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A species of fruit flies in the genus Euleia, family Tephritidae was found in lovage culture at the Vegetable Research and Development Station Bacau (VRDS Bacau). The species of fly was Euleia heraclei (Linnaeus, 1758). Called celery fly, this insect is considered harmful because the larvae are mining inside and destroying the leaves of celery, lovage, carrot, parsnip, etc. The attacks, usually, start in May, this is the first generation, but scientific studies report that the secondgeneration of larvae is more destructive. At VRDS Bacău, this insect was identified on the lovage leaves in the spring of 2021, the frequency (F%) was 96% and the degree of attack (GA%) was 3.92%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Agromyzidae (Insecta: Diptera) is a cosmopolitan family of acalyptrate flies, with almost 3,000 species worldwide distributed. Most species are leaf miners on a large number of plants. Among them, Liriomyza Mik, 1894 is a large genus of leaf-miner species that can cause significant damage to economically important crops and is considered agricultural pests, such as Liriomyza sativae Blanchard, 1938 and Liriomyza huidobrensis (Blanchard, 1926), which are herein investigated. The present study deals with the impact of climatic factors (temperature, humidity, and precipitation), seasonality, and parasitoid abundance on leaf-miner infestation during one year in five cultivated crops in Northeastern Brazil. Climatic factors for instance had different effects on L. sativae populations in melon and watermelon crops. Larval abundances were greater during the dry season for both species, L. sativae and L. huidobrensis, and abundance of adult parasitoids followed the increase of mining larvae.

Agromyzidae (Insecta: Diptera) is a cosmopolitan family of acalyptrate flies, with almost 3,000 species worldwide distributed. Most species are leaf miners on a large number of plants. Among them, Liriomyza Mik, 1894 is a large genus of leaf-miner species that can cause significant damage to economically important crops and is considered agricultural pests, such as Liriomyza sativae Blanchard, 1938 and Liriomyza huidobrensis (Blanchard, 1926), which are herein investigated. The present study deals with the impact of climatic factors (temperature, humidity, and precipitation), seasonality, and parasitoid abundance on leaf-miner infestation during one year in five cultivated crops in Northeastern Brazil. Climatic factors for instance had different effects on L. sativae populations in melon and watermelon crops. Larval abundances were greater during the dry season for both species, L. sativae and L. huidobrensis, and abundance of adult parasitoids followed the increase of mining larvae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: As phytohormones lie at the very core of molecular mechanisms controlling the plant physiology and development, they have long been hypothesized to be involved in insect‐induced plant manipulations. Cytokinins (CKs) are phytohormones now widely recognized to be utilized by leaf‐mining and gall‐inducing insects in the control of the physiology of their host plant. In some leaf‐mining moth species, larvae can supply the hormones themselves, bacterial symbionts contributing to the production of CKs. Our objective was to investigate whether closely related leaf‐miner species sharing the same ecological niche but differing in their Wolbachia infection status develop similar strategies to manipulate their host plant. An extensive identification and quantification of CKs has been used to elucidate physiological patterns relevant for the plant–insect interactions. Our results show that modulation of plant CK levels is impaired in the Wolbachia‐free leaf‐mining moth Phyllonorycter mespilella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) contrasting with results previously observed in the closely related moth species Phyllonorycter blancardella (Fabricius) that produce and deliver CKs to the plant through an intricate interaction with Wolbachia. Our study suggests that mechanisms underlying colonization of the host plant and adaptation to fluctuating environmental conditions are different between the two leaf‐miner species and that P. mespilella larvae most likely do not produce CKs. This species rather only buffers the degradation of CKs naturally occurring during the senescence of leaves leading to few active CKs being maintained at a sufficiently high level to induce and maintain a ‘green island’ phenotype (photosynthetically active green patches in otherwise senescing leaves). This study further provides converging experimental evidence pointing toward the influence of bacterial symbionts in the ability of leaf‐mining moths to control the physiology of their host plant with consequences for their ecology and evolutionary diversification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several herbivorous insects and plant-associated microorganisms control the phytohormonal balance, thus enabling them to successfully exploit the plant by inhibiting plant defenses and withdrawing plant resources for their own benefit. The leaf-mining moth Phyllonorycter blancardella modifies the cytokinin (CK) profile of mined leaf-tissues, and the insect symbiotic bacteria Wolbachia is involved in the plant manipulation to the benefit of the insect host. To gain a deeper understanding into the possible origin and dynamics of CKs, we conducted an extensive characterization of CKs in larvae and in infected apple leaves. Our results show the enhanced CK levels in mines, both on green and yellow leaves, allowing insects to control their nutritional supply under fluctuating environmental conditions. The spatial distribution of CKs within the mined leaves shows that hormone manipulation is strictly limited to the mine suggesting the absence of CK translocation from distant leaf areas toward the insect feeding site. Mass spectrometry analyses reveal that major CK types accumulating in mines and larvae are similar to what is observed for most gall-inducers, suggesting that strategies underlying the plant manipulation may be shared between herbivorous insects with distinct life histories. Results further show that CKs are detected in the highest levels in larvae, reinforcing our hypothesis that CKs accumulating in the mines originate from the insect itself. Presence of bacteria-specific methylthio-CKs is consistent with previous results suggesting that insect bacterial symbionts contribute to the observed phenotype. Our study provides key findings toward the understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying this intricate plant-insect-microbe interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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1. Testing restoration methods is essential for the development of restoration ecology as a science. It is also important to monitor a range of taxa, not just plants which have been the traditional focus of restoration ecology. Here, we compare the effects on ground flora and leaf-miners, of two restoration practices used when restoring conifer plantations. 2. Two methods of restoration were investigated: clearfelling of plantations and the gradual thinning of conifers over time. Unrestored plantations and native broadleaved woodlands were also surveyed, these representing the starting point of restoration and the reference community, respectively. The study sites consist of two forest types (acidic Quercus woodland and mesotrophic Fraxinus woodland) enabling us to compare the two restoration methods in different habitat types. We use a well-replicated, large-scale study system consisting of 32 woodland plots, each 2 ha in size. 3. There were 179 plant species identified in the plots. Clearfelled plots had greater overall ground flora species richness than other management regimes (thinned, unrestored plantation and native woodland), but the richness of woodland plant species did not differ between clearfelled, thinned, native woodland and unrestored plantation plots. 4. More than 10 000 leaf-miners comprising 122 species were collected. Increased plant species richness was associated with increased leaf-miner species richness under all management regimes except clearfelled plots. 5. Forest type did not affect the response to restoration method; that is, there was no interaction between management regime and forest type for any of the variables measured. 6. Synthesis and applications. Our results suggest that both the clearfelling and gradual thinning approaches to plantation restoration maintain woodland ground flora species. Either method can be used without detriment to woodland ground flora species richness. However, these methods differed in their effects on the leaf-miner-plant species richness relationship. If increasing invertebrate herbivore species richness is a concern, the gradual thinning approach is more appropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper summarizes the scant available data on Nepticuloidea (Nepticulidae and Opostegidae) from Colombia, and convenes systematists, particularly in Colombia, to study these peculiar tiny insects of great theoretical and practical importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of SHILAP Revista de Lepidopterologia is the property of Sociedad Hispano-Luso-Americana de Lepidopterologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The choices made by insects at different stages of their life cycle are critical for the individual and progeny success. In the case of leaf-miners, during larval development they are not able to make choices until the emergence from the leaf, after which the larva falls to the ground and begins pupation. According to needs, preferences and soil properties, the larva could achieve a suitable substrate for the development of the pupa. Our aim was to study the preferences for pupation substrates of Notofenusa surosa larvae , leaf-miners of Nothofagus obliqua, in relation to soil properties. We selected different types of substrates (including volcanic ash) and conducted paired preference tests. The substrate was considered chosen when the larva selected it and formed the pupa (response variable). According to data obtained, several models were performed to determine the probability of individuals to choose a particular option depending on its preferences and substrates' properties. These larvae are able to discriminate the different options offered and choose their pupation substrate according to the percentage of organic matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypermetamorphosis has been described in several Lepidoptera leaf-miner species (mostly Gracillariidae, Epipyropidae, and Phyllocnistidae) and can be defined as a strong modification of the larval morphology associated with a switch in its feeding mode. Evolution of this larval feeding strategy presumably influences nutritional resources that can be exploited and has strong consequences for plant morphology. The following study focuses on Phyllonorycter blancardella (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), a leaf-miner developing on Malus domestica. We characterize the morphology of larval mouthparts and the resulting morphological impact on leaf tissues. Our results show that first instars do not strongly affect the leaf anatomy and leave most plant cells intact, while later instars significantly disrupt leaf tissues. Additionally, young larvae are 'fluid-feeders' and feed on plant cell fluids resulting from the progression of the larvae through the lower layer of the leaf spongy parenchyma. They occupy a feeding niche clearly distinct from later instars that are 'tissue-feeders'. Hypermetamorphosis in P. blancardella most likely allows insects to cope with a confined nutritional space by partitioning the limited feeding resources, and may help leaf-miners to optimize their nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]