title: Life history of Aneugmenus merida Smith (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae) in the Venezuelan Andes.
abstract: Details of the life cycle of Aneugmenus merida Smith (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae) reared under laboratory conditions are reported. Females may produce parthenogenetic or non-parthenogenetic eggs. After eclosion, males of A. merida go through five larval instars, pre-pupa, pupa and imago. The complete life cycle lasts approximately 44 days. Larvae feed on bracken [Pteridium caudatum (L.) and Pteridium arachnoideum (Kaulf)] (Dennstaedtiaceae). We also report on morphological observations of the sinus sexualis in males by scanning electron micrographs and give details on mating behavior.
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Química Ecológica, Depto. Química, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida, Venezuela.
authors.forename: Jorge L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Avila-Núñez
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Daniel Otero
authors.forename: Sobeida
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Silmi
authors.forename: Maria P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Calcagno-Pisarelli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006927:Hymenoptera / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D014687:Venezuela