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Host Plants

A total of 786 host plant genera are discussed and the recorded miners occurring on each genus, both in Britain and Ireland and elsewhere, are listed. Many of the miner/host associations are based on host genera only. A total of 1,399 named host plant species are included. Scientific and common names of host plants follow the 

Botanical Society of the British Isles (BSBI)

Provisional keys are provided to dipterous mines recorded on 311 of these 786 host plant genera, although some of the records require confirmation. Access to the keys is provided by scientific and where possible by common name (N.B. only about 52% of the vascular plants recorded in Britain have common names).

The miner/host plant associations are from a variety of sources and are noted in text. Those for moths, beetles and sawflies are principally from 

British leafminers, combining the lists compiled as a precursor to AIDGAP keys TO LEAF MINERS by Brian Pitkin and Colin Plant with those cited on the individual species page.

Named host genera in Britain are currently unknown for the moths Elachista apicipunctella, Elachista canapennella, Elachista freyerella, Elachista luticomella, Elachsita stabilella, Ochsenheimeria taurella, Ochsenheimeria urella and Ochsenheimeria vacculella on grasses. Provisionally European hosts are cited for the species of Elachista

  • Greater Knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa)
    Browse host plants

    Browse list of host plants to learn about the British insects that mine them.

  • Moth larvae mining leaf
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    Search the database for British insects that mine plants. Learn more about individual miner species, their host plants, biology and distribution. Find the parasitoids of miner species and look up related references.

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