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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » "Symphyta" - Sawflies, Horntails, and Wood Wasps » Webspinning and Leafrolling Sawflies (Pamphiliidae) » Cephalciinae » Acantholyda » Pine False Webworm (Acantholyda erythrocephala)

Species Acantholyda erythrocephala - Pine False Webworm

Classification · Other Common Names · Explanation of Names · Size · Range · Season · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · Internet References · Works Cited

Pine False Webworm - Acantholyda erythrocephala (Pamphilidae) - Acantholyda erythrocephala

sawfly..Pine false webworm??? - Acantholyda erythrocephala - female

Pine False Webworm - Acantholyda erythrocephala - female

Red-headed Sawfly - Acantholyda erythrocephala - female

Eggs on white pine - Acantholyda erythrocephala

possibly Redheaded fly - Inopus rubriceps... but in Minnesota? - Acantholyda erythrocephala

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)

No Taxon ("Symphyta" - Sawflies, Horntails, and Wood Wasps)

Family Pamphiliidae (Webspinning and Leafrolling Sawflies)

Subfamily Cephalciinae

Genus Acantholyda

Species erythrocephala (Pine False Webworm)

Other Common Names

Pine Web-spinning Sawfly

NB: this is not the only species in the genus to use pine as a host.

Explanation of Names

Acantholyda erythrocephala (Linnaeus 1758)

Size

8-15 mm(1)

Range

native to Europe, adventive in NA and now widespread in the north(1)

Season

Pupation occurs in early spring, adults emerge in April and May(2)

Food

Pines, including Pinus strobus, P. sylvestris, P. resinosa, etc.

Life Cycle

Overwinter as larva(2)

Eggs are laid in short rows of 3-10 each on previous year's needles. The larvae spin loose webbing about themselves and feed gregariously on the old needles. Older larvae feed singly. Full-grown larvae drop to the ground and enter the soil for hiberation.(2)

One generation per year(2)

Remarks

Since being introduced in 1925, it has become a pest

Internet References

Fact sheet (Allen 1998; archived)

Works Cited

1.	American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico Ross H. Arnett. 2000. CRC Press.

2.	Eastern Forest Insects Whiteford L. Baker. 1972. U.S. Department of Agriculture · Forest Service.

Contributed by Boris Büche on 8 May, 2007 - 7:29am
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, Ron M., v belov, Marci Hess, PaleoJon
Last updated 3 September, 2023 - 3:48pm

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