Abstract
Oncideres females girdle tree branches of the Fabaceae family, interrupting the sap flow and turning the wood conditions ideal for their larvae development. The bark of Stryphnodendron adstringens (Mart.) Coville, a species native to the Brazilian Cerrado, is widely used in the traditional medicine. The objectives were to report, for the first time, Oncideres saga (Dalman), using S. adstringens as a host and to describe the pattern of branch girdling and oviposition distribution by this insect on these branches. The diameter at the base and the length of the girdled branches were measured and the number of incisions made by the O. saga females to oviposit, per branch section (basal, median and apical), counted. The emerged specimens were counted and the diameter of the exit holes measured. The average diameter at the base of the girdled branches was 2.5 ± 0.16 cm and the length was 90.6 ± 4.6 cm. The average number of incisions per branch was 37.7 ± 2.7. Damage by O. saga can reduce the growth and cause losses on S. adstringens, a tree with great extractivism potential.
Highlights
Beetles of the genus Oncideres, known as twig girdlers, girdle and detach branches and tree trunks for oviposition (Lemes el al., 2015)
The species, that girdled the branches, was O. saga (Figure 1b), the only twig girdler that emerged from the branches
Oncideres saga girdling S. adstringens inhabiting girdled branches of S. adstringens, indicates that they are a habitat with adequate food for the twig girdler larvae and inquiline species as found for A. mangium girdled branches (Lemes et al, 2015)
Summary
Beetles of the genus Oncideres, known as twig girdlers, girdle and detach branches and tree trunks for oviposition (Lemes el al., 2015) This action interrupts the sap flow from the tree, making the branch more nutritious, with a high nitrogen and phosphorus content, ideal for their larvae development (Calderón-Cortés et al, 2016, Correa et al, 2019). The removal of the bark, in an inappropriate way, may lead to tree death and, the use of leaves, that have these properties, may turn this extractivist activity more sustainable (Sabino et al, 2018)
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Schedule a callMore From: Brazilian journal of biology = Revista brasleira de biologia
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