An illustrated list of species of sawflies collected in northern Ecuador, mainly during the end of 2016, is given. Manaos mulsus (Konow, 1906), Ptenos delta (Malaise, 1957), Scobina styx Malaise, 1949 (Argidae), Stromboceros suppar Konow, 1903 and Stromboceros sutilis Konow, 1903 (Tenthredinidae) are species new for the country. A checklist of species for the country is also provided. Approximately 120 species of Symphyta are known from Ecuador, 25 Argidae, 1 Orussidae, about 40 Pergidae, about 60 Tenthredinidae, and 3 Xiphydriidae.

Species list, adult feeding behaviour, host plant, South America

As a hotspot of biodiversity, Ecuador includes various environments harbouring many species still to be discovered, especially among the insects (e.g., Heckman 2006). Sawflies known from the country belong to the families Argidae, Orussidae, Pergidae, Tenthredinidae, and Xiphydriidae (see checklist and references below). A list of species collected more recently in the southern part of the country was published by Boevé et al. (2016).

Here, an illustrated list is given for sawfly adults from the northern part of Ecuador, which were collected in the frame of a Global Taxonomy Initiative (GTI) project. We also compiled data and list the sawfly species known for the country.

Sawflies were collected in the north-eastern (province Orellana) and north-western (Pichincha) sides of Ecuador, mainly during November 2016 (Fig. 1) plus a few during March 2015. Nearly all of them were collected as adults using a net and they are stored in ethanol. Field observations include the mention of plants, not necessarily host plants, on which adults were found.

Pictures were taken by J.-L. Boevé with the following cameras: Pentax Optio W10, Nikon Coolpix P300, and Canon EOS 5D Mark III. Since adult specimens are kept in ethanol, they were partly dried to take the pictures, which were mainly intended to illustrate the habitus. Specimens of each species collected in 2015 and 2016 were photographed (Figs 2–22). Screenshots (see Fig. 1e, f, g) were extracted from video sequences taken by Alain Pauly.

Figure 1. 

Pictures taken in the field, showing some biotopes and sawfly adults from northern Ecuador. Location a–g Yasuni National Park h Pacto i–m Hacienda San Vicente, Mindo. Leaves of b Anthurium sp. and c Heliconia sp., inspected by d Proselandria alvina and e–g probably Manaos mammeatus, respectively h Biotope where Waldheimia sp. A was common i Biotope of pasture (with orchard in the foreground) where, among others j Inea sp. (P4239.E) and k Waldheimia sp. A were collected l Biotope of forest path m with the precise spot where Stromboceros sutilis (P4239.G) was collected.

The sawfly specimens collected as part of the GTI project are stored in the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium (RBINS; J.-L. Boevé collection, with specimen reference codes starting with ‘P’), with duplicates that will be located in the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium (PUCE). Sawfly specimens from the RBINS, Senckenberg Deutsche Entomologisches Institut, Müncheberg, Germany, and National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., USA were examined. Dates are given by dd.mm.year.

The adult sawflies were identified by D. R. Smith. Identifications of Argidae and Pergidae are based on Smith (1990, 1992). Identifications of Blennocampinae and Selandriinae (Tenthredinidae) are based on Smith (2007) and unpublished manuscripts by DRS.

Sawfly adults were mainly found in shadowed places. Plants such as Anthurium and Heliconia have large leaves (Fig. 1), and sawfly adults were often observed running on the leaf surface. Fig. 1e–g illustrate by screenshots of a video sequence that an adult, probably of Manaos mammeatus, walked dozens of cm within a relatively short time (ca 20 sec), finally stopping in order to feed (Fig. 1g). Other sawfly species were observed showing the same behaviour of moving rapidly on the surface of leaves, such as Manaos mulsus, Adiaclema sp., Waldheimia pellucida, and Proselandria alvina. Since sawfly adults are known to feed on plant (floral and leaf) tissues, sugar sources (nectar and honeydew) as well as insect tissues and faeces (Jervis and Vilhelmsen 2000, Wäckers et al. 2005), it is likely that our observations relate to the uptake of food fragments of plant and/or animal origin. Large plant leaves accumulate such organic particles dropped from the canopy, which may facilitate their uptake by the sawflies.

During the three-week field trip in north-western and north-eastern Ecuador, only a single larva was collected, in Mindo (Hacienda San Vicente, 00°03'S, 078°45'W, 1530m, 23.11.2016, P4228, leg. J.-L. Boevé; Fig. 23). It was found along a forest path (Fig. 1l) and it probably belongs to the pergid genus Acordulecera. Their larvae are characterized by lateral sucker-like protuberances on abdominal segments 2–4 or 2–5 and 8 (Smith and Middlekauff 1987), and the collected larva possesses such protuberances (see Fig. 23c). It was feeding at the underside of a leaf of an unidentified plant (height 70 cm; Fig. 23a, b), probably a young tree. On 25.11.2016, the small prepupa (body length 3.5 mm) built a fragile cocoon of white silk appearance (Fig. 23d). The larvae of this genus feed gregariously, which was most probably the case for the larva collected, because it seems not plausible that this single larva consumed such an important leaf part (see Fig. 23a), and because it pupated a couple of days after having been collected (while its rearing was unsuccessful). Thus, it was presumably the last individual of a group.

Figure 23. 

Pictures related to the single larva (P4228) found during a 3-week field trip. a Host plant with feeding damage on one of the leaves b, c Underside of that leaf occupied with the larva (arrow) d Cocoon partly damaged, showing the prepupa.

We thank Thibaut Delsinne (Société d’Histoire Naturelle Alcide-d’Orbigny, Aubière, France) and Alain Pauly (RBINS, Brussels) for providing sawfly specimens, as well as Rowan Schley (Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew; Imperial College London, England), Frieda Billiet and Olivier Lachenaud (Botanic Garden Meise, Belgium) for the identification of plants. We also thank the subject editor, Marko Prous, as well as the reviewers Stephan M. Blank, Spencer Monckton and Meicai Wei for comments on the manuscript. The GTI project was managed in collaboration with Cliff Keil, Emilia Moreno (PUCE) and David Donoso (Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito). It was funded by the Belgian Directorate-General for Development Cooperation. Support was also received from the King Léopold III Fund for Nature Exploration and Conservation. Permits were obtained from the Ministerio del Ambiente de Orellana and Ministerio del Ambiente de Pichincha, Ecuador.

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