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Title: First report of nuptial feeding in Sawflies, Aneugmenus Flavipes (Norton) (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae)

Author
item Smith, David
item MARSHALL, S - UNIV. OF GUELPH

Submitted to: Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/19/2003
Publication Date: 6/17/2003
Citation: Smith, D.R., Marshall, S.A. 2003. First report of nuptial feeding in Sawflies, Aneugmenus Flavipes (Norton) (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 105:789-791.

Interpretive Summary: The caterpillarlike larvae of sawflies, or plant-feeding wasps, cause considerable damage to forests, agricultural crops, and ornamentals. Little is known of the behavior of many species. An unusual, unreported courtship behavior was observed in a fern-feeding sawfly in eastern Canada wherein the female apparently feeds on a substance from a deep modification in the male abdomen. This observation and the structural modification of the male are described. This information is of interest to scientists studying insect behavior and could lead to new control methods for these insects.

Technical Abstract: Nuptial feeding in sawflies is reported for the first time in Aneugmenus flavipes (Norton). Observations provide evidence that the "sinus sexualis," a sexual modification at the apex of the abdomen in some males of Tenthredinidae, serves to transfer glandular secretions from the male to the female before copulation.