Cherry Leaf Miner: Appearance, Territory, Damage and Life Cycle

Latin Name: Para Leucoptera Heinrichi Appearance: A leaf miner is any of many insect larvae that dwell and feed within a leaf. The majority of leaf-miner burrows or tunnels are classified as serpentine mines, which have thin, winding, white tracks, or blotch mines, which are wide and whitish or brownish in color. Although leaf miners seldom inflict serious damage, they do detract from the beauty of attractive trees and shrubs. Removing and burning diseased leaves from garden plants is one technique of control. Hosts Plants: Cherry Trees Territory: Africa Damage Insect Cause: Cherry and prune trees are attacked. Larvae dig into the leaf’s underside and mine the tissue under the top epidermis, which becomes virtually translucent. Mines begin pale in color and packed with frass before growing more widespread and blotchier. Life History and Habits: When eggs are laid, they are very small and translucent to the point of transparency, and they appear to the naked eye as tiny dust particles on the leaf surface. Larvae hatch from eggs deposited on the undersides of leaves and start eating right away. The mine begins as a short serpentine track on the top side of the leaf, but rapidly broadens out into a big irregular blotch, frequently obliterating the early section of the mine. As Busck mentioned, pupation can occur on the same leaf as the mine, although cocoons are more commonly discovered on another leaf distant from the mine.