A few species, including all Agromyza spp., are capable of stridulation, possessing a "file" on the first abdominal segment and a "scraper" on the hind femur.

The family Agromyzidae is commonly referred to as the leaf-miner flies, for the feeding habits of their larvae, most of which are leaf miners on various plants.

The thorax and abdomen are often light grey, rarely dark, but may be yellow, green, blue-green, and variably coppery or metallic.

The third antennal segment is always large, usually round (not elongated but sometimes with a sharp point) and usually with swollen, and the almost bare or pubescent arista never is plumose.

The abdomen is moderately long and consists of six segments and with a coating of short pubescence well-developed at some places.

The tracheal system is metapneustic in the first instar early age and amphipneustic in the subsequent stages.

There is a high degree of host specificity, an example being Phytomyza ilicis, the European holly leaf miner that feeds on no other species.

[citation needed] A number of species attack plants of agricultural or ornamental value, so are considered pests.

These insects are very important to agronomy by the direct damage that they cause, particularly on young plants, the leaf of which may, for example, be completely destroyed.

By their nutritional bites females of some species are able to inoculate pathogenic fungi, or to transmit viruses.

The most important pest genera are Agromyza, Melanagromyza, Ophiomyia, Liriomyza, Napomyza and Phytomyza.

A long imaginal aestivation and hibernation period is an uncommon overwintering strategy among agromyzid flies.

For some of the serpentine leaf miners it is possible to use the mine to indicate the instar of the animal that made it, and in some cases its cause of death.

Morphological similarity makes identification difficult, and DNA barcoding is increasingly used to identify species.

List of genera according to Catalogue of Life:[2] Clusiidae[4] Odiniidae Fergusoninidae Agromyzidae Opomyzidae+Anthomyzidae Asteioinea Extract Google Books