REVISION OF THE nematinj: of north America, A SUBFAMILY OF LEAF-FEEDJNG HYMENOPTERA OF THE FAMILY TENTHREDINIDJ^]. ( ^ L. MARLATT. ^. WASHINGTON : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1 SOfi. c<^. '/ .Frontispiece. Agriculture. U. S. Department of Tech. Ser. No. 3, D,v. Entom., Leaf Galls of Pontania. 7. P. bruneri n. sp. 4. P. povvum Walsh. 1. Pontania resinicola n. sp. 2 P hvalina Norton. 5. P. pyriformis u. sp. niO)w?e u. sp. 3. P. desmodioides Walsh. 6. P. Technical Series No. 3. U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. DIVISION OF ENT()M()H)GY- REVISION OF THE NEMATIN/E OF NORTH AMERICA, A SUBFAMILY OF LEAF-FEEDING HYMENOPTERA OF THE FAMILY TENTHREDINIDiE. C. L. MARLATT, FIRST ^-SSISa^^NT KN'iM )]VXOT^OGMST. WASHINGTON : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, 1896, LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. United States Department of AaRicuLTURE, Division of Entomology, Washington, I). C, February 25, 1896. Sir: I luive the honor to submit for i)ublicatiou the third number of the techuical series of bulletins of this Division. It has been prepared by my first assistant, Mr. C L. Marhitt, aud consists of a monographic revision of the IS^eniatiuie, an important subfamily of leaf-feeding hymeuoi^terous insects of the family Tenthredinida'. The larva; of these insects are all plant-feeders aud include amoug their uumber some very important enemies of cultivated plants. They represent, economically, the most important group of the family to which they belong. Respectfully, L. O. Howard, Entomoloyist, Hon, J. Sterling Morton, ISecretary of Agriculture. 3 . CONTENTS. Page. The Nematin.e of North America 7 Introduction 7 Geographical distribution 7 Food-plants 7 Life history and habits 7 Range of species and economic importance 9 Difficulties arising from confusion of species and loss of types 9 Sources of material 10 Structure and terminology 10 Classification i 17 Table of genera 18 Genus Cladius 19 Trichiocampus 20 Priophorns 20 Camponiscns 20 Anoplonyx 20 Euura 20 Pontania 20 Pteronus 44 Amauroneniatus '^ Crci'sus ^6 Holcocnerao 87 Nematus o7 Pachynematus 91 Micronematus HO Lyga^onematns HI Pristiphora H*^ Gy mnonychus 1-^2 Dineura 125 HcMiichroa 125 are lost or inaccessible. 126 Appendix : Description of species the types of which Index to genera and species l^*' 5 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Page. Leaf Galls of Pontania Frontispiece Fig. 1. Head of retcronns extensicorms 11 2. Moutli-parts of Pachynematus erichsonii 12 3. Thorax of rachi/nematus erichsonii 13 4. Types of claws 15 5. Abdomen of Pachynematus erichsonii 16 G. Venation of Nematines 16 7. Pontania pisum Walsh 33 8. Pteronus rcntralis Say 51 D. Pachynematus extensicornis Norton 97 10. Gymnouyehus californicus n. sp 123 6 THE NEMATIN.'E OF NORTH AMERICA. INTRODUCTION. The subfamily NemaUnm of Thompson or Nematina of Cameron (Konow's sabtribe Nematides) comprises a very large group of closely allied species, distributed in the classification adopted by the author among nearly a score of genera. They range from very small insects to medium sized, but include no very large species, or in length from 2 to 12 mm. They are for the most part smooth, shining, and rather soft bodied, and are variously colored, but yet presenting frequently a confusing similarity in general form, and iiarticularly in coloration, rendering their generic and specific references in some cases difficult. In point of number of species and abundance of individuals this sub- fixmily lar exceeds any other of the corresponding groups in the family Tenthredinidii^, and in variation and peculiarities in larval habits and in economic importance many of the species belonging to it have a very great interest. Geofjrajyhical distribution.—The Nematina) are distinctly northern in their range, reaching their greatest development in abundance of species and specimens in the transition and boreal zones, and extend north- ward into circumpolar regions— species occurring abundantly in Green- land, Iceland, and Spitzbergen. Southward they become less and less numerous, and are practically wanting in tropical countries. This is illustrated very forcibly in Europe by the occurrence of over 70 species of the old genus Nematus in Scotland (Cameron) and 95 in Sweden (Thompson), as against 12 about Naples, Italy (Costa) ; and the same discrepancy exists between the temperate and subarctic region of America and the Southern States and Mexico. Food-plants—Their food-plants cover a wide range, some species affect- ing grasses, one or two very destructive ones the grains, others various deciduous trees and shrubs, and still others conifers. The majority of the species occur, however, on plants of the families Salicacea', Betu- laceai, Eosace», and Couifera), in the order given. Life history and habits. —The Nematines are among the first sawflies to api)ear in spi-ing, occurring abundantly on trees at the first ax)pear- ance of the leaves. They do not often frequent flowers, except, at least, those of the plants upon which their larva', feed. Many willow species, for example, occur abundantly on the earliest spring bloom of the willow. 7 In commou with other sawflies, however, they rarely leave their larval food- plants, and to be collected snccessfully a knowledge of their habits in this respect is very desirable. In number of broods great diversity is found, and the normal rule of most Teuthredinidic, of a single yearly brood, is frequently deviated from. Some species are known to be limited in number of broods only by the length of the season, as, for example, Ptcronus centralis Say, the common willow species. Two annual generations are common, but mai^y species are snigle brooded, the larva* entering the soil or other material or remaining in their galls at the completion of growth and continuing in dormant condition until the following spring, when shortly before they emerge as perfect insects the change to the pupal condition takes i^lace. The males normally appear a few days before the females, and the duration of the life of the adults of both sexes is short, not often exceeding a week or ten days. Of a large percentage of the species no males are known, and in the case of many species careful and repeated breeding records indicate that males are very rarely produced. In some species parthenogenesis is complete; that is, the eggs from unimpregnated females produce other females. In other instances of parthenogenesis, however, either males only are developed from unfer- tilized ova or females very rarely. The union of the sexes takes i)lace very shortly after the appearance of the females and egg deposition closely follows. The eggs are inserted either singly or a number together in the young twigs, larger veins, l^etioles, in the surface j)arenchyma, or in the edges of the leaves, the single exception being the case of the gooseberry sawfly {Ptcronus ribesii), which merely glues its eggs to the leaf without making any incision whatever. Most of the species are external feeders on the foliage of plants, but the species of two genera, Euura and Pontania^ so far as their habits have been studied, are gall makers, and pass their early life in the interior of the iilants, either in the stems without causing abnormal growths or in the excrescences or galls on the stems and leaves. At least one American si^ecies develops in the rolled or folded edge of the leaf. The larv.T are 20-footed, some solitary, others gregarious—the latter usually more brightly colored and possessing means of i^rotec- tion in glands secreting a noxious fluid. Most of the solitary ones are green and not readily observed. They usually feed from the underside of the leaves, eating from the edge or cutting circular holes in the gen- eral surface, and in some cases taking everything but the stronger veins. Many species rest quietly during the day, feeding only at night. Some have the habit of throwing the posterior segments violently upward to frighten away parasites or enemies; others adhere to the leaves or twigs by the thoracic feet only, coiling the jiosterior segments under the middle ones. 9 The nematine larva, after its final molt,' generally enters the ground to liupate, spinning a double or single silken cocoon more or less incor- porated with particles of earth exteriorly. In the case of the species having several broods annually, the cocoons, at least of the summer generation, are frequently constructed above ground, either among the dry leaves and rubbish at the base of the host plant, or on the twigs, or in crevices of the bark of the latter. Some of the gall species pupate m their galls, but many of them abandon their galls to undergo their transformations in rotten wood, in the pith of plants, in deserted galls, or iu the earth. Species living exposed on the leaves will also sometimes enter deserted galls, either to transform or to hibernate.-^ Range of species and economic importance.—Somefew species are known to be widely distributed, and this is particularly true of the larch saw- Hy, which occurs throughout Canada and the Northern States, and also in Europe. Whether this species {Lygwonematus erichsonii Ilartig) can be called an introduced species or not is a question. Its wide dis- tribution throughout the Northern States would seem to indicate that it has, perhaps for many centuries, occurred on both continents. The gooseberry and currant sawflies, however [Fterornis ribesii Scop, and Fristiphora appendiculata Hartig), are undoubted cases of importation. The economic importance of the group is well illustrated by the species just mentioned, the last two being among the most serious enemies of several small fruits, and the first threatening the almost total destruction of the larch forests in many districts. Other examples of very destruc- tive species are the willow sawfly {Pteornus ventralis Say), the wheat sawfly (Pachynematus extensicornis Nort.), the Western pear sawfiy {Gymnonychus californicus n.