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Title: THE GENERA MACROXYELA KIRBY AND MEGAXYELA ASHMEAD (HYMENOPTERA: XYELIDAE) IN NORTH AMERICA.

Author
item Smith, David
item SCHIFF, NATHAN - USDA, FS, STONEVILLE, MS

Submitted to: Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/3/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Sawflies are part of the plant-feeding insect complex that causes millions of dollars of damage each year to agricultural crops, forests, and ornamental plantings. Larvae of the two species of Macroxyela and five species of Megaxyela in North America feed on the foliage of elm, hickory, and pecan, and can be pests in elm plantings and pecan orchards. The species of these two genera could not previously be separated. Distinguishing characters were discovered for both sexes of all species, and an identification key, descriptions, and illustrations are presented to facilitate accurate identifications. The known hosts, biology, and distributions of each species are summarized. This publication will be very useful to scientists, agriculture personnel, and anyone interested in plant-insect relationships. It will save considerable time and effort for accurate identification of current or potential pests of elm, hickory, and pecan.

Technical Abstract: Five species of Megaxyela, including Megaxyela alisonae, n.sp., and two species of Macroxyela occur in North America. Macroxyela bicolor MacGillivray is a new synonym of Macroxytele ferruginea (Say). The species are keyed, described and illustrated, and biological information is summarized. Hosts include hickory, pecan, and elm.