aster leafminer

Aster leafminer is a very small leafminer fly. The total length is unknown but the wings are only 1 ⁄16″ to ⅛″ (2 to 3 mm) long. It is most easily identified by the tracks the larvae leave in leaves.

The first instar larva creates a short, linear gallery (mine) by eating below the outer tissue layer of the leaf. Later instars create a whitish, circular or oval blotch which often overruns the initial gallery.

Wing length: 1 ⁄16″ to ⅛″ (2 to 3 mm)

Asters, flebanes, and many other plants in the Aster family

Two generations: June and Septemger to October

The larva pupates inside the mine.

Sources

29, 30, 82, 83.

Widespread but local