Agromyzidae (weed bioagents)
Agromyzidae (weed bioagents)
The family contains around 3,000 species of small plant parasitic flies. Many species are host specific and are important plant pests. However, some are specialists of weeds and are considered useful biological control agents, like the melaleuca gall fly, Fergusonina turneri.
Adult Agromyzidae suck plant juices and lay their eggs inside plant leaves. The larvae mine the leaves leaving the epidermis intact. During the feeding activities galleries or blotch mines are created with each species forming a characteristic shape of mines. Some species induce shoot galls.
Note:
This page deals only with biological control agents of weeds. For other groups of Agromyzidae see:
The following genera are currently entered as weed bioagents under this family:
