Dacnusa-dryas
Guides
Agromyza frontella
alfalfa blotch leafminer
Agromyza frontella, the alfalfa blotch leafminer, is a small dipteran leafminer in the family Agromyzidae. Native to Europe, it has become an established agricultural pest of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) in North America, particularly in Canada and the northern United States. Larvae feed between leaf surfaces, creating distinctive blotch-shaped mines. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism in daily activity patterns, with males most active during cooler morning and evening periods while females feed and oviposit throughout the day. It has been subject to classical biological control using the introduced parasitoid Dacnusa dryas.