Figure 3.

Unique signatures of insect herbivore damage on herbarium specimens that can be linked to herbivore taxa. (a) This image shows a leaf mine on a Quercus alba herbarium specimen from the northeastern US made by Acrocercops strigosus (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae). Several aspects of this leaf mine are diagnostic, such as its presence on the upper surface of a young leaf and its unique shape. (b–d) Leaf miners can be reared and are thus represented in insect collections, allowing researchers to link mines to insect species. (d) This Tischeria quercitella (Lepidoptera: Tischeriidae) specimen was reared from its mine. The purplish streaks and circular refugium in the centre of the mine are diagnostic for this species. (Online version in colour.)