British fly miners
Economic Importance
The damage caused by some mining flies to crops and ornamental plants can be of economic significance. Several agromyzid pest species are recorded in Britain. The Cereal leaf miner, Agromyza nigrella (Rondani), is a serious pest of wheat; Agromyza nigrociliata Hendel is potentially a serious pest of cereals; the Tomato leaf miner, Liriomyza bryoniae (Kaltenbach), is a significant pest of several genera of cultivated plants; Napomyza cichorii Spencer was described as a serious pest of cultivated chicory in Belgium and the Netherlands; and the Cabbage leaf miner, Phytomyza rufipes Meigen, is a common pest of Brassica spp. In addition the anthomyiid Pegomyia betae is a notorious pest of beet.
In addition to these pests, three other polyphagous species of agromyzid, Liriomyza huidobrensis Blanchard (the Vegetable leaf miner), Liriomyza sativae Blanchard and Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess) (American serpentine leaf miner), have been intercepted on ornamental and vegetable crops at their point of entry into Britain. Although they are not British, they are included in the lists and notes. All records on particular hosts are noted and summary lists of the recorded hosts world-wide by host plant family and genus are given.