Insects Feeding
on these Plants:
____________
Festuca spp. (Fescue) [Poaceae]
(Observations are from Barnes, Cranshaw, Blackman & Eastop, Brust et al., Spencer & Steyskal, Natural History Museum, ScaleNet)
Coleoptera (Beetles)
Curculionidae: Sphenophorus parvulus (Bluegrass Billbug) [larvae feed on roots & crowns of plants] Crw2004
Diptera (Flies)
Agromyzidae: Cerodontha muscina [larvae are leaf-miners; widespread] SS1986, Cerodontha pygmaea [larvae are leaf-miners; found in New York & Canada] SS1986
Heteroptera (True Bugs)
Blissidae: Blissus leucopterus hirtus (Hairy Chinch Bug) [causes brown patches in lawns, feeds on perennial grasses] Crw2004
Homoptera (Sucking Insects)
Aphididae: Atheroides serrulatus [found on leaves of various grasses; introduced from Europe into North America, including Quebec] BE2013; Forda formicaria [feeds on roots of grasses; introduced from Eurasia into North America, including Illinois] BE2013, Forda marginata [feeds on roots of grasses; introduced from Eurasia into North America, including Wisconsin] BE2013, Geoica utricularia [found on grass roots; this aphid was introduced from Eurasia into North America, including Illinois] BE2013, Metopolophium dirhodum (Rose-Grass Aphid) [found on roses as primary hosts, migrating during the summer to the leaves of various grasses, and some sedges & rushes] BE2013, Rhopalomyzus poae [found on honeysuckle species as primary hosts, migrating during the summer to the basal parts of various grasses; this aphid has been found in Illinois & Wisconsin, it also occurs in Europe] BE2013, Rhopalosiphum oxyacanthae (Apple-Grass Aphid) [curls young leaves of various trees & shrubs in the Rosaceae, migrating during the summer to the roots of grasses; found north-central & NE USA, including Illinois] BE2013, Sipha elegans [found on upper sides of grass leaves, causing them to roll upward & develop yellow patches; this Eurasian aphid has been found in Illinois] BE2013, 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; distributed in NE USA, north-central USA, & Canada, this aphid was introduced from Eurasia] BE2013, Utamphorophora humboldti [found on Ninebark shrubs as primary hosts, migrating during the summer to the leaf blades and inflorescences of various grasses; observed in SE Canada] BE2013; Pseudococcidae: 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, Phenacoccus solani (Solanum Mealybug) [found on lower leaves & roots, polyphagous; this insect has been found in Maryland & Virginia, although it occurs primarily in southern & western USA] SN2014
Lepidoptera (Butterflies, Skippers, & Moths)
Crambidae: Pediasia trisecta (Larger Sod Webworm) [larvae feed on grass blades] Crw2004; Hesperiidae: Atalopedes campestris (Sachem) Bar1999; Noctuidae: Apamea niveivenosa (Snowy-veined Apamea) [this insect is found north of Illinois] NHM2010
Orthoptera (Grasshoppers)
Acrididae: Camnula pellucida (Clear-winged Grasshopper) [this grasshopper is found in grassy areas & fields] BHW2008