Syagrus
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 Syagrus yatay in Parque Nacional El Palmar, Argentina
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Syagrus is a genus of the family Arecaceae (palms), native to South America.
- Species
- Syagrus amara
- Syagrus bottryophora
- Syagrus coronata - Licuri Palm
- Syagrus romanzoffiana - Queen Palm
- Syagrus schizophylla - Arikury Palm
- Syagrus yatay - Yatay Palm
[edit] Ecology
S. coronata and S. yatay nuts are (or were) the favored food of Lear's Macaw and the Glaucous Macaw, respectively, whose bill sizes and shapes were particularly adapted to crack them. The destruction of most of the Yatay Palm stands in the Paraná River area is considered a key factor in the extinction of the Glaucous Macaw (del Hoyo et al. 1997).
Syagrus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Batrachedra nuciferae (recorded on S. coronae), Hypercompe cunigunda (feeds exclusively on S. romanzoffiana) and Paysandisia archon (recorded on S. romanzoffiana).
[edit] References
- Jones, D. L. (2000). Palms in Australia. Reed Books.
- del Hoyo, J. et al., eds. (1997). Handbook of the Birds of the World 4: 419. Lynx Edicions.
