Fern-specialist
Guides
Bryocoris pteridis
Bryocoris pteridis is a small plant bug in the family Miridae, specialized on fern feeding. It is widespread across Europe and the Palearctic, occurring from lowlands to alpine elevations up to 1500 m. The species exhibits wing polymorphism, with brachypterous forms predominating. It completes one or occasionally two generations per year, with adults active from June through September.
Callopistria floridensis
Florida Fern Moth, Florida Fern Caterpillar
Callopistria floridensis, commonly known as the Florida Fern Moth or Florida Fern Caterpillar, is a small noctuid moth with a wingspan of approximately 29 mm. The species is notable for its year-round adult activity in tropical and subtropical regions, with larvae that feed exclusively on ferns. It has gained scientific attention as the only known terrestrial animal capable of accumulating high levels of arsenic when feeding on the brake fern Pteris vittata. While primarily a native species across the Americas, it occasionally becomes a pest in greenhouses.
Neomusotima conspurcatalis
Lygodium Defoliator Moth
A small crambid moth native to South and Southeast Asia, introduced to Florida as a biological control agent for the invasive Old World climbing fern (Lygodium microphyllum). Larvae are specialist feeders on Lygodium ferns, with young larvae skeletonizing leaves and older larvae consuming entire foliage. The species has been extensively studied for its host specificity and is subject to parasitism by multiple native parasitoid species in its introduced range.
Phytoliriomyza felti
Phytoliriomyza felti is a leaf-mining fly in the family Agromyzidae, specialized on ferns. The larvae create distinctive mines in fronds of various fern species. It has been documented on Pellaea atropurpurea (purple-stem cliffbrake) and Asplenium species, and likely occurs on additional fern hosts. This species represents one of the relatively few agromyzid flies with documented fern-feeding specialization.
Phytoliriomyza pulchella
Phytoliriomyza pulchella is a species of leaf-mining fly in the family Agromyzidae, described by Spencer in 1986. The genus Phytoliriomyza contains fern-feeding specialists, and this species is part of a group of agromyzid flies whose larvae create distinctive mines in fern fronds. Very little published information exists specifically for P. pulchella, though its congeners are well-documented as fern miners.