Host plant, oviposition behavior and larval ecology of a sawfly leafminer, Profenusa japonica (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae)

The host plant, oviposition behavior and larval ecology of Profenusa japonica Togashi are reported for the first time. Adults of P. japonica mated and oviposited on a polyantha rose, Rosa multiflora (Rosaceae), in April. Each female adult laid an egg on the edge of a leaflet. Hatched larvae consumed the parenchymatous layer of leaflets and in so doing created a mine. The larval stage comprised five instars. On average, 70.6% of the total area of a leaflet was consumed by one larva. Female adults of P. japonica laid eggs singly, probably to avoid larval competition for food.