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Submitted to: Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 10/9/2001 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Leafmining flies in the family Agromyzidae are responsible for millions of dollars of losses to U.S. farmers and horticulturists each year. The holly leafminers attack holly foliage of several species, reducing its commerical value and aesthetic appeal. The results of this research show that the holly leafminer Phytomyza glabricola feeds on more hollies than was previously thought. This research also greatly increases the known distribution of this plant-feeding fly species. The ecology and possibility of genetically differentiated hosts races within this species are discussed. This information will be of interest of ecologists and evolutionary biologists as well as to horticulturists and those interested in hollies. Technical Abstract: The agromyzid leafminer Phytomyza glabricola is reported from the holly Ilex coriacea, a plant not previously reported to host leafminers. The known geographic range of P. glabricola is extended to include North Carolina, Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi. In these areas, it can be found feeding on sympatric populations of its hosts I. coriacea and I. glabra. Phytomyza glabricola reared from I. coriacea are univoltine, having only a single generation a year, while on I. glabra this species is multivoltine with at least two generations a year. This suggests that either this leafminer exhibits a high degree of host-associated phenotypic plasticity in life history or that host races are present. |
