Agromyza nana Meigen, 1830
A. nana is related to Agromyza frontella and Agromyza drepanura, separation is not easy.
IMPORTANT CHARACTERS
Adults
Wing length: 2 - 2.5 mm. Frons light with dark side lines next to the eyes. The frons is dark around the frontorbital bristles. Pubescence on the mesonotum longer than in drepanura. On anepisternum hairs extended to the whole dorsal and posterior margins.
The scales of stridulatory file posteriorly gradually enlarging (von Tschirnhaus, 1972).
Immature stages
Leaf mine initially irregular linear, emerging from the leaf center (see also Agromyza frontella).
BIONOMICS
Probably similar to Agromyza frontella. There are at least two generations per year. The starting point of the leaf mine lies in the center of the leaf, not at margins. By the way the mine resembles closely to those of other Fabacean miners: Soon after hatching the young larvae produce narrow linear mines in one leaflet of a trifoliate leaf. Later the full depth blotch mine can extent to almost the whole leaflet.
HOST PLANTS
Medicago sativa L. (lucerne, alfalfa), Trifolium spp. (clover), also Melilotus spp. Lucerne and clover are important fodder crops.
DISTRIBUTION
Palaearctic, records from Europe, Egypt, Morocco, Tunis, Iraq, India. Some records were added by Zlobin, 2000: Azerbaijan, Turkmenia, East Siberia. Not found in North America.
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
The species is abundant but usually occurs in small numbers that normally remain below the level of economic damage (conf. Spencer, 1973). Even if the abundance of nana is high they cause not necessary significant reduction of biomass (Papp, 1984). However, Jovanovic and Dimic, 1980 considered nana and Agromyza frontella as significant pest in Yugoslavia.