Other host trees that the larvae will feed on include Pinus virginiana, Pinus strobus and Pinus sylvestris, and if nothing else is available, Picea abies, Cedrus deodara and Larix spp. This sawfly prefers to feed on jack, red, shortleaf, loblolly, slash, longleaf, pitch, Swiss mountain, and mugo pines. [3], "Fourth Report on the Noxious and Other Insects of the State of New-York", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Neodiprion_lecontei&oldid=825863213, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 15 February 2018, at 21:30. There are two generations per year and prepupae overwinter in the soil. Adults emerge in June and lay eggs that hatch in three to five weeks. Sawflies are not true flies. It may occasionally attack white pine and other conifers. The ovipositor of all adult female sawflies is saw-like, and is likely where the common name for this group (suborder) originated (PADCNR 2010). Rather … Here they overwinter as prepupae, pupating in the spring and biting their way out of one end of the cocoon to emerge as adults. Neodiprion leconteiis an important defoliator of commercially grown pine, as the preferred feeding conditions for sawfly larvae are enhanced in monocu… Older larvae eat the whole needle before moving on to the next. Hosts: Preferred hosts are red, Scots and jack pines. Its range extends from southeastern Canada westwards to the Great Plains and southwards to Texas and Florida. This species was named after John Lawrence LeConte, an American entomologist of the 19th century. The genome has been sequenced and consists of 330 MB arranged on seven chromosomes. If the tree is completely defoliated, the larvae move as a group onto a neighboring tree, or may start chewing at the soft bark of twigs. They have three pairs of legs at the front and six to seven pairs of prolegs at the rear. Some individuals may not emerge as adults until the following year,[4] or have an extended diapause. Redheaded pine sawfly. Depending on the severity of the attack, the consequences of defoliation may range from growth reduction to the mortality of affected trees. Males have feathery antennae while females have serrated ones with nineteen segments. Several species are native to Texas, but the one that causes the most concern is the redheaded pine sawfly, Neodiprion lecontei (Fitch). Trees less than 5 m (16 ft) tall are frequently attacked, and plantations of pine established in the 1930s saw the insect reach pest proportions. Introduced pine sawfly: eastern white pine [4] When their development is finished, they drop to the ground and spin cocoons in the needle litter or underground. The eggs hatch after about four weeks. THE REDHEADED PINE SAWFLY' A Guide to Recognition and Habits L. L. Hyche 2 INTRODUCTION THE REDHEADED pine sawfly is native to North America and occurs throughout eastern United States west to the Great Plains and in adjacent southeastern Canada. Red-headed pine sawfly damage is observed primarily in pine plantations and on trees less than 3 m tall in natural forests. Stressed trees are most often attacked. It forms part of the N. lecontei species group, which consists of a clade of about twenty closely related species which have been intensively studied. This species was named after John Lawrence LeConte, an American entomologist of the 19th century. Hymenoptera: Diprionidae. Appearance: Larvae have reddish brown heads, yellow bodies with six rows of irregular black spots. [4], N. lecontei is native to eastern North America. [3], The larvae feed on many members of the pine family. In the northern part of its range, it favours hard or yellow pines such as Pinus banksiana and Pinus resinosa. [2], The adult N. lecontei has membranous wings and a broad waist and is between 5 and 8.5 mm (0.20 and 0.33 in) long, with the males being somewhat smaller than the females. This species is an important defoliator of young southern yellow pines (less than 15-20 feet tall). 3 It is an important defoliator of pine throughout this region. Males are entirely black and are more slender than the robust females, which have reddish-brown heads and thorax, and mainly black abdomens, sometimes with white on the sides. 1. In the northern part of the range there is a single generation each year, but further south there may be two or three, sometimes overlapping, generations. They are 20-30 mm (3/4 - 1") long when fully grown. The larvae feed on the foliage of many species of native and imported pines. 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 young larvae feed on the sides of the pine needle, leaving an uneaten central section which withers and dies, remaining on the tree giving a distinctive straw-like effect. Also attacked are shortleaf, loblolly, slash, pitch, Swiss mountain, Japanese black, mugho pines, white pine, larch, deodar cedar, and Norway spruce. The redheaded pine sawfly, Neodiprion lecontei (Fitch), is one of numerous sawfly species (including 35 species in the genus Neodiprion) native to the United States and Canada (Arnett 2000) inhabiting mainly pine stands. The larvae are gregarious, and can strip whole branches and trees of needles. 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. Life cycle: Spend the winter as pupae in the soil. The larvae feed on the foliage of many species of native and imported pines. European and redheaded pine sawflies: Scotch, red, Mugo, Jack, and Austrian pines 2. Further south, it prefers Pinus echinata, Pinus taeda, Pinus elliottii and Pinus palustris. These appear pale and give the needle a banded appearance. [3], The adult female sawfly cuts slits in pine needles with her ovipositor and deposits one egg in each slit. [3] The larvae resemble the caterpillars of lepidopterans; young larvae are whitish with brown heads while older larvae are yellowish-green with up to eight longitudinal rows of black spots, and brown heads.