First Findings of Deciduous Woody Plant Leaf Miners in Serbia

Abstract

Leaf miners are small insects from the orders Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera. Their larvae consume the leaf mesophyll, leaving the epidermis intact. During their feeding, many species cause significant damage to plants. According to previous studies, 222 leaf miners species of leaf miners have been identified on deciduous woody plants in Serbia. As a significantly higher number of species was recorded in the fauna of neighboring countries, field research was undertaken to determine how many more species are present in Serbia. Sample collection was performed in the period from 2015 to 2021 on 107 localities in Serbia. Two hundred twenty-eight species of leaf miners, of which 65 are new to Serbian fauna, were determined by the analysis of the collected material. By summarizing the literature and own data, it was determined that 287 species of leaf miners that feed on deciduous woody plants are present in Serbia. The newly identified leaf miners were found on 49 host plant species. As the number of deciduous woody plant leaf miner species has risen by about 29% in this study, it is expected that there are even more species to be found in Serbia.