Neodiprion abietis

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Balsam fir sawfly
Neodiprion abietis larvae.jpg
Larvae eating fir needles
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Suborder: Symphyta
Family: Diprionidae
Genus: Neodiprion
Species:
N. abietis
Binomial name
Neodiprion abietis
(Harris, 1841)

Neodiprion abietis, commonly known as the balsam fir sawfly, is a species of insect in the family Diprionidae. It is found in North America from Canada to northern Mexico and is phytophagous, feeding on the needles of coniferous trees. [1] [2]

Contents

Evolutionary relationship

N. abietis is considered to arise from a monophyletic group. [3]

Internal anatomy

The larva of N. abietis have salivary glands with a lumen that is lined by microvilli and it also has a single layer of epithelial cells present. Moreover, they have fat body cells against the anterior duct of the lumen. Balsam fir sawfly have a pair of diverticular pouches which are used to store terpenoids which they regurgitate as a form of defense. These pouches are lined with a layer of an impermeable cuticle. The amount of liquid regurgitated is a reflection of the food that they ingest. The rectum of the Neodiprion abietis larva has a rectum similar to other Diprionidae. The rectum consists of a thin cuticle, a single layer of epithelial cells, and contains muscles. [4]

Physical characteristics

The heads of instars differ in color, newly hatched first instars have a light brown head and prior to molting into second instars, their heads change to a dark brown color. Their heads then turn black in color during the second to fifth instars. A range of 0.48 mm to 0.60 mm is seen with the size of head capsules. The stripes on their body also differ in larval instars. The first and second instar lack longitudinal stripes. The third, fourth, and fifth instar has three pairs of longitudinal dark stripes. The stripes on the third instar are considerably shorter than the fourth and fifth instar, while the stripes of the fourth and fifth instar are very similar causing difficulty for differentiating. The body color and length also varies between instars. Initially, a translucent body is seen, then becomes light green during the first instars. The body length rages anywhere from 2.43 mm to 3.15 mm. The antennas, more specifically their segments, differ between male and female. Male antennas consist of 21-23 segments while female antennas consist of 18-20 segments. [5]

Life cycle

In Newfoundland, Canada, female sawflies lay their eggs in late September or early October using their saw-like ovipositor into foliage of the current year or foliage of the previous year. The different strains of N. abietis are known to differ in host plant oviposition preference. [1] [6] Months later, around June or mid-July, the eggs hatch and the larvae feed immediately on needles of the balsam fir. The larvae prefer to eat 2 or 3-year-old balsam fir foliage and will rarely feed on foliage of the current year. [7] The development of male and female sawfly vary slightly. Females can have five or six instars whereas males only have five instars. Secondly, females take slightly longer than males to complete their development. A female's developmental period lasts 35 days whereas males complete their development within 30 days. Male and female sawflies spin a cocoon during their last-instar larva, they pupate inside, and adults emerge from the cocoon within 2–3 weeks. Account differs concerning whether N. abietis will spin its cocoon on the foliage or in the ground. [8] [9]

Reproduction

Mated females can produce male and female offspring while unmated females can only produce male offspring, a form of parthenogenesis known as arrhenotoky. [4]

Feeding

The balsam fir sawfly feeds on Abies balsamea, a type of fir, Picea glauca, Picea mariana types of spruce, and Larix laricina, a larch. [10] The first instar feeds on the whole crown of one-year-old foliage following egg hatch and the larvae in a group feed together by moving from one shoot to another. [11] Females, however, have a greater sensitivity to foliage than males and it’s suspected that it is due to their longer developmental time. N. abietis larvae have optimal development when they are able to feed on different-aged foliage thus allowing for maximization of their resources. [7] [12] Moreover, the balsam fir sawfly are considered to be wasteful feeders because only the outer portions of needles are consumed during the early-instar larvae. Late instars, however, consume more needle tissue type but it never consumes the needle in its entirety.

Ecological importance

In eastern Canada, local outbreaks of N. abietis can last anywhere from 3 years to 5 years and have been shown to have a periodicity of about 10 years. [13] Ecological factors involved in N. abietis outbreaks are increased immigration, female-biased sex ratios, and reduced mortality due to diseases, parasitoids and host-plant effects. [14] [15] [16] [17]

The outbreaks of the balsam fir sawfly cause a reduction in tree growth which in turn can cause tree mortality. [18] [19] The balsam fir sawfly, more specifically third to fifth instar larvae are responsible for defoliation and foliage weight loss in trees. Balsam fir sawfly defoliation does not stimulate the release of buds or shoots, which contributes to a slow recovery and severe impact on the balsam fir. [10] N. abietis outbreaks have been documented to increase in intensity in thinned forests of Atlantic Canada. [15] [16] [13] [18] [19] [20] [21]

Balsam fir outbreaks can be shortened by the application of a baculovirus known as nucelopolyhedrovirus (NeabNPV), [22] [23] which has been shown to be involved in the natural decline of balsam fir sawfly outbreaks. [14] [15] NeabNPV works by infecting the epithelial cells of the larvae midgut, this infection can be carried within the midgut through to adulthood. [24] Neemix, an insect growth regulator has also been used to slow down larval and pupal development by decreasing pupal weight, and can reduce the ability of the adults to emerge from their cocoon. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sawfly</span> Suborder of insects

Sawflies are wasp-like insects that are in 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>Abies balsamea</i> Species of conifer tree

Abies balsamea or balsam fir is a North American fir, native to most of eastern and central Canada and the northeastern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest tent caterpillar moth</span> Species of insect

The forest tent caterpillar moth is a moth found throughout North America, especially in the eastern regions. Unlike related tent caterpillar species, the larvae of forest tent caterpillars do not make tents, but rather, weave a silky sheet where they lie together during molting. They also lay down strands of silk as they move over branches and travel as groups along these pheromone-containing silk trails. The caterpillars are social, traveling together to feed and massing as a group at rest. Group behavior diminishes as the caterpillars increase in size, so that by the fifth instar (molt) the caterpillars are feeding and resting independently.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diprionidae</span> Family of sawflies

The Diprionidae are a small family of conifer-feeding sawflies restricted to the Northern Hemisphere, with some 140 species in 13 genera. Larvae are often gregarious, and sometimes there can be major outbreaks, thus these sawflies can be major forest pests at times. These sawflies have the ability to compromise the health and ecological balance of forests. When the temperatures begin to rise, the sawflies become strengthened pests to these conifers. In doing so, they cause damage to a certain extent.

<i>Pristiphora erichsonii</i> Species of sawfly

Pristiphora erichsonii, the larch sawfly, is a species of sawfly. The adult sawfly resembles a black wasp, is about ½ inch in length with a thick waist and has brown to orangish markings on the abdomen. Larvae have black heads, gray-green bodies with white undersides, and are about 15–18 mm long when full grown. Larvae occur in groups and characteristically curl their bodies upward in a "J" shape when disturbed.

<i>Choristoneura fumiferana</i> Species of moth

Choristoneura fumiferana, the eastern spruce budworm, is a species of moth of the family Tortricidae native to the eastern United States and Canada. The caterpillars feed on the needles of spruce and fir trees. Eastern spruce budworm populations can experience significant oscillations, with large outbreaks sometimes resulting in wide scale tree mortality. The first recorded outbreaks of the spruce budworm in the United States occurred in about 1807, and since 1909 there have been waves of budworm outbreaks throughout the eastern United States and Canada. In Canada, the major outbreaks occurred in periods circa 1910–20, c. 1940–50, and c. 1970–80, each of which impacted millions of hectares of forest. Longer-term tree-ring studies suggest that spruce budworm outbreaks have been recurring approximately every three decades since the 16th century, and paleoecological studies suggest the spruce budworm has been breaking out in eastern North America for thousands of years.

<i>Zeiraphera canadensis</i> Species of moth

Zeiraphera canadensis, the spruce bud moth, is a moth of the family Tortricidae. It is a small brown moth mainly found in North America, specifically New Brunswick, Quebec, and the north-eastern United States. The adult moth flutters quickly, and stays low among trees during the day and higher above tree cover after sunset. The spruce bud moth relies primarily on the white spruce tree as a host plant. Both male and female spruce bud moths mate multiply, however males have the ability to secrete accessory gland proteins that prevent female re-mating. The moth is univoltine, meaning only one generation hatches per year, and its eggs overwinter from July to May. The species Z. ratzeburgiana is very similar to Z. canadensis and can only be distinguished by the presence of an anal comb in Z. canadensis.

<i>Orgyia pseudotsugata</i> Species of moth

Orgyia pseudotsugata, the Douglas-fir tussock moth, is a moth of the subfamily Lymantriinae first described by James Halliday McDunnough in 1921. It is found in western North America. Its population periodically irrupts in cyclical outbreaks. The caterpillars feed on the needles of Douglas fir, true fir, and spruce in summer, and moths are on the wing from July or August to November.

<i>Lymantria dispar dispar</i> Subspecies of moth (gypsy moth)

Lymantria dispar dispar, commonly known as the gypsy moth, European gypsy moth, LDD moth, or North American gypsy moth or spongy moth, is a species of moth in the family Erebidae. It has a native range that extends over Europe and parts of Africa, and is an invasive species in North America.

<i>Gilpinia hercyniae</i> Species of sawfly

Gilpinia hercyniae, the European spruce sawfly, was first found in North America near Hull, Quebec, in 1922. By 1930, severe damage was occurring in spruce stands in the Lower St. Lawrence–Gaspé region of Quebec. Population levels exploded, and further damage subsequently occurred in New Brunswick and the northeastern United States. Loss of wood from spruce mortality was estimated at 10 million cubic metres, but by the mid-1980s pest numbers on all species of spruce in Canada from Manitoba to the Atlantic Ocean and in adjacent parts of the United States had become relatively low under the influence of spontaneous virus disease and introduced parasites. In Newfoundland, control was helped by the introduction of the masked shrew, a cocoon-hunting insectivore.

<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 most common species, M. abdominalis, bears the authority of Fabricius.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common pine sawfly</span> Species of sawfly

The common pine sawfly, Diprion pini, is a sawfly species in the family Diprionidae. It is a serious pest of economic forestry, capable of defoliating large areas of pine forest. It occurs throughout Europe and Russia.

<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>Diprion similis</i> Species of sawfly

Diprion similis is a species of sawfly in the family Diprionidae. It is native to central and northern Europe and Asia but was accidentally introduced into North America where it has become invasive. The larvae feed on the needles of pine trees, especially those of the white pine. In North America it is known as the introduced pine sawfly or the imported pine sawfly. It is also known as the white pine sawfly because of its preference for feeding on the white pine, but this name is confusing because another sawfly, Neodiprion pinetum, whose larvae also feed on this tree, is itself known as the "white pine sawfly".

Neodiprion pinetum is a species of sawfly in the family Diprionidae. It is commonly known as the white pine sawfly, a name sometimes also applied to Diprion similis, because the larvae of both species feed on the needles of the white pine.

<i>Neodiprion lecontei</i> Species of sawfly

Neodiprion lecontei is a species of sawfly in the family Diprionidae native to eastern North America, commonly known as the red-headed pine sawfly or Leconte's sawfly. The larvae feed on the foliage of many species of native and imported pines. This species was named after John Lawrence LeConte, an American entomologist of the 19th century.

<i>Dahlbominus fuscipennis</i> Species of wasp

Dahlbominus fuscipennis, the sawfly parasitic wasp, is a species of chalcid wasp from the family Eulophidae which parasitizes the European pine sawfly Neodiprion sertifer, among other hosts. It is the only species in the genus Dahlbominus.

<i>Acantholyda erythrocephala</i> Species of sawfly

Acantholyda erythrocephala is a species of sawfly in the family Pamphiliidae commonly known as the red-headed pine sawfly or the pine false webworm. Native to Europe, it has been introduced into North America where it has become invasive.

<i>Eriocampa ovata</i> Species of sawfly

Eriocampa ovata, known generally as the alder sawfly or woolly alder sawfly, is a species of common sawfly in the family Tenthredinidae. The larvae feed on the leaves of the common alder and the grey alder, sometimes causing defoliation.

<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 G. Knerer, C.E. Atwood (1973). Diprionid sawflies: polymorphism and speciation. Changes in diapause and choice of food plants led to new evolutionary units. Science, USA, 179(4078), 1090-1099.
  2. ↑ González-Gaona, Ernesto; Gómez-Nísino, Alejandro; De Lira-Ramos, Karla Vanessa; Rodríguez-Cruz, Yahaira Elizabeth; Olivo-Martínez, Juan Antonio; Rascón-Mendoza, Ana Adeliz; Sánchez Martínez, Guillermo (2021-02-28). "Primer registro documentado de Neodiprion abietis (Harris, 1841) (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae) para México". Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Forestales. 12 (64). doi: 10.29298/rmcf.v12i64.837 . ISSN   2448-6671.
  3. ↑ C.R. Linnen and B.D. Farrell (2008). Phylogenetic Analysis of Nuclear and Mitochondrial Genes Reveals Evolutionary Relationships and Mitochondrial Introgression in the Sertifer Species Group of the Genus Neodiprion (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae) Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 48(1): 240-257.
  4. 1 2 C.J. Lucarotti, H.W.W. Beatrixe, and D.B. Levin (2011). Histology of the Larval Neodiprion abietis (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae) Digestive Tract. Journal of Entomology. 2012: 1-10.
  5. ↑ S. Li (2003). Notes on larval instars and adult antennae of Neodiprion abietis (Hymenoptera : Diprionidae). Canadian Entomologist. 135(5): 745-748.
  6. ↑ R.C. Johns, J. Fidgen, and D.P. Ostaff (2013). Host–tree oviposition preference of balsam fir sawfly, Neodiprion abietis (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae), in New Brunswick, Canada. Canadian Entomologist. 145(4): 430-434.
  7. 1 2 G. Moreau, D.T. Quiring, E.S. Eveleigh, E. Bauce (2003). Advantages of a Mixed Diet: Feeding on Several Foliar Age Classes Increases the Performance of a Specialist Insect Herbivore. Oecologia. 135: 391–399.
  8. ↑ W. J. Carroll (1962). Some aspects of the Neodiprion abietis (Harr.) complex in Newfoundland. PhD dissertation, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA.
  9. ↑ D.R. Wallace and C.R. Sullivan (1973). Photoperiodism in the Early Balsam Strain of the Neodiprion abietis Complex (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae). Canadian Journal of Zoology. 52: 507-513.
  10. 1 2 P.D. Simon, M.Y Aaron, B. Morin, C.J. Lucarotti, B.F. Koop, and D.B. Levin (2006). Sequence Analysis and Organization of the Neodiprion abietis Nucleopolyphedrovirus Genome. Journal of Virology. 80(14): 6952-6960.
  11. ↑ L.J. Anstey, D.T. Quiring, D.P. Ostaff (2002). Seasonal Changes in Intra-tree Distribution of Immature Balsam Fir Sawfly (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae). Canadian Entomologist. 134: 529-538.
  12. ↑ G. Rogers, D.T. Quiring, and C.J. Lucarotti (2012). Transmission of a Gammabaculovirus within Cohorts of Balsam Fir Sawfly (Neodiprion abietis) Larvae. Journal of Insects. 3(4): 989-1000.
  13. 1 2 G. Moreau (2006). Past and present outbreaks of the balsam fir sawfly in western Newfoundland: An analytical review. Forest Ecology and Management 221: 215-219.
  14. 1 2 G. Moreau, D.P. Ostaff, É. Bauce, E.S. Eveleigh, C.J. Lucarotti, B. Morin, and D.T. Quiring (2018) Interlacing roles of bottom-up, top-down, endogenous and anthropogenic factors in population oscillations. Ecosphere 9: e02421.
  15. 1 2 3 G. Moreau (2004). The influence of forest management on defoliator populations: a case study with Neodiprion abietis in precommercially thinned and natural forest stands. PhD dissertation, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.
  16. 1 2 G. Moreau, E.S. Eveleigh, C.J. Lucarotti, and D.T. Quiring (2006). Ecosystem Alteration Modifies the Relative Strengths of Bottom-up and Top-down Forces in a Herbivore Population. Journal of Animal Ecology. 75: 853–861.
  17. ↑ G. Moreau, E.S. Eveleigh, C.J. Lucarotti, B. Morin, D.T. Quiring (2017) Opposing effects of mortality factors on progeny operational sex ratio may thwart adaptive manipulation of primary sex ratio. Ecology and Evolution 7(13): 4973–4981.
  18. 1 2 H.D. Piene, D. Ostaff, E.S. Eveleigh (2001). Growth loss and recovery following defoliation by the balsam fir sawfly in young, spaced balsam fir stands. The Canadian Entomologist 133:675–686.
  19. 1 2 D.P. Ostaff, H. Piene, D.T. Quiring, G. Moreau, J.C.G. Farrell, T. Scarr (2006). Influence of pre-commercial thinning of balsam fir on defoliation by the balsam fir sawfly. Forest Ecology and Management 223:342–348.
  20. ↑ G. Moreau, E.S. Eveleigh, C.J. Lucarotti, D.T. Quiring (2006). Stage-specific responses to ecosystem alteration in an eruptive herbivorous insect. Journal of Applied Ecology 43: 28-34.
  21. ↑ G. Moreau, D.T. Quiring (2011). Stand structure interacts with previous defoliation to influence herbivore fitness. Forest Ecology and Management 262: 1567-1575.
  22. ↑ G. Moreau, C.J. Lucarotti, E.G. Kettela, G.S. Thurston, S. Holmes, C. Weaver, D.B. Levin, B. Morin (2005). Aerial application of nucleopolyhedrovirus induces decline in increasing and peaking populations of Neodiprion abietis. Biological control 33: 65-73.
  23. ↑ G. Moreau, C.J. Lucarotti (2007). A brief review of the past use of baculoviruses for the management of eruptive forest defoliators and recent developments on a sawfly virus in Canada. The Forestry Chronicle 83: 105-112.
  24. ↑ C.J. Lucarotti, H.W.W Beatrixe, R. Lapointe, B. Morin, D.B. Levin (2012). Pathology of a Gammabaculovirus in Its Natural Balsam Fir Sawfly (Neodiprion abietis) Host. Journal of Entomology. 2012: 1-13.
  25. ↑ S.Y. Li, A.C. Skinner, T. Rideout, M.D. Stone, H. Crummey, and G. Holloway (2003). Lethal and Sublethal Effects of a Neem-based Insecticide on Balsam Fir Sawfly (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae). Journal of Economic Entomology. 96(1): 35-42.
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