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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #324553
Research Project: Systematics of Hemiptera and Related Groups: Plant Pests, Predators and Disease Vectors

Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Title: Sawflies (Hymenoptera: Symphyta) newly recorded from Washington State

Author
item LOONEY, CHRIS - Washington Department Of Agriculture
item SMITH, DAVID - Retired ARS Employee
item COLLMAN, SHARON - Washington State University
item LANGOR, DAVID - Canadian Forest Service
item PETERSEN, MERRILL - Western Washington University

Submitted to: Journal of Hymenoptera Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/25/2016
Publication Date: 4/28/2016
Citation: Looney, C., Smith, D.R., Collman, S.J., Langor, D.W., Petersen, M.A. 2016. Sawflies (Hymenoptera: Symphyta) newly recorded from Washington State. Journal of Hymenoptera Research. 49:129-159.

Interpretive Summary: The caterpillar-like larvae of sawflies are all plant feeders and can cause extensive damage in agricultural crops, forests, and ornamentals. Many of the most destructive species are those that have been accidentally introduced. Studies on the sawfly fauna of the Pacific Northwest uncovered 22 species new to Washington State. Some are known to defoliate pine, spruce, alder, poplar, azalea, and other forest and ornamental trees and shrubs. The species are discussed and distributions are given. Knowledge of the presence of these species in the Pacific Northwest will be helpful to scientists as well as foresters and agricultural agents who might encounter them.

Technical Abstract: Examination of museum specimens, unpublished collection data, and field surveys conducted between 2010 and 2014 resulted in new records for 22 species of sawflies in Washington State. These data highlight the continued range expansion of exotic species across North America, seven of which are likely to be pest problems in ornamental landscapes. These new records also indicate that our collective knowledge of Pacific Northwest arthropod biodiversity and biogeography is underdeveloped, even for a relatively well known and species-poor group of insects. Notable gaps in the knowledge of Washington State’s Symphyta remain for the Olympic Peninsula, the Cascade Mountain Range, and the arid interior of the state. Washington’s shrub-steppe appears to be particularly poorly surveyed for sawflies.