Abstract
The development of specialised feeding habits during the course of time by human beings is paralleled in the majority of animals, and insect larvae in particular have developed special peculiarities, which in most cases are quite characteristic of the species concerned. This applies especially to phytophagous insect larvae, and anyone with the requisite experience can say with a fair degree of certainty which insect larva is responsible for any damage to be found on a plant. It leaves behind a definite “feeding pattern” which might be compared to a “visiting card” on which the genus and species are marked in runic characters. Whoever has learned to read the runes can readily determine who has been feeding on the affected spot, solely on the basic of the “visiting card” left behind. From the known factors — the name of the plant and the type of feeding pattern — and after some study of the various types of plant infestation, both the genus and species of the larva producing the feeding pattern can be worked out without difficulty.
The online version of the original chapter can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-7196-8_23
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1951 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hering, E.M. (1951). Introduction. In: Biology of the Leaf Miners. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-7196-8_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-7196-8_1
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-015-7198-2
Online ISBN: 978-94-015-7196-8
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive