Leafminer species in NYC

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To quote the Wikipedia article on leaf miners, "A leaf miner is any one of a large number of species of insects in which the larval stage lives in, and eats, the leaf tissue of plants."

If you are not yet familiar with leafmines, but are curious to see some, start looking carefully for white squiggly lines or whitish blotches on leaves of all various kinds of plants, both wild and cultivated.

On this page I am compiling a list of the leaf miner species that I have observed in NYC. The species identifications are almost entirely thanks to the generosity and brilliant ID-ing work of leafminer expert Charley Eiseman, @ceiseman.

Just a reminder here that leaf mining is an ecological niche, not a taxon. All leaf mines are created by insect larvae, but as Charley points out: "In North America [leafminers] include at least 40 families of moths, 10 families of flies, 6 families of beetles, and 2 families of sawflies." It's also worth saying here that despite the common name, sawflies are not flies; instead they are related to wasps.

Most of the leafminers on this list are larvae of small flies, but so far I have observed several that are moths (microlepidoptera), one which is a chrysomelid beetle, and one which is a sawfly. The taxa other than flies I have put in boldface.
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Orache Leafminer (on Lambs Quarters) -- Chrysoesthis sexgutella -- moth
..no common name (on Asteraceae) -- Liriomyza eupatorii -- fly
Cabbage Leafminer (on Garlic Mustard) -- Liriomyza brassicae -- fly
..no common name (on Asteraceae) -- Liriomyza eupatorii -- fly
Mallow Leafminer (on mallow family) -- Calycomyza malvae -- fly
Burdock Leaf Miner (on burdocks) -- Liriomyza arctii -- fly
Columbine Leafminer (on garden columbines) -- Phytomyza aquilegivora -- fly
..no common name (on White Clover) -- Liriomyza fricki -- fly
..no common name (on Elm leaves) -- Agromyza aristata -- fly
..no common name (on White Snakeroot) -- Calycomyza eupatoriphaga -- fly
Elm Leafminer (on elms) -- Fenusa ulmi -- sawfly
..no common name (on elms) -- Agromyza aristata -- fly
..no common name (on Seaside Goldenrod) -- Nemorimyza posticata -- fly
..no common name (on Asteraceae) -- Calycomyza promissa -- fly
Goldenrod Leaf Miner (on Seaside Goldenrod) -- Microrhopala vittata -- beetle
Morning-glory Leafminer (on Convolulaceae) -- Bedellia somnulentella -- moth
..no common name (on Chenopodiaceae) -- Chrysoesthia lingulacella -- moth
Milkweed Leafminer (on Common Milkweed) -- Liriomyza asclepiadis -- fly
Leaf Miner on Tulip Tree (on Tulip Tree) -- Phyllocnistis liriodendronella -- moth
..no common name (on goldenrods) -- Calycomyza solidaginis -- fly
..no common name (on garden columbines) -- Phytomyza aquilegiana -- fly
..no common name (on Amaranthus blitum) -- Pegomya wygodzinskyi -- fly
Poison Ivy Leaf-miner (on Poison Ivy) -- Cameraria guttifinitella -- moth
Grass Sheathminer (on a weed grass) -- Cerodontha dorsalis -- fly
..no common name (on buttercup) -- Phytomyza ranunculi -- fly
..no common name (on Bull Thistle ) -- Scrobipalpa acuminatella -- moth
??Brassica Leaf Miner (on radish) -- Scaptomyza flava -- fly
Locust Digitate Leafminer Moth (on Black Locust) -- Parectopa robinella -- moth
Chrysanthemum Leafminer (on Asteraceae) -- Phytomyza syngenesiae -- fly
..no common name (on Eastern Cottonwood) -- Stigmella populetorum -- moth
??no common name (on a Rumex species) -- Pegomya bicolor -- fly
..no common name (on Groundsel Tree) -- Bucculatrix ivella -- moth
..no common name (on elm) -- Stigmella apicialbella -- moth
Daylily Leafminer (on daylily) -- Ophiomyia kwansonis -- fly
.. no common name (on White Snakeroot) -- Liriomyza eupatoriella -- fly
..no common name (on Penstemon) -- Phytomyza penstemonis -- fly
..no common name (on legume) -- Micrurapteryx occulta -- moth
..no common name (on Asteraceae) -- Ophiomyia parda -- fly
..no common name (on Mock Orange) -- Liriomyza philadelphivora -- fly
..no common name (on a goldenrod) -- Phytomyza solidaginophaga -- fly
..no common name (on Asteraceae) -- Ophiomyia carolinensis -- fly
Hellebore Leaf Miner (on hellebore) -- Phytomyza hellebori -- fly
..no common name (on magnolia) -- Phyllocnistis magnoliella -- moth

On June 28th 2019, there were a total of 41 species on this list, but I am adding more
species to this list as time goes by.

Update, July 10th 21019. I added:

..no common name (on Magnolia) -- Phyllocnistis magnoliella -- moth
..no common name (on Columbine) -- Phytomyza aquilegiana -- fly

Update July 18th 2019, I found:

..no common name (on American Holly) -- Phytomyza glabricola -- a fly

2020

June 23rd: Yucca Beetle (in petals of Yucca filamentosa) -- Carpophilus melanopterus (beetle).

July 20th: Purslane Sawfly (on Common Purslane) -- Schizocerella pilicornis

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/53762086

July 26th: No common name (on Salix) --

Posted on June 26, 2019 04:46 PM by susanhewitt susanhewitt

Observations

Photos / Sounds

Observer

susanhewitt

Date

June 24, 2019 02:34 PM EDT

Description

On White Snakeroot

Photos / Sounds

What

Liriomyza Leaf-mining Flies (Genus Liriomyza)

Observer

susanhewitt

Date

June 24, 2019 02:55 PM EDT

Description

On White Snakeroot.

Photos / Sounds

Observer

susanhewitt

Date

June 24, 2019 03:04 PM EDT

Photos / Sounds

Observer

susanhewitt

Date

June 24, 2019 03:05 PM EDT

Photos / Sounds

What

Daylily Leafminer (Ophiomyia kwansonis)

Observer

susanhewitt

Date

June 26, 2019 10:32 AM EDT

Description

On all the leaves of a Daylily plant.

Photos / Sounds

Observer

susanhewitt

Date

July 18, 2019 04:13 PM EDT

Description

Inn the shade under another bush in a raised bed.

Leafminers in a leatherleaf holly species, which I assume is the American Holly?

Comments

2020: I have not been remembering recently to update this list as I go along, but here are some additions; one is waiting to get a scientific ID from Charlie Eiseman:

June 23rd: Yucca Beetle (in petals of Yucca filamentosa) -- Carpophilus melanopterus (beetle).

July 20th: Purslane Sawfly (on Common Purslane) -- Schizocerella pilicornis,

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/53762086

July 26th: No common name (on Salix) --

Posted by susanhewitt over 3 years ago

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