Sweet potato leaf miner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sweet potato leaf miner |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Bedellia
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| Species: |
somnulentella
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The sweet potato leaf miner (scientific name: Bedellia somnulentella) is a tiny moth. It belongs to a group of moths called Bedelliidae. This moth is known for its larvae (baby moths) that dig tunnels inside plant leaves.
Contents
About the Sweet Potato Leaf Miner
This small moth has a wingspan of about 8 to 10 millimeters. That's roughly the length of a fingernail!
Life Cycle and What They Eat
The sweet potato leaf miner starts its life as a tiny egg. When the egg hatches, a larva (a type of caterpillar) comes out. These larvae are special because they are leaf miners. This means they dig and live inside plant leaves.
They create tunnels, or "mines," within the leaves. At first, the tunnel is narrow and winding. You might see a line of "frass" (which is insect waste) in the middle of the tunnel. Sometimes, their digging can even cut off a part of the leaf.
Later, the larvae leave these tunnels. They then make new, wider spots of damage on the leaves. When they are ready to change into adult moths, they go through a process called pupation. The pupa (the stage between larva and adult) attaches itself to a leaf. It does not make a silk cocoon like some other moths.
These larvae like to eat the leaves of several plants. Their favorite plants include different kinds of morning glory, like Calystegia pubescens and Convolvulus arvensis. They also love to feed on the leaves of the sweet potato plant. This is how they got their common name!
Where They Live
The sweet potato leaf miner can be found in many parts of the world. It has a nearly global distribution. This means you can find it on almost every continent!
It has been seen in places like Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia. It also lives in parts of Asia, including Kazakhstan, Kirgizia, Uzbekistan, India, and Japan. In Europe, it is found almost everywhere. You can also find it in the Middle East and many countries in Africa.
Further away, it lives in North America, Australia, New Zealand, and other islands in Oceania. This wide distribution shows how adaptable these small moths are!
Images for kids
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Bedellia somnulentella moth
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Bedellia somnulentella, morning-glory leaf miner, size: 4.8 mm
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Sweetpotato leaf with leaf miner larvae, webbing, and frass
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Sweet potato plant with leaf miner damage
