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How to identify it
- Leaves show elliptical to irregular blisters or swellings up to about 1/5 inch across, each holding a single larva. The swellings are green at first, then collapse into brown, sunken blotches, each with a tiny round exit hole.[1][2]
- Larvae are tiny maggots, at first translucent or white and under 1/25 inch, turning green and then bright orange as they grow to about 1/12 inch (2 millimeters).[1][2]
- Adults are delicate, slender, orangish flies about 1/12 inch long, with long antennae and legs and unmarked wings.[1]
- To confirm it, put leaves with green swellings in a clear plastic bag: within a few days orange larvae will crawl out if the midge is present. A green swelling cut open before it darkens shows the maggotlike larva inside.[1]
Look-alikes
| Look-alike | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| Bacterial and fungal leaf spots | The brown, sunken blotches can be mistaken for a leaf spot disease. Midge blotches start as raised green swellings and each has a tiny round exit hole.[1] |
Where it lives
It comes from Asia; the species was described in 2003 from plants that came from Taiwan, Japan and China. In North America it was first found in Naples, Florida (Collier County) in 2008, and it was introduced into Southern California around 2014, where it is expected to spread wherever Indian laurel fig grows.[2][1]
Biology and life cycle
In California and Florida the larvae infest Indian laurel fig. Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) has not been infested even when it grows next to or under heavily infested Indian laurel figs.[1][2]
Females lay eggs on young leaves. The larvae chew into the leaf and each feeds alone inside its own gall; when grown they leave the gall and drop to pupate in leaf litter and topsoil.[1][2]
A generation takes about a month when temperatures average 68 degrees F, and there are several generations a year.[1]
Damage and signs
- Infested leaves become discolored and pocked with blisters and brown spots, and badly infested leaves may drop early.[1][2]
- Although unsightly, the damage apparently does not threaten the health or survival of the tree, according to UC IPM. Florida officials noted in 2008 that it could become a serious pest of the commercial ornamental plant industry.[1][2]
Health risk
It feeds only inside fig leaves; neither source mentions any risk to people.[1][2]
Control
Sanitation
No specific management is known other than picking off and disposing of infested leaves before the larvae come out to pupate.[1]
When to call a professional
If you find a suspected infestation where the midge is not known to occur, report it to the county agricultural commissioner or the local UC Cooperative Extension office.[1]
Common questions
- What are the round brown spots on my Indian laurel fig leaves?
- They may be the work of the ficus eye-spot midge. Its larvae make green blister galls that collapse into brown, sunken blotches with a tiny exit hole, which can be mistaken for a leaf spot disease.[1]
- Will ficus eye-spot midge kill my tree?
- It is not expected to. The damage is unsightly, and badly infested leaves may drop early, but UC IPM says it apparently does not threaten the tree's health or survival.[1]
Sources
- University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Ficus Eye-Spot Midge Introduced in Southern California.” ipm.ucanr.edu/Invasive-and-Exotic-Pests/Ficus-Eye-Spot-Midge/ (accessed 2026-11-09)
- Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry, “Pest Alert: An Ornamental Fig Pest, Horidiplosis ficifolii, Genus and Species New to Florida and North America (G. J. Steck and S. Krueger, FDACS-P-01654, 2008).” ccmedia.fdacs.gov/content/download/68342/file/Pest_Alert_-_Horidiplosis_ficifolii,_An_Ornamental_Fig_Pest.pdf (accessed 2026-11-09)
- iNaturalist, “Horidiplosis ficifolii taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1417236 (accessed 2026-11-09)