Liriomyza trifolii

L. trifolii are small black and yellow flies which may be detected flying closely around host plants or moving erratically and rapidly upon the leaf surfaces. Inspection of the leaf surface will reveal punctures of the epidermis and the obvious greenish-white mines with linear grains of frass along their length. For accurate identification, examination of the leaf mine and all stages of development are crucial.
L. trifolii larvae will be found feeding at the end of the mine, or the mine will end with a small convex slit in the epidermis where the larva has left the mine to pupariate on the ground. Sometimes the puparium may be found adhering to the leaf surface, although in most cases the fully-fed larva will have found its way to the ground beneath the plant to pupariate. This is especially true in hot, dry conditions where the larva/puparia would quickly desiccate if exposed on the leaf surface. Empty puparial cases are split at the anterior end, but the head capsule is not usually separated from the rest of the case.
Mined leaves should be collected into polythene bags and transferred to a press as soon as possible. Leaves containing larvae intended for breeding should be collected into individual polythene bags, which on return to the laboratory should be slightly over-pressurized by blowing into them before sealing the end. Blowing up the bag by mouth and sealing it adds valuable carbon dioxide to the moist air mix. Constant attention is required to ensure that puparia are transferred to individual tubes until the fly emerges. If the plant material begins rotting, good material with feeding larvae must be removed to more sanitary conditions.
When puparia are observed they can be very carefully removed to tubes containing a layer of fine sand, or a small strip of blotting paper or filter paper. This should be kept damp (never wet) until the adult emerges.
On emergence, the fly should be kept for at least 24 hours to harden up. Do not allow condensation to come into contact with the fly, or it will stick to the water film and be damaged.
Field collection of the adult L. trifolii is done by netting. The use of sticky traps, especially yellow ones, placed near host plants is a very effective method of collection and estimation of infestation.
If the puparial stage is collected from the soil, care must be taken not to damage the puparial skin or death will almost certainly follow. The pupae should be stored in glass tubes on a layer of clean sand or, better still, thick filter paper. The tube must have high humidity, but be free of condensation.
When the fly emerges, it must be allowed to harden for 24 hours before killing for identification purposes. Ensure that the tube has no condensation present.
Newly emerged adult L. trifolii are generally softer than specimens aged for several days and may crinkle as drying proceeds, especially the head. The ptilinal sac may still protrude from the suture between the frons and face obliterating some important characteristics. Adults should be dried slowly in the dark in a sealed receptacle over blotting paper. If preserving wet is preferred, the live specimen should be dropped into 20-40% alcohol, and transferred to 70-90% alcohol after 2 days.