Maple leafblotch miner

Dorsal view of a larva in its mine Thérèse Arcand

French common name: Mineuse de l'érable
Scientific name: Cameraria aceriella (Clemens)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Gracillariidae
Partial list of synonyms:
- Lithocolletis aceriella Clemens

Distribution

Eastern Canada

Damage, symptoms and biology

Damage on leaf surfaces is sufficient evidence of the maple leafminer's presence. The larvae mine into the parenchyma, just under the upper surface of the leaf. At the end of summer, the damage becomes more obvious because the caterpillars wrap silk around part of their mines so they can change to pupae the following spring.

Part of the population overwinters in the larval form inside leaves that have fallen to the ground and pupates the following spring. The other part overwinters as pupae.

Other information

Local infestations of the maple leafminer occur occasionally. The species does not cause serious damage to trees, although it adversely affects the aesthetics of ornamental trees.

This insect can be controlled by gathering and burning the dead leaves that fall during autumn.