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Project Noah Nature School
Leaf Miners are fascinating and come from a variety of different orders of insects: including the Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera and Hymenoptera. There are at least 5 different miners of 2 different kinds on this one leaf. The first picture is a close-up of one of the larvae at the end of its trail (and of the two types of miner trails). They move along eating in twisted routes under the upper leaf surface, often crossing each others paths. They usually leave waste material behind them in their tunnels. When mature, they will pupate at the end of their route. There must be many species of tiny parasitic wasps which can parasitize these through the leaf tissue.
Found on a bush along the San Vicente River, Chiflón Waterfall Park, Chiapas, Mexico.
Spotted on May 30, 2019
Submitted on Jun 15, 2019
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