Dear Ecologgers,
Many insects that dig into plant leaves are collectively called
"miners", "plant-mining insects", or other derivations of the term. Similarly,
there are some marine isopods that dig into seagrass leaves for which the term
has been applied. This seems to be a fairly arbitrary term. For example, gall
formers are sometimes called miners, but stalk borers are referred to as such
and not as miners. Looking at a couple of reviews, I have not been able to
find a functional definition of what constitutes a "miner." Is there such a
thing? My background is not terrestrial and there may be older literature I
have not found defining the term.
Hope you have a productive 2017,
Edwin
=================
Dr. Edwin Cruz-Rivera
Associate Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
University of the Virgin Islands
#2 John Brewers Bay
St. Thomas 00802
USVI
Tel: 1-340-693-1235
Fax: 1-340-693-1385
"It is not the same to hear the devil as to see him coming your way"
(Puerto Rican proverb)
