Sirex_noctilio_ovipositing_image_copyright_Brett_Hurley_FABI_University_of_Pretoria

Sirex noctilio Fabricius

(Life: Kingdom: Metazoa (animals); Phylum: Arthropoda; Class: Hexapoda; Order: Hymenoptera; Superfamily: Siricoidea; Family: Siricidae; Genus: Sirex)

Sirex noctilio Fabricius, 1793.

Female



Male



Larva

Distribution	South Africa (introduced). Native to temperate Eurasia and North Africa. First recorded in imported timber in Port Elizabeth in 1962, but did not become established. In 1994 found infesting Pine plantations in Cape Town. Rapidly spread through Western Cape. Now also present in Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
Biology	Larvae are wood-borers in Pinus. Adult females lay eggs and symbiotic fungal spores into dead or dying trees.
Impact	Pest in Pine plantations (Pinus radiata), reducing production and leading to extensive loss of revenue (up to R300 million per annum in South Africa).
Control	A parasitoid wasp Ibalia leucospoides (Ibaliidae, Cynipoidea) was introduced to South Africa in 2000 and has become established. Another parasitoid wasp Megarhyssa nortoni (Ichneumonidae) was released in South Africa without success in 1998. Parasitic nematodes (Deladenus siricidicola) were released in 1995, 1996 and 2004-5, with limited impact.
References	Hurley B.P., Slippers, B. & Wingfield, M.J. 2007. A comparison of control results for the alien invasive woodwasp, Sirex noctilio, in the southern hemisphere. Agricultural and Forest Entomology 9: 159–171. Hurley, B. P., Slippers, J., Wingfield, M. J., Dyer, C. & Slippers, B. 2012. Perception and knowledge of the Sirex woodwasp and other forest pests in South Africa. Agricultural and Forest Entomology doi: 10.1111/j.1461-9563.2012.00570.x Ryan, K., de Groot, P. & Smith, S. M. 2011. Evidence of interaction between Sirex noctilio and other species inhabiting the bole of Pinus. Agricultural and Forest Entomology. doi: 10.1111/j.1461-9563.2011.00558.x Slippers, B., Coutinho, T.A., Wingfield, B.D. & Wingfield, M.J. 2003. The genus Amylostereum and its association with woodwasps: a contempary review. South African Journal of Science 99: 70 – 74. Slippers, B., Wingfield, M.J., Coutinho, T.A. & Wingfield, B.D. 2001. Population structure and possible origin of Amylostereum areolatum in South Africa. Plant Pathology 50: 206 – 210. Slippers B., Wingfield, B.D., Coutinho T.A. & Wingfield M.J. 2002. DNA sequence and RFLP data reflect geographical spread and relationships of Amylostereum areolatum and its insect vectors. Molecular Ecology 11: 1845-1854. Taylor, J.S. 1962. Sirex noctilio F., a recent introduction in South Africa . Entomologist’s Record 74: 273 – 274 . Tribe, G.D . 1995. The woodwasp Sirex noctilio Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Siricidae), a pest of Pinus species, now established in South Africa. African Entomology 3: 215 – 217. Tribe , G.D. & Cillié , J.J . 2004. The spread of Sirex noctilio Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Siricidae) in South African pine plantations and the introduction and establishment of its biological control agents. African Entomology 12: 9 – 17. van Noort, S. & Picker, M. 2011. Wasps, Bees, Ants. Class Insecta, Order Hymenoptera. Pp 140-146. In: Picker, M. & Griffiths, C. (eds.) Alien & Invasive Animals. A South African perspective. Struik Nature.
Links	THE SIREX WEBSITE: This website serves as a link and resource for the research and forestry community interested in the invasive pest, Sirex noctilio (the Sirex Woodwasp), and its control.
Credits	Photographs of mounted specimens © Simon van Noort (Iziko Museums); photograph of ovipositing female © Brett Hurley (FABI, University of Pretoria); photographs of larva © Bernard Slippers (FABI, University of Pretoria).

Web author Simon van Noort (Iziko South African Museum)

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