The serpentine leaf miner is the larva of a fly, Liriomyza brassicae, in the family Agromyzidae, the leaf miner flies. It mines wild and cultivated plants, such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and Chinese broccoli. It is distributed in the Pacific, Africa, and the Americas. The life cycle of the fly is up to 21 days. It lays eggs in the leaf epidermis of host plants. Larvae hatch within four days. They are yellow or green and have three instars. It emerges from the pupa as an adult, a gray fly with black and yellow spots.