Insects Feeding
on these Plants:
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Elytrigia spp. (Wheat Grass) [Poaceae]
(Sometimes the grass species of this genus are assigned to Agropyron or Elymus. Observations are from Needham et al., Felt, Blackman & Eastop, Vickery & Kevan, Pepper, Spencer & Steyskal, Natural History Museum, ScaleNet)
Diptera (Flies)
Agromyzidae: Cerodontha inconspicua [larvae are leaf-miners] Ndm1928, Cerodontha pygmaea [larvae are leaf-miners; found in New York & Canada] SS1986; Cecidomyiidae: Mayetiola destructor (Hessian Fly) [larvae are found under leaf sheaths] Flt1917
Homoptera (Sucking Insects)
Aphididae: Forda formicaria [feeds on roots; this aphid was introduced from Eurasia into North America, including Illinois] BE2013, Forda marginata [feeds on roots; this aphid was introduced from Eurasia into North America, including Wisconsin] BE2013, Rhopalosiphum oxyacanthae (Apple-Grass Aphid) [curls young leaves of various trees & shrubs in the Rosaceae, migrating during the summer to the roots of various grasses; found in north-central & NE USA, including Illinois] BE2013, Sipha elegans [found on upper sides of grass leaves, often causing them to roll upward & develop yellow patches; this aphid is found in Eurasia & North America, including Illinois] BE2013 Pp1965, Tetraneura ulmi (Elm & Grass Root Aphid) [forms stalked sack-shaped galls on upper surfaces of elm leaves, migrating during the summer to the roots of various grasses; this aphid was introduced from Eurasia into north-central USA, NE USA, & Canada] BE2013; Pseudococcidae: Chorizococcus rostellum (Bermuda Grass Mealybug) [feeds mostly on roots; this insect is found in SE USA as far north as Maryland & Tennessee] SN2014, Heterococcus arenae (Sand Mealybug) [found underneath leaf sheaths; this insect is more common in western USA, although it also occurs in Missouri & New Jersey] SN2014, Heterococcus nudus (Naked Grass Mealybug) [found on the crown & underneath leaf sheaths of host plants; this insect is widely distributed in northern USA & California] SN2014, Trionymus americanus (American Grass Mealybug) [found underneath leaf sheaths on grasses & on foliage for other kinds of vegetation, probably polyphagous; this insect is widely distributed] SN2014
Lepidoptera (Butterflies, Skippers, & Moths)
Noctuidae: Dargida diffusa (Wheathead Armyworm) NHM2010, Leucania pseaudargyria (False Wainscot) NHM2010, Papaipema nebris (Stalk Borer Moth) [polyphagous] NHM2010
Hymenoptera (Bees, Wasps, & Sawflies)
Cephidae: Cephus cinctus (Grass-Stem Sawfly) [larvae bore through stems] Flt1917; Eurytomidae: Tetramesa hageni [larvae bore through stems] Flt1917
Orthoptera (Grasshoppers)
Acrididae: Arphia conspersa (Speckle-winged Grasshopper) [this grasshopper is found in open areas, often sandy or gravelly] VK1985, Chloealtis abdominalis (Thomas' Broad-winged Grasshopper) [this grasshopper is found in open wooded areas, dry slopes, & grassy areas] VK1985, Mermiria bivittatus (Two-striped Mermiria Grasshopper) [this grasshopper is found in open eroded areas] VK1985