| dc.description.abstract | A longitudinal study to identify the species of Liriomyza leafminer, their distribution, relative
abundance, and seasonal variation, including their host range, was conducted in vegetable fields
at three altitudes in Kenya from November 2011 to November 2012. Three main species were
identified: Liriomyza huidobrensis (Blanchard), Liriomyza sativae Blanchard, and Liriomyza
trifolii (Burgess), of which L. huidobrensis was the most abundant across all altitudes
irrespective of the cropping season and accounting for over 90% of the total Liriomyza
specimens collected. Liriomyza species were collected from all infested incubated leaves of 20
crops surveyed belonging to seven families: Fabaceae, Solanaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Malvaceae,
Brassicaceae, Amaranthaceae, and Amaryllidaceae. However, more than 87.5% of the Liriomyza
species were obtained from only four of these crops: Pisum sativum L., Phaseolus vulgaris L.,
Solanum lycopersicum L., and Solanum tuberosum, thereby demonstrating that Fabaceae and
Solonaceae crops are the most important hosts with regard to Liriomyza species richness and
relative abundance. L. huidobrensis had the widest host range (20 crops), followed by L. sativae
(18 crops) and L. trifolii (12 crops). Although L. trifolii has been considered the dominant
Liriomyza leafminer in Kenya, this study suggests that this may not be the case anymore, as L.
huidobrensis dominates at all altitudes. © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University
Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions,
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