Forest Invasive Alien Species
www.exoticpests.gc.ca
Established Insects
- Ambermarked birch leafminer
- Balsam woolly adelgid
- Beech scale
- Birch casebearer
- Birch leafminer
- Black stem borer
- Common pine shoot beetle
- Eastern spruce gall adelgid
- Elm leaf beetle
- European pine sawfly
- European pine shoot moth
- European pineneedle midge
- European spruce sawfly
- Gypsy moth
- Introduced pine sawfly
- Larch casebearer
- Larch sawfly
- Lombardy leafminer
- Mountain ash sawfly
- Pear thrips
- Rusty tussock moth
- Smaller European elm bark beetle
- Winter moth
Ambermarked birch leafminer
Eggs inserted under the epidermal layer of the upper side of the leaf
Tunnel opened to show ventral side of larva (length: 7 mm)
Tunnel containing several larvae
Adult at rest
Tunnels on white birch leaves
White birch stand severely damaged
Taxonomy
Description
Distribution Map
Main host(s)
Gray birch, white birch, yellow birch
Diet and feeding behavior
Phytophagous / Phyllophagous / Miner
Micro-habitat(s)
Leaf
Distribution
Canada
Damage, symptoms and biology
The presence of small, light-coloured blotches on the upper surface of leaves in July and the browning of the foliage later in the season are characteristic of attacks by the ambermarked birch leafminer. Depending on the severity of the damage to the foliage, the weakened tree may become more susceptible to other insects, but generally does not die from attack by this leafminer.
The ambermarked birch leafminer has only one generation each year. The eggs are laid inside the leaf. On hatching, the larvae begin mining the leaves, feeding on the interior tissue, causing them to turn brown. When fully grown, they leave the mines, drop to the ground and construct cocoons in which they overwinter.
The ambermarked birch leafminer has only one generation each year. The eggs are laid inside the leaf. On hatching, the larvae begin mining the leaves, feeding on the interior tissue, causing them to turn brown. When fully grown, they leave the mines, drop to the ground and construct cocoons in which they overwinter.
Comments
Long known in Europe, the ambermarked birch leafminer is probably an introduced species and, until 1955, it was confused with the birch leafminer in Canada. First reported in Quebec in 1959, this insect occurs throughout Canada.
The ambermarked birch leafminer prefers shaded or semi-shaded foliage on small trees. Open-growing ornamental birches are generally less susceptible to attack by this species.
Large numbers of larvae in mined leaves result in a shortage of food, which quickly puts an end to an infestation. Because the damage occurs late in the season and because even a severe infestation seldom lasts more than one year, control measures are generally unnecessary.
The ambermarked birch leafminer prefers shaded or semi-shaded foliage on small trees. Open-growing ornamental birches are generally less susceptible to attack by this species.
Large numbers of larvae in mined leaves result in a shortage of food, which quickly puts an end to an infestation. Because the damage occurs late in the season and because even a severe infestation seldom lasts more than one year, control measures are generally unnecessary.
