Abstract
Adults and larvae of Leptotrachelus dorsalis (Fabricius), the Sugarcane Savior Beetle, live in association with grasses, the larvae in the appressed leaf axils. Both adult and larval Leptotrachelus dorsalis eat larvae of the Sugarcane Borer, Diatraea saccharalis (Fabricius), and perhaps other insects living in the confines of the leaf sheaths of that and other grass-like species. The geographic range of Leptotrachelus dorsalis extends from Kansas in the west to the Atlantic seaboard, north as far as Ontario, Canada and south to Cuba; it is an eastern species of North America and the Caribbean. Larval character attributes that are shared with a related ctenodactyline, Askalaphium depressum (Bates), provide a preliminary basis for characterization of the immatures of tribe Ctenodactylini.
Highlights
Leptotrachelus dorsalis (Fabricius) is known to occur in Canada – ON; Cuba; and the USA – AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, SC, SD, TN, VA, and WV
They are found within the canopy of the plant, the region of the sugarcane plant where the Sugarcane Borer, Diatraea saccharalis (Fabricius) lays its eggs and where the neonate larvae become established behind the leaf sheaths of elongating internodes
Larvae of L. dorsalis are rarely encountered below this region, as young Sugarcane Borer larvae are rarely encountered in association with the lower mature internodes
Summary
Leptotrachelus dorsalis (Fabricius) is known to occur in Canada – ON; Cuba; and the USA – AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, SC, SD, TN, VA, and WV. In sugarcane, they are found within the canopy (top quarter) of the plant, the region of the sugarcane plant where the Sugarcane Borer, Diatraea saccharalis (Fabricius) lays its eggs and where the neonate larvae become established behind the leaf sheaths of elongating internodes. Thompson (1979) summarized van Emden’s description, but did not add anything new to it, did not provide illustrations of any Ctenodactylini, nor did he sort the mixed characters of the two tribes. He did provide illustrations (heads of L1 and L3 and cerci) of Colliuris pensylvanicus L. along with a reasonably complete description.
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