Leaf-miner
Guides
Phytomyza spondylii
Phytomyza spondylii is a leaf-miner fly in the family Agromyzidae. Its larvae create conspicuous whitish serpentine mines within the leaves of host plants in the family Apiaceae. The species has been documented in France and shows a specialized biochemical adaptation to detoxify furocoumarins present in its host plants.
Phytomyza syngenesiae
Chrysanthemum Leafminer, Ragwort Leaf Miner
Phytomyza syngenesiae is an agromyzid leaf-mining fly found in the Palaearctic region, Australia, and New Zealand. The larvae create internal leaf mines in members of the Asteraceae family, including chrysanthemums, ragwort (Senecio), and artichokes. The species is recognized as an agricultural pest in greenhouse and crop settings, with significant variation in host plant susceptibility among cultivars.
Phytomyza thalictrivora
Phytomyza thalictrivora is a species of leaf-mining fly in the family Agromyzidae, described by Spencer in 1969. The species name suggests an association with plants in the genus Thalictrum (meadow-rue), though specific biological details remain poorly documented. It belongs to a large genus of flies whose larvae typically feed within leaf tissue, creating distinctive mines. Unlike the well-studied congener Phytomyza ilicicola on American holly, detailed life history information for this species is not readily available in published sources.
Phytomyza verbenae
Phytomyza verbenae is a species of leaf-mining fly in the family Agromyzidae, described by Eiseman and Lonsdale in 2018. The genus Phytomyza comprises numerous leaf-mining species whose larvae feed internally within plant leaves, creating distinctive serpentine mines. This species is associated with verbena plants (Verbenaceae) based on its specific epithet, though detailed biological studies remain limited. Like congeners, it likely completes its development within leaf tissue, with adults emerging to coincide with host plant phenology.
Phytomyzinae
leaf-miner flies
Phytomyzinae is a subfamily of leaf-mining flies within the family Agromyzidae, comprising at least 520 described species. The larvae of these flies are internal feeders that create distinctive mines within plant leaves. They serve as hosts for various parasitoid wasps, including braconids and chalcidids. The subfamily includes economically significant genera such as Liriomyza and Phytomyza.
Porphyrosela
Porphyrosela is a genus of small leaf-mining moths in the family Gracillariidae, subfamily Lithocolletinae. Species are distributed across multiple continents including the Neotropics, Australia, and Asia. The genus is characterized by larvae that create blotch mines on host plant leaves, primarily in the family Fabaceae. At least 13 species are recognized, with several described from South America and others from Australia and Asia.
Porphyrosela desmodiella
Tentiform Bean Leafminer
Porphyrosela desmodiella is a minute leaf-mining moth in the family Gracillariidae, with a wingspan of 4.5–5 mm. It is widely distributed across the eastern and central United States, southern Canada, and parts of the Caribbean and South America. The larvae are specialized leaf miners on leguminous plants (Fabaceae), creating distinctive mines on host foliage.
Porphyrosela minuta
A tiny leaf-mining moth in the family Gracillariidae, Porphyrosela minuta creates distinctive white blotch mines on clover leaves. Native to South America, it has established populations in North America following recent introduction. The species is multivoltine with rapid development, completing its life cycle in approximately 16 days at 25°C. Adults are minute and difficult to observe in the field.
Povolnya
Povolnya is a genus of small moths in the family Gracillariidae, first described by Kuznetzov in 1979. The genus belongs to the tribe Gracillariini within the subfamily Gracillariinae. Species in this genus are leaf-mining moths, with larvae that feed internally on plant tissues. The genus has been recorded from northern Europe, including Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.
Povolnya quercinigrella
Povolnya quercinigrella is a small moth in the family Gracillariidae, first described by Ely in 1915. The species was formerly placed in the genus Caloptilia, which explains older literature references. It is primarily known from eastern and central North America, with records spanning from Florida to Maine and west to Illinois and Texas.
Praydidae
false ermine moths
Praydidae is a family of small moths in the superfamily Yponomeutoidea, elevated from subfamily rank in 2013 based on molecular evidence. The family includes the economically significant genus Prays, notably Prays oleae (olive moth), a major agricultural pest of olive trees. Members are characterized by their association with woody plants and, in some species, distinct multivoltine life cycles with generation-specific feeding habits.
Prays fraxinella
Ash Bud Moth
Prays fraxinella, the ash bud moth, is a European moth in the family Praydidae. Larvae are leaf miners that feed on ash tree foliage and buds. The species exhibits two color forms: a typical white and black pattern, and a melanic form formerly called f.rustica, which has been reclassified as a separate species, Prays ruficeps. Adults are active in two generations per year, with flight periods in late spring and again in mid-summer.
Prodoxus phylloryctus
banana yucca leafminer
Prodoxus phylloryctus is a small moth in the family Prodoxidae, described by Wagner & Powell in 1988. It is endemic to south-western Colorado, United States, where it inhabits open oak-pine forests. The species is a specialist herbivore whose larvae mine the leaves of Yucca baccata, commonly known as banana yucca. The wingspan ranges from 9–13 mm.
Profenusa
oak mining sawflies, birch leafmining sawflies
Profenusa is a genus of leaf-mining sawflies in the family Tenthredinidae. Species in this genus are primarily associated with trees in the genera Quercus (oaks) and Betula (birches), though at least one species, P. japonica, has been documented on Rosa multiflora. Larvae are internal leaf miners that feed on mesophyll tissue, creating blotch mines. Several species are economically significant as forest and urban pests, including the invasive P. pygmaea in Kazakhstan and P. thomsoni in North America.
Profenusa alumna
red oak leaf-mining sawfly
Profenusa alumna is a leaf-mining sawfly in the family Tenthredinidae. It is univoltine, completing one generation per year. Larvae feed as leaf miners within red oak leaves, creating blotch mines. The species is closely associated with red oak (Quercus rubra) in forested habitats. Pupation occurs in soil.
Profenusa canadensis
Hawthorn Leaf-miner Sawfly
A sawfly species in the family Tenthredinidae, commonly known as the Hawthorn Leaf-miner Sawfly. The species is associated with hawthorn (Crataegus) as a host plant, with larvae creating blotch mines in leaves. It occurs in North America, with observations spanning multiple regions.
Profenusa thomsoni
amber-marked birch leaf miner, amber-marked birch leaf-miner sawfly
Profenusa thomsoni is a small sawfly native to the Palearctic realm that has become invasive in North America. Adults are black, approximately 3 mm long, and fly-like in appearance. The species is notable for its all-female parthenogenetic reproduction and for creating distinctive blotch-shaped leaf mines in birch foliage. Larval feeding damage can cause significant defoliation, though populations in parts of North America have declined due to parasitoid pressure.
Proleucoptera
Proleucoptera is a genus of microlepidoptera in the family Lyonetiidae, established by Busck in 1902. Species in this genus are leaf-mining moths with extremely small wingspans, often under 5 mm. The genus is currently treated as a synonym of Leucoptera, though it was historically recognized as distinct. Members are known for mining leaves of host plants, with some species reaching densities sufficient to cause noticeable defoliation.
Proleucoptera smilaciella
A microlepidopteran leaf-mining moth in the family Lyonetiidae. Adults are distinguished from the similar Paraleucoptera albella by wing pattern characteristics including a narrower, more oblique first fascia and smaller silvery-gray spot. The species is larger than P. albella and exhibits converging dark lines toward the wing apex. Specific host plant associations and detailed biology remain poorly documented.
Prolita variabilis
Prolita variabilis is a gelechiid moth described by August Busck in 1903. It is distributed across western and central North America, with records from California to Saskatchewan. The species exhibits distinctive wing patterning with conspicuous black longitudinal lines on the forewings. Larvae feed on Ericameria linearifolia, a shrub in the Asteraceae family.
Pseudochelaria
Pseudochelaria is a genus of small moths in the family Gelechiidae, established by Dietz in 1900. The genus contains five described species distributed in North America. Species within this genus appear to be associated with specific host plants in the Ericaceae family, including manzanita and madrone.
Pseudodineura
Pseudodineura is a genus of sawflies in the family Tenthredinidae. The genus contains approximately eight described species distributed across Europe and North America. Larvae of all species are leaf-miners in plants of the family Ranunculaceae. Some species are difficult to distinguish based on morphological characters alone, though each species appears to have a distinct COI barcode sequence.
Pseudodineurini
Pseudodineurini is a tribe of sawflies within the family Tenthredinidae. Members are small, leaf-mining sawflies whose larvae create distinctive mines in leaves of various plants. The tribe includes the genus Pseudodineura, which contains multiple species distributed across the Northern Hemisphere. Adults are generally inconspicuous and seldom encountered compared to their more frequently observed larval mines.
Psorosina hammondi
Appleleaf Skeletonizer
Psorosina hammondi is a pyralid moth in the subfamily Phycitinae, commonly known as the Appleleaf Skeletonizer. The species was described by Riley in 1872 and is notable for its specialized larval feeding behavior on hawthorn (Crataegus) leaves, producing characteristic skeletonizing damage. Despite its distinctive common name and host association, detailed biological information remains limited in accessible literature.
Psylliodes
flea beetles
Psylliodes is a large cosmopolitan genus of flea beetles comprising approximately 200 described species worldwide. Members are characterized by enlarged hind femora adapted for jumping, a trait shared with other Alticini. Approximately half of all species are specialized feeders on Brassicaceae, with the remainder associated with roughly 24 other plant families. Several species are economically significant agricultural pests, including the cabbage stem flea beetle (P. chrysocephala) and potato flea beetle (P. affinis). The genus includes rare endemic species such as the Lundy Cabbage Flea Beetle (P. luridipennis), a globally Critically Endangered species restricted to a single island off the coast of England.
Pterolonchidae
Pterolonchidae is a small family of minute moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea, comprising approximately 19 species across seven genera. The family has undergone substantial taxonomic revision, with genera reassigned from multiple other families based on cladistic analysis. Species are distributed across every continent except Australia and Antarctica, with notable concentrations in the Mediterranean region, western North America, and southern Africa. Several species have significant ecological and economic importance, including one used as a biological control agent for invasive knapweeds and another that is a major agricultural pest of cereal crops.
Recurvaria consimilis
A small gelechiid moth with a wingspan of 8.5–9.5 mm, recorded from the east-central United States. The larvae are leaf miners that feed specifically on Ceanothus americanus. First described by Braun in 1930.
Rifseria
Rifseria is a monotypic genus of gelechiid moths established by Hodges in 1966. The genus contains a single species, Rifseria fuscotaeniaella, distributed across western North America. The larvae are leaf miners specializing on plants in the Asteraceae family.
Scaptomyza flava
European leaf miner, yellow scaptomyza
Scaptomyza flava is an obligate herbivorous leaf-mining fly in the family Drosophilidae, representing an evolutionary transition to herbivory from the ancestral microbe-feeding habit of drosophilids. Adults are 2.5 mm in length and amber to dark brown in color. The species is native to the Palearctic region with a Holarctic distribution across Europe, Asia, and North America, and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia where it is a significant agricultural pest of Brassicales crops. Larvae feed internally on leaf mesophyll, creating serpentine mines that mature into blotches. The species is unusual among Drosophilidae in having lost yeast-associated odorant receptors and evolved specialized detoxification mechanisms for mustard oils. It is being developed as a model organism for studying plant-herbivore interactions.
Schizocerella
purslane sawflies
Schizocerella is a genus of sawflies in the family Argidae containing at least two species: Schizocerella pilicornis and Schizocerella lineata. Both species are associated with purslane (Portulaca) as host plants. The genus was historically confused, with S. lineata only recognized as distinct from S. pilicornis in 2007 based on mitochondrial DNA analysis. Males are readily identified by their uniquely forked terminal antennal segments.
Schizocerella pilicornis
purslane sawfly, portulaca sawfly
Schizocerella pilicornis is a sawfly in the family Argidae whose larvae are internal leaf miners of Common Purslane (Portulaca oleracea). The species was described in 1868 and is notable as the only Argidae species worldwide with endophagous larvae. Adults are small wasp-like insects with distinctive sexual dimorphism: males possess forked terminal antennal segments, while females have characteristic black markings on the thorax. The species may be adventive in North America, with its native range possibly centered in South America.
Schreckensteinia festaliella
Blackberry Skeletonizer
Schreckensteinia festaliella, known as the blackberry skeletonizer, is a small moth in the family Schreckensteiniidae. Native to the Palearctic, it has been introduced to North America where it is now widespread. The species is notable for its distinctive resting posture with hindlegs raised over the abdomen, and its larvae feed on Rubus species including bramble and raspberry.
Scolioneura vaccinii
Scolioneura vaccinii is a species of sawfly in the family Tenthredinidae, described in 2015 from British Columbia, Canada. The species is associated with Vaccinium (blueberry/cranberry) plants, as indicated by its specific epithet. It belongs to a small genus of blennocampine sawflies whose larvae are leaf miners.
Scrobipalpa
Scrobipalpa is a genus of small moths in the family Gelechiidae, established by Janse in 1951. The genus contains over 100 described species distributed across Africa, Asia, Europe, and introduced populations in North America and Australasia. Several species are economically significant agricultural pests, particularly of sugar beet, quinoa, tobacco, and eggplant. The genus was historically split with Euscrobipalpa treated as a subgenus or separate genus, but this distinction is no longer recognized as valid.
Scrobipalpa acuminatella
pointed groundling
A small gelechiid moth with distinctive pointed forewings, found across Europe, Asia, and recently established in Canada. The species is notable for its association with thistles and related Asteraceae plants. Adults fly from spring through summer, with larvae mining or feeding on host foliage.
Scrobipalpa atriplicella
goosefoot groundling moth
Scrobipalpa atriplicella is a small gelechiid moth native to Eurasia, now established as an introduced species in North America. Adults have a wingspan of 10–14 mm and exhibit two generations per year. The species has emerged as a significant agricultural pest on quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) in both Europe and North America, where larval feeding on seeds and foliage can cause complete crop loss. Originally associated with wild Chenopodiaceae including Chenopodium album and Atriplex species, its host range has expanded to include cultivated crops.
Scrobipalpula manierreorum
Scrobipalpula manierreorum is a small gelechiid moth described in 2014. Its larvae are leaf miners that feed on bigleaf aster (Eurybia macrophylla). The species is known from scattered locations across northeastern and north-central North America.
Scythris sinensis
Scythris sinensis is a small moth in the family Scythrididae, described by Felder & Rogenhofer in 1875. Native to eastern Asia, it has established populations across Europe and North America, often associated with human activity. The species is thermophilous and synanthropic, with larvae that mine the leaves of goosefoot plants. Adults are generally bivoltine, with a possible third partial generation in warmer southern regions.
Scythris trivinctella
banded scythris moth
Scythris trivinctella is a small North American moth in the family Scythrididae, commonly known as the banded scythris moth. It is one of the most frequently observed scythridid species, with nearly 4,000 iNaturalist records. Adults are active across a broad geographic range from New England to southern British Columbia and south to Mexico. The species was described by Zeller in 1873.
Setabara
Setabara is a genus of sawflies in the family Tenthredinidae, subfamily Heterarthrinae. The genus contains leaf-mining species, with Setabara histrionica being the best-studied member. Larvae feed internally within leaves of Prunus species, creating distinctive mines. The genus was established by Ross in 1951.
Setabara histrionica
Setabara histrionica is a North American leaf-mining sawfly in the family Tenthredinidae. First described by MacGillivray in 1909, this species was previously known only from adult collections until its immature stages and host plant association were described in 2022. The species creates internal leaf mines in bitter cherry (Prunus emarginata) and exhibits specific oviposition site preferences on lower foliage.
Stenoptilia zophodactylus
dowdy plume, Dowdy Plume Moth
Stenoptilia zophodactylus is a small plume moth with a wingspan of 16–23 mm, found across multiple continents. The species has a complex life cycle involving both leaf-mining and external feeding stages. It is a specialized seed predator of plants in the Gentianaceae family, particularly Centaurium species. Adults are active from July to September in overlapping broods.
Stenoptilodes antirrhina
snapdragon plume moth
Stenoptilodes antirrhina is a plume moth in the family Pterophoridae, commonly known as the snapdragon plume moth. It is native to California and has been introduced to greenhouses in the southeastern United States through transport of snapdragon cuttings. The larvae are leaf miners that feed internally within leaves of host plants in the Plantaginaceae family.
Stigmella altella
Stigmella altella is a minute leaf-mining moth in the family Nepticulidae, known from Ohio and Maine in the United States. The species has a wingspan of 5.6–6.4 mm. It completes one generation per year in Ohio, with larvae mining oak leaves in autumn and adults emerging the following spring. The larvae are specialized feeders on two oak species: Quercus imbricaria and Quercus palustris.
Stigmella anomalella
rose leaf miner
Stigmella anomalella is a microlepidopteran moth in the family Nepticulidae, commonly known as the rose leaf miner. Adults are active from May to August with two generations per year. The larvae are leaf miners that feed on various Rosa species and related plants in the Rosaceae family, creating distinctive corridor mines with hairpin turns in host leaves.
Stigmella apicialbella
Stigmella apicialbella is a microlepidopteran moth in the family Nepticulidae, first described by Chambers in 1873 and later recombined by Newton et al. in 1982. This species is among the smallest moths, with a wingspan of only 3.6–4.8 mm. It has been documented in the Nearctic region, specifically in Kentucky and Ohio, with additional records from Vermont. Like other members of its genus, it is presumed to be a leaf-mining species, though specific host plant associations for this particular species have not been documented.
Stigmella betulicola
Stigmella betulicola is a minute leaf-mining moth in the family Nepticulidae, with a wingspan of 3.4–4.6 mm. It is widely distributed across Europe and extends eastward into the Palearctic realm. The species produces two generations annually, with adults active in May and August. Larvae are specialized miners of birch leaves, feeding on several Betula species. Identification from similar Stigmella species requires examination of genitalia under microscopy.
Stigmella braunella
Catalina Cherry Leaf Miner
Stigmella braunella is a micro-moth in the family Nepticulidae, endemic to California. First described by W.W. Jones in 1933, this species has a wingspan of 5.4–6.6 mm and completes two generations per year. The larvae are leaf miners on Prunus ilicifolia (Catalina cherry), feeding within the leaves of this host plant.
Stigmella caryaefoliella
hickory leafminer
Stigmella caryaefoliella is a pygmy leaf-mining moth in the family Nepticulidae, native to North America. The species is a specialist herbivore whose larvae feed on hickory (Carya) leaves, creating distinctive serpentine mines. Adults are minute, typically measuring only 2–5 mm in wingspan, with reduced mouthparts. The species was originally described as Nepticula caryaefoliella by Clemens in 1861 and later transferred to Stigmella.
Stigmella castaneaefoliella
Stigmella castaneaefoliella is a microlepidopteran moth in the family Nepticulidae, commonly known as pygmy leaf-mining moths. The species is a specialist herbivore on Castanea (chestnut) species, with larvae creating distinctive leaf mines. It was first recorded in New York state in a 2021 study examining insect communities dependent on American chestnut. The species has persisted despite the near-extinction of its primary host, American chestnut, by utilizing non-native chestnut species as alternative hosts.