Upper Midwest Stem Insect Survey

Internal feeder (Diptera: Chloropidae) in Andropogon

Record Details

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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.

References

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  • 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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