Eriocampa ovata

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Eriocampa ovata
Eriocampa ovata (Tenthredinidae sp.), Elst (Gld), the Netherlands.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Suborder: Symphyta
Family: Tenthredinidae
Genus: Eriocampa
Species:
E. ovata
Binomial name
Eriocampa ovata
(Linnaeus, 1760)
Synonyms [1]

Tenthredo ovata Linnaeus, 1760

Eriocampa ovata, known generally as the alder sawfly or woolly alder sawfly, [2] is a species of common sawfly in the family Tenthredinidae. [1] The larvae feed on the leaves of the common alder (Alnus glutinosa) and the grey alder (Alnus incana), sometimes causing defoliation.

Contents

Description

The adult female is about 7 mm (0.3 in) long and mainly black, with the exception of the first two segments of the thorax, which are red, and the underside of the tips of the antennae, the inner side of the fore-tibia and the basal part of the hind femur, which are whitish. The head has numerous large puncture marks while the thorax has scattered smaller ones; the abdomen has faint transverse sculpturings. The wings are translucent with black veins. Adult males are unknown in North America, and rare in Europe, the females breeding by parthenogenesis. [3]

The larvae grow to a length of 5 to 7.5 mm (0.2 to 0.3 in). They are white, apart from a brown mark on the head, and are covered with a glossy, white woolly secretion produced by epidermal glands. [3] [4]

Distribution and habitat

The alder sawfly is native to Europe, but has been accidentally introduced into North America, both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. It has spread to New York, Massachusetts, Quebec, Ontario, Washington, British Columbia, [3] and Alaska. [4] Host trees include common alder (Alnus glutinosa) and grey alder (Alnus incana), and in addition this sawfly has been recorded in Europe on elm (Ulmus) and hazel (Corylus). [3]

Life cycle

The adult female inserts her ovipositor into the upper surface of a leaf near the midrib to deposit her eggs. On hatching, the larvae feed at first on the upper surface but later transfer to the underside. When fully developed they drop to the ground and make a cocoon in the leaf litter in which they pupate and overwinter. In Quebec there are two generations per year, but in England there is just one. [3] Eggs are laid in young foliage near the base of the tree with the upper crown usually unaffected. Leaves can be skeletonized with just the veins remaining, and growth of the tree may be reduced; stressed trees may be more susceptible to alder canker. [4]

Related Research Articles

Alder Genus of flowering plants in the birch family Betulaceae

Alder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants, Alnus, belonging to the birch family Betulaceae. The genus comprises about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few species extending into Central America, as well as the northern and southern Andes.

Sawfly Suborder of insects

Sawflies are the insects of the suborder Symphyta within the order Hymenoptera alongside ants, bees and wasps. The common name comes from the saw-like appearance of the ovipositor, which the females use to cut into the plants where they lay their eggs. The name is associated especially with the Tenthredinoidea, by far the largest superfamily in the suborder, with about 7,000 known species; in the entire suborder, there are 8,000 described species in more than 800 genera. Symphyta is paraphyletic, consisting of several basal groups within the order Hymenoptera, each one rooted inside the previous group, ending with the Apocrita which are not sawflies.

<i>Alnus glutinosa</i> Species of flowering plant in the birch family Betulaceae

Alnus glutinosa, the common alder, black alder, European alder, European black alder, or just alder, is a species of tree in the family Betulaceae, native to most of Europe, southwest Asia and northern Africa. It thrives in wet locations where its association with the bacterium Frankia alni enables it to grow in poor quality soils. It is a medium sized, short-lived tree growing to a height of up to 30 metres (100 ft). It has short-stalked rounded leaves and separate male and female flowers in the form of catkins. The small, rounded fruits are cone-like and the seeds are dispersed by wind and water.

<i>Alnus incana</i>

Alnus incana, the grey alder or speckled alder, is a species of tree in the birch family, with a wide range across the cooler parts of the Northern Hemisphere.

Tenthredinidae Family of sawflies

Tenthredinidae is the largest family of sawflies, with well over 7,500 species worldwide, divided into 430 genera. Larvae are herbivores and typically feed on the foliage of trees and shrubs, with occasional exceptions that are leaf miners, stem borers, or gall makers. The larvae of externally feeding species resemble small caterpillars. As with all hymenopterans, common sawflies undergo complete metamorphosis.

<i>Phyllonorycter stettinensis</i> Species of moth

Phyllonorycter stettinensis is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is found from Scandinavia and Finland to the Pyrenees, Corsica, Italy and Bulgaria and from Great Britain to Russia.

Allantinae Subfamily of sawflies

Allantinae is a subfamily of sawflies in the family Tenthredinidae, and the largest subfamily of that family, with about 110 genera. The subfamily is considered to consist of five to six tribes, and are medium to large sawflies.

<i>Rhogogaster chlorosoma</i> Species of sawfly

Rhogogaster chlorosoma is a species of sawflies in the family Tenthredinidae.

<i>Craesus septentrionalis</i> Species of sawfly

Craesus septentrionalis, the flat-legged tenthred or birch sawfly, is a species of insect in the order Hymenoptera, the suborder Symphyta and the family Tenthredinidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. The adult sawflies are black and brown with transparent wings and the larvae are yellowish-green and resemble caterpillars. The larvae feed on the leaves of various species of deciduous tree.

<i>Monostegia</i> Genus of sawflies

Monostegia is a genus of sawfly. The authority is based on the description by Achille Costa and Oronzio Costa, although earlier work grants this to Fabricius 1798., though the commonest species, M. abdominalis, bears the authority of Fabricius.

<i>Nematus spiraeae</i> Species of sawfly

Nematus spiraeae is a species of sawfly in the family Tenthredinidae, known as the aruncus sawfly and sometimes the spiraea sawfly. It is native to central and northern Europe and was first recorded in Britain in 1924. Its larvae feed on the leaves of goat's beard.

<i>Nematus oligospilus</i> Species of sawfly

Nematus oligospilus, commonly known as the willow sawfly, is a species of sawfly in the family Tenthredinidae. Native to central and northern Europe and Asia, it was first recorded in South America in the 1980s and New Zealand in 1997, and has also been introduced to Australia, South Africa and Lesotho. Its larvae feed on the leaves of various species of willow.

<i>Endelomyia aethiops</i> Species of sawfly

Endelomyia aethiops, the roseslug, is a species of common sawfly in the family Tenthredinidae.

<i>Endelomyia</i> Genus of sawflies

Endelomyia is a genus of common sawflies in the family Tenthredinidae. There are at least two described species in Endelomyia.

<i>Eriocampa</i> Genus of sawflies

Eriocampa is a genus of common sawflies in the family Tenthredinidae. There are about ten described species in Eriocampa.

<i>Monsoma pulveratum</i> Species of sawfly

Monsoma pulveratum, the green alder sawfly, is a species of common sawfly in the family Tenthredinidae. It is a European species that has been accidentally introduced in North America.

<i>Monsoma</i> Genus of sawflies

Monsoma is a genus of common sawflies in the family Tenthredinidae. There are at least two described species in Monsoma.

<i>Rhogogaster viridis</i> Species of sawfly

Rhogogaster viridis, common name green sawfly, is a species of common sawfly in the family Tenthredinidae.

Fenusa is a genus of common sawflies in the family Tenthredinidae. There are about 11 described species in Fenusa.

<i>Profenusa thomsoni</i> Species of sawfly

Profenusa thomsoni, the amber-marked birch leaf miner, is a species of sawfly in the family Tenthredinidae. It is native to the Palearctic realm but has spread to North America. The larvae feed on the foliage of birch trees.

References

  1. 1 2 "Eriocampa ovata". GBIF. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  2. "Eriocampa ovata Species Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Smith, David Rollins. Nearctic sawflies. U.S. Agricultural Research Service. pp. 18–20.
  4. 1 2 3 Forest Health Conditions in Alaska—2003. DIANE Publishing. p. 59. ISBN   978-1-4289-6595-9.

Further reading