Internal feeder (Diptera: Chloropidae) in Andropogon
| Record no.: | 0052 |
|---|---|
| Feeding guild: | Internal feeder in stem |
| Taxonomy: | Diptera: Chloropidae |
| Stages observed: | trace, puparium, adult |
| Hosts in Andropogon: | A. gerardii (big bluestem) |
I found puparia in shoots with killed tips, which I had originally collected because I determined while in the field that one contained a Lepidoptera larva tunneling inside (record 0054). Some shoots also contained cecidomyiid larvae (record 0051). Puparia of the chloropid were present by mid-August, with adults emerging in late August. I did not observe or record details about this insect's feeding behavior, and chloropids as a family exhibit a diverse array of feeding strategies including phytophagy but also saprophagy (Sabrosky 1987), so this record is listed tentatively.
- Sabrosky, C.W. 1987. Chloropidae. Chapter 99, pp. 1049-1067 in McAlpine, J.F., Peterson, B.V., Shewell, G.E., Teskey, H.J., Vockeroth, J.R., and D.M. Wood. (Eds.). 1987. Manual of Nearctic Diptera, Volume 2 (No. 28). Research Branch Agriculture Canada.[return to in-text citation]
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