Branch Girdling by Oncideres cingulata (Coleoptera; Cerambycidae) and Relative Host Quality of Persimmon, Hickory, and Elm

Abstract

Female Oncideres cingulata (Say) girdle living branches of deciduous trees with their mandibles and lay eggs in the freshly killed host. Girdled branches of American elm, Ulmus americana ; bitternut hickory, Carya cordiformis ; persimmon, Diospyros virginiana ; and shagbark hickory, Carya ovata, were collected in Missouri and examined. Branches from persimmon and elm were divided into 2 categories : (1) persimmon and virgin persimmon (branches from trees that had not been previously girdled) ; and (2) elm and elm stub (branches that had the terminal section girdled during the previous year). Substantially more O. cingulata eggs were laid in shagbark hickory, persimmon, and virgin persimmon branches than in elm branches. O. cingulata was the most snccessful in persimmon, virgin persimmon, and elm branches with 80.3-82.2% of the eggs developing into adults ; successful development in bitternut hickory was only 48.1%. Females and males from virgin persimmon branches were substantially larger than beetles from other hosts. The smallest females emerged from bitternut hickory and elm. The ratio of females to males emerging from girdled branches did not differ by host. The data suggest that the relative host quality for development of O. cingulata from the best to the poorest host is virgin persimmon > persimmon > elm stub > shagbark hickory > bitternut hickory > elm.