Herbivores on Phragmites in North America
Lisa Tewksbury, Richard Casagrande, Bernd Blossey, and Geoff Balme
Introduction
Over the past several decades, Phragmites australis populations in North
America have dramatically increased in wetlands, particularly along the
Atlantic Coast. All current control methods produce only partial or shortterm control. Biological control has been proposed as a long-term control
measure for P. australis. Prior to beginning a biological control program for
P. australis it is important to document which insect herbivores are currently
utilizing P. australis in the Northeast.
Methods
We initiated an extensive review of the literature, and conducted field
surveys in Rhode Island and New York. In Rhode Island stem samples
were collected from eight P. australis sites every two weeks from June to
September, 1999. We dissected stems, recorded insects present and
insect damage, and insects were reared to adults for identification.
Summary
A table of insect herbivores known to feed on P. australis is provided as
an important resource prior to serious consideration of biological control
(Table 1). According to our literature review and field survey, there are
26 insect herbivore species known to feed on Phragmites australis in
North America; 16 are recent introductions, five species are of unknown
status, and only five are native. Only the Yuma skipper, Ochlodes yuma
(Edwards), a species distributed throughout the western United States,
and a gall midge, Calamomyia phragmites Felt, are considered native
and monophagous on P. australis. The sixteen recent introductions
include the moth Rhizedra lutosa (Hübner), chloropid gall-inducing flies
in the genus Lipara, the gall midge Lasioptera hungarica (Möhn), a
wasp, Tetramesa phragmitis (Erdös), and the rice grain gall midge
Giraudiella inclusa (Frauenfeld).
Poanes viator (Edwards) Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae
Adult and larva
•Common Name: broad-winged skipper
•Native to North America
•Host Plants: Zizania aquatica L., wild rice, and P. australis
Dicranoctetes saccharella (Busch)
Lepidoptera: Elachistidae
Lasioptera hungarica (Möhn) Diptera: Cecidomyiidae
Larvae with fungal mycelium, and adult midge
TABLE 1
Phytophagous Insects, Mites, and Pathogens Recorded on
Species
ACARI Tarsonemidae
Steneotarsonemus phragmitidis
(Schlechtendal)
DIPTERA
Agro myzidae
Cerodontha incisa
(Meigen)
Cecidomyiidae
Calamomyia phragmites
Felt
Giraudiella inclusa
(Frauenfeld)
Lasioptera hungarica
(Möhn)
Chloropidae
Oscinella frit
(Linnaeus)
Lipara similis
Schiner
Lipara rufitarsis
Loew
Lipara pullitarsis
Doskocil&Chvála
Lipara lucens
Meigen
Dolichopodidae
Thrypticus
sp. Loew
HOMOPTERA
Aphididae
Hyal opterus pruni
(Geoffr.)
Coccidae
Eriopeltis festucae
(Fonscolombe)
Pseudococcidae
Larval feeding habit
Phragmites australis
a
in North America
Native
Specificity
Leaf sheaths
No
M
Leaf mines
U
P
Stem galls
Stems
Stem galls
Yes
No
No
M
M
M
Leave s
Stems
Stem galls
Stem galls
Stem galls
No
No
No
No
No
P
M
M
M
M
Stems
No
M
Leaves
No
O
Leaves
No
P
b
Table 1 Continued
Chaetococcus phragmitis
(Marchal)
HYMENOPTERA Eurytomidae
Tetramesa phragmitis
(Erdös)
LEPIDOPTERA
Elachistidae
Dicranoctetes saccharella
(Busch)
Hesperiidae
Ochlodes yuma
(Edwards)
Poanes viator
(Edwards)
Crambidae
Sclerocona acutellus
(Eversmann)
Noctuidae
Apamea oph
iogramma
(Esper)
Apamea unanimis
(Hübner)
Rhizedra lutosa
(Hübner)
Hydraecia micacea
(Esper)
Leucania linita
Guenée
Simyra henrici
Grote
THYSANOPTERA Phlaeothripidae
Uni dentified thrips
Fungi
Alternaria
sp.
a
Stems, leaf sheaths
No
O
Stems
No
M
Leaf blotch mines
Yes
P
Leaves
Leaves
Yes
Yes
M
O
Stems
No
U
Stems
Leaves
Stems, rhizomes
Stems
Stems
Stems
No
No
No
No
U
Yes
P
P
M
P
U
P
U
U
U
Leaves, stems
U
U
U = unknown
Specificity as recorded in the literature (M = monophagous, O = oligophagous, P = polyphagous, U =
unknown).
b
Giraudiella inclusa (Frauenfeld) Diptera: Cecidomyiidae
Adult midge and galls on inside of shoot
Rhizedra lutosa (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
Adult, eggs, larva, and larval feeding damage to rhizome
• First found in North America in 1988 in a blacklight trap in New Jersey
• Has also been found in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio
• Larvae feed first on emerging shoots, and then mine rhizomes
• Infested shoots dry out, causing blanching of the leaves
• Larvae leave rhizomes to pupate in the soil, which limits R. lutosa to drier
reed stands
Lipara similis Schiner Diptera: Chloropidae
Larva and stem damage
•Lipara similis was first reported in 1958 as an import interception in
North America (Sabrosky, 1958)
• There are three species of chloropid gall-inducing flies in the genus
Lipara in North America: Lipara similis, Lipara rufitarsis, and Lipara
lucens
• Lipara similis was found to be the most abundant of the three, during
stem surveys in Rhode Island
• Larvae bore into the tip of the shoot in the spring, and kill the apical
meristem.
• Lipara flies effectively stunt shoot growth of infected P. australis stems,
and prevent them from flowering
Tetramesa phragmitis (Erdos) Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae
Larvae and feeding marks on inside of shoot
Reference:Tewksbury, L., Casagrande, R., Blossey, B., Häfliger, P., Schwarzländer, M. 2002.
Potential for Biological Control of Phragmites australis in North America. Biological Control.
23(2):191-212.