leafminer (ABL), Agromyza frontella (Rondani) (Agromyzidae: Diptera), were studied on Saranac AR alfalfa in western Massachusetts, 1976–1978. Three complete ABL larval generations and a partial fourth occurred in early June, mid-July, mid-August, and late September, respectively. Weekly sampling adequately tracked ABL population trends but was insufficient for detecting first presence of adult and early mine life stages. An average accumulation of 476 thermal heat units, base 6.8°C, was necessary for the completion of one generation. Evidence was obtained that postponement of the first two harvests until after egg deposition by the second and third ABL generation, respectively, reduced densities of later ABL life stages, although this practice may result in a substandard crop quality. The effectiveness of early harvest as a cultural control depends on timing it before development of 3rd instars. Leaflets infested with blotch mines contained 13.8% less crude protein than uninfested leaflets.

A new lyonetiid moth, a pest of winged‐bean

Abstract. Leucoptera psophocarpella sp.n., a minute lyonetiid moth (wing‐span ±4 mm) whose larvae damage the leaves of winged‐bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus DC.) (Leguminosae) in Papua New Guinea, is described from the adult, larva and pupa. This species is known locally as the ‘winged‐bean blotch miner’ because of the characteristic damage caused by the larvae. Figures are given of the diagnostic external, venational and genitalic characters of the adult and chaetotactic and morphological characters of the larva and pupa.