As has been mentioned before, the first thing with leaf-mines is to accurately identify the plant. Also, to get an ID for a corridor miner like this it is necessary to take a back-lit image of the leaf so that all the details of the mine can be seen clearly. It is really not clear enough here. If the plant is a Rubus spp (Bramble) then the likeliest miner is Stigmella aurella, but as you suggest, Stigmella splendidissimella is also a possibility and it would really need to be reared through to the adult if the latter species was suspected.
Hi Barnaby,
ReplyDeleteAs has been mentioned before, the first thing with leaf-mines is to accurately identify the plant. Also, to get an ID for a corridor miner like this it is necessary to take a back-lit image of the leaf so that all the details of the mine can be seen clearly. It is really not clear enough here. If the plant is a Rubus spp (Bramble) then the likeliest miner is Stigmella aurella, but as you suggest, Stigmella splendidissimella is also a possibility and it would really need to be reared through to the adult if the latter species was suspected.
Really helpful, I realised after looking at a few other photos that backlighting is better. Thanks!
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