Liriomyza brassicae
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The serpentine leaf miner is the larva of a fly, Liriomyza brassicae, in the family Agromyzidae, the leaf miner flies. It mines wild and cultivated plants, such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and Chinese broccoli. It is distributed in the Pacific, Africa, and the Americas.
The life cycle of the fly is up to 21 days. It lays eggs in the leaf epidermis of host plants. Larvae hatch within four days. They are yellow or green and have three instars. It emerges from the pupa as an adult, a gray fly with black and yellow spots.
The American serpentine leafminer (Liriomyza trifolii) is a closely related species, and Liriomyza huidobrensis is also known as the serpentine leafminer. Another member of the genus, Liriomyza commelinae occurs widely in the neotropics and pupates within the mine. It feeds mainly on plants within the genus Commelina.
The Wire song Outdoor Miner was inspired by co-writer Graham Lewis's fascination with this insect and details its life cycle. Serpentine Leafminer. Texas A&M University. Bugguide.net. Species Liriomyza brassicae - Serpentine leaf miner Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auckland | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Cabbage Leafminer sighting in New York City on a given day, based on 86 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 308th most-seen of the 1623 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cabbage Leafminer in New York City on a given day, against under 5% in July to May, the lowest months.
Among the best
Of the 7 cities where we can rate Cabbage Leafminer sightings, New York City ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Auckland (New Zealand, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cabbage Leafminer is recorded against all the insects logged in New York City (86 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
