Local feeder (Hymenoptera) in culms of Bouteloua [0107]

OrderHymenoptera
Family?Eurytomidae[T,L,A]
Lower taxonundetermined
No. spp. involvedOne confirmed
Feeding modeLocal feeder in culm
Host plantSideoats grama, Bouteloua curtipendula (Poaceae)

Senesced culms of the host grass in a remnant prairie habitat were found to play host to overwintering larvae of this hymenopteran local feeder in winter 2021-2022. An adult was reared from inhabited culms in spring 2022. The adult has not yet been identified, but externally it resembles Eurytomidae. Eurytomids in the genus Tetramesa are well known as the "jointworms" that feed in culms of grasses in many parts of the world, sometimes causing economic damage to cereals (Carr et al. 2020, Noyes 2004, Saghaei et al. 2018). Burks (1979) does not list any records of Tetramesa species using Bouteloua as a host, and the current author has been unable to find prior records elsewhere as well.

insect
IMG#: 0107-01
Larva overwintering in dead culm of host. (Photo date: January 19, 2022)
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insect
IMG#: 0107-02
Larva in culm.
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insect
IMG#: 0107-03
Head of larva, showing mandibles.
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insect
IMG#: 0107-04
Reared adult, lateral. It was unclear if this individual was the adult form of the phytophagous hymenopteran local feeder in the culms, or a parasitoid of the local feeder. (Photo date: April 29, 2022)
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insect
IMG#: 0107-05
Reared adult, dorsal.
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Specimen data for images

Coll. 01/19/22, photos same day (larva, 01-03); coll. 01/19/22, adult em. 04/28/22, photos of adult on 04/29/22 (04-05).

References

Burks, B.D. 1979. Eurytomidae. In Krombein, K.V., Hurd, Jr., P.D., Smith, D.R., and B.D. Burks (eds.). 1979. Catalog of Hymenoptera in America north of Mexico, vol. 1. Smithsonian Institution Press: Washington, D.C.

Carr, J.F., Eiseman, C.S., and user v belov. 2020. Genus Tetramesa. Genus information page on BugGuide.net. Retrieved November 12, 2023 from https://bugguide.net/node/view/511692.

Noyes, J.S. 2004. Notes on families: Eurytomidae. In Universal Chalcidoidea Database. World Wide Web electronic publication. Retrieved November 12, 2023 from https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/chalcidoids/eurytomidae.html.

Saghaei, N., Fallahzadeh, M., and H. Lotfalizadeh. 2018. Annotated catalog of Eurytomidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from Iran. Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc. 144:263-293.

Page created 11/12/23. Last update: 02/25/25

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© John van der Linden