Insects Feeding
on this Plant:
____________
Silphium laciniatum (Compass Plant) [Asteraceae]
(observations are from Dennis, Henderson & Sauer, Felt, Blackman & Eastop, Miller, Natural History Museum)
Coleoptera (Beetles)
Mordellidae: Mordellistena aethiops [larvae bore through stems] HS2010
Homoptera (Sucking Insects)
Aphididae: Iowana frisoni [found at leaf axils & in ant shelters at the bases of flowering stems; this aphid has been observed in Iowa & Illinois] BE2013; Membracidae: Pubilia concava [polyphagous] Den1952
Hymenoptera (Bees, Wasps, & Sawflies)
Cynipidae: Antistrophus laciniatus (Compassplant Flower Wasp) [larvae form small ovoid galls on flowerheads] Flt1917 HS2010, Antistrophus minor [larvae live in stems] HS2010, Antistrophus rufus [larvae live in stems] HS2010
Lepidoptera (Butterflies, Skippers, & Moths)
Noctuidae: Papaipema silphii (Silphium Borer Moth) [larvae bore through stems & roots] NHM2010; Tortricidae: Eucosma bipunctella (Two-spotted Compassplant Borer) [larvae bore into roots or may feed on other plant parts] Mlr1987 NHM2010