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HYMENOPTERA, Cephidae (Cephoidea)

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Cephidae: Link 1

Description

Cephidae.-- The Stem Sawflies are slim, laterally compressed sawflies. The larvae bore in the stems of grasses and berries. Cephus cinctus Norton bores in the stems of wheat and is known as the wheat stem sawfly. Adults average 8-10 mm in length, and are shining black, banded and spotted with yellow. C. cinctus is a pest of wheat in the western North America, while C. pygmaeus (L.), is problematic in eastern parts of the continent. Janus integer (Norton) bores in the stems of currants; the adult is shining black and about 12 mm long. There is one generation a year, and overwintering occurs in a silken cocoon inside the plant where the larva feeds.

These are usually known as stem sawflies. Most species have been reported from the Northern Hemisphere, especially in Eurasia. The larvae are stem borers in various plants, especially grasses, but sometimes other herbaceous plants, shrubs, or trees. A few are pests of cereal grains (e.g. Cephus cinctus, which attacks wheat). They are very slender for Symphytans, often resembling other types of wasps, and they are the only Symphyta which lack cenchri. They are sometimes postulated to be the sister taxon to the Apocrita, though the Orussidae are more commonly considered such.

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References: Please refer to <biology.ref.htm>, [Additional references may be found at: MELVYL Library]

Morrill, W. L., G. D. Kushnak & J. W. Gabor. 1998. Parasitism of the wheat stem sawfly (Hymenoptera: Cephidae) in Montana. Academic Press.

Watson, L., & M. J. Dallwitz. 2003 onwards. British insects: the families of Hymenoptera. Version: 1st December 2010.

Weaver, D. K., C. Nansen, J. B. Runyon, S. E. Sing & W. L. Morrill. 2005. Biological Control 34: 1-11.Spatial distributions of Cephus cinctus Norton (Hymenoptera: Cephidae) and its braconid parasitoids in Montana wheat fields.