American-chestnut-decline

Guides

• Nematus castaneae

  Nematus castaneae is a species of sawfly in the family Tenthredinidae. It is associated with chestnut trees (Castanea spp.), though specific ecological details remain poorly documented. The species is part of a community of insects historically linked to American chestnut (Castanea dentata), which experienced severe population decline following the introduction of chestnut blight fungus in the early 20th century. Like other Nematus species, it likely has a holometabolous life cycle with larval stages that feed on host plant foliage.

  sawflyTenthredinidaechestnutCastaneaHymenopteraleafminer-associated-faunaAmerican-chestnut-declineunderstudied-species