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Title: FOOD PLANTS AND LIFE HISTORIES OF SAWFLIES OF THE FAMILIES TENTHREDINIDAE AND PERGIDAE (HYMENOPTERA) IN COSTA RICA, WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF FOUR NEW SPECIES

Author
item Smith, David
item JANZEN, DANIEL - UNIVERSITY OF PA

Submitted to: Journal of Hymenoptera Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/15/2003
Publication Date: 9/20/2003
Citation: Smith, D.R., Janzen, D.H. 2004. Food plants and life histories of sawflies of the families Tenthredinidae and Pergidae (Hymenoptera) in Costa Rica, with descriptions of four new species. Journal of Hymenoptera Research. 12:312-332

Interpretive Summary: Sawfly larvae are caterpillar-like, plant-feeding insects, many of which cause considerable economic damage to agricultural crops, forests, and ornamentals. Others are beneficial and have been considered for biological control of invasive plants. Very little is known about the food plants and habits of those that occur in Central and South America; consequently, little can be said about species intercepted in quarantine or about their potential to become invasive species. Eleven species have been reared in Costa Rica, and information on food plants and life histories of these species, along with illustrations of the larvae, are presented. Four of the species are new to science and are described and illustrated. This information will be of value to scientists involved with studying plant-feeding insects and will be useful to APHIS personnel dealing with sawfly species intercepted from Central America in quarantine situations.

Technical Abstract: Food plants and biological information are given for five species of the family Tenthredinidae and six species of the family Pergidae reared in the Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Guanacaste Province, northwestern Costa Rica. The Tenthredinidae are Adiaclema chigiyae Smith, n. sp. on Entodontopsis leucostega (Stereophyllaceae), Waldheimia fascipennis (Norton) on Cissus pseudosicyoides (Vitaceae), Waldheimia suturalis (Cameron) on Cissus rhombifolia (Vitaceae), Waldheimia interstitialis (Cameron), n. comb., on Hamelia patens (Rubiaceae), and Pristiphora auricauda Smith on Prunus annularis (Rosaceae). The Pergidae are Aulacomerus daktus Smith on Mesechites trifida (Apocynaceae), Anathulea bimaculata (Cameron) on Hippocratea volubilis (Hippocrateaceae), Suwatnus nigriceps (Cameron) on Psidium guajava (Myrtaceae), Acordulecera binelli Smith, n. sp., on Posoqueria latifolia (Rubiaceae), Acordulecera liami Smith, n. sp., on Erythroxylum havanense (Erythroxylaceae), and Acordulecera dashielli Smith, n. sp., on Arrabidaea patellifera (Bigoniaceae). Several hundred wild-caught larvae of these 11 species produced no parasitoids. Waldheimia interstitialis (Cameron) is a new combination. Redescriptions are given for Aulacomerus daktus, Anathulea bimaculata, and Suwatnus nigriceps.