The Importance of Leaf Structure in Oviposition by Leaf-Mining Microlepidoptera

Broad patterns exist in the site of oviposition for British leaf-mining Lepidoptera. Of 227 species, 21% lay only on the upper surface of leaves, 73% only on the lower surface and 6% on both. We examine possible explanations for this pattern based on the requirements of the egg, larva and ovipositing adult, and on the surface and internal structures of the leaves on which the larvae feed