Research Reports: Distinguishing Larval Instars of the Vegetable Leafminer, Liriomyza Sativae (Diptera: Agromyzidae)

Authors

  • Frederick L. Petitt

Abstract

Measurements of either the length of mouth hooks or the cephalopharyngeal skeleton showed clear separation between larval instars of Liriomyza sativae Blanchard. Mouth hooks of first instar larvae also differed morphologically from those of later instars. Larval instars were distinguished under a dissecting microscope at 200x magnification, enabling rapid separation of freshly-collected specimens. The growth ratio of cephalopharyngeal skeletons between first and second instar larvae was higher (1.75) than between second and third instar larvae (1.56). Growth ratios calculated from published reports on other Liriomyza species were typically very similar to those of L. sativae.

Downloads

Published

1990-06-01

Issue

Section

Literature Review Articles