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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » "Symphyta" - Sawflies, Horntails, and Wood Wasps » Common Sawflies (Tenthredinidae)

Family Tenthredinidae - Common Sawflies

Craesus latitarsus - Dusky Birch Sawfly - Nematus latitarsus

black, white and orange sawfly - Aglaostigma semiluteum

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 Tenthredinidae (Common Sawflies)

Other Common Names

Tenthredinid Sawflies, True Sawflies

Explanation of Names

Tenthredinidae Latreille 1802

Numbers

>900 spp. in ~100 genera of 6-7 subfamilies in our area(1)(2), ~7500 spp. in almost 600 genera worldwide(3) [5500 and 400, per(4)]Overview of our fauna (* –taxa not yet in the guide; classification per D.R. Smith, pers. comm.):

Family Tenthredinidae

SUBFAMILY ALLANTINAE

Tribe Allantini Allantus · Macremphytus · Taxonus

Tribe Empriini Ametastegia · Aphilodyctium · Empria · Haymatus · Monostegia · Monsoma · Phrontosoma · *Somanica

Tribe Eriocampini Dimorphopteryx · Eriocampa · Pseudosiobla

SUBFAMILY ATHALIINAE Athalia

SUBFAMILY BLENNOCAMPINAE

Tribe Blennocampini Apareophora · *Ardis · Eupareophora · *Monardis · Monophadnoides · Periclista

Tribe *Lycaotini *Blennogeneris · *Lycaota

Tribe Phymatocerini (=Ceratulini) Ceratulus · Eutomostethus · *Lagonis · Monophadnus · Paracharactus · Phymatocera · Stethomostus · Rhadinoceraea

Tribe Tomostethini Tethida · Tomostethus

Tribe Waldheimiini Halidamia · Waldheimia

SUBFAMILY HETERARTHRINAE

Tribe Caliroini Caliroa · Endelomyia

Tribe Fenusini *Bidigitus · Fenella · Fenusa · Fenusella · Metallus · Nefusa · Profenusa · *Prolatus · Scolioneura · Setabara

Tribe Heterarthrini Heterarthrus

SUBFAMILY NEMATINAE

Tribe Cladiini Cladius · Priophorus · Trichiocampus

Tribe Nematini Amauronematus · *Adelomos · Anoplonyx · *Caulocampus · Craesus · Craterocercus · Dineura· *Eitelius · Euura · Hemichroa · Hoplocampa · *Nematinus · Nematus · Neopareophora · Pachynematus · Phyllocolpa · Pikonema · Pontania · Pristiphora · *Susana

Tribe Pseudodineurini Pseudodineura · *Kerita

Tribe *Pristolini *Melastola · *Pristola

SUBFAMILY DOLERINAE Dolerus · *Prionourgus

SUBFAMILY SELANDRIINAE

Tribe Adelestini Adelesta

Tribe Aneugmenini Aneugmenus · *Birka · *Eustromboceros · Liliacina · Nesoselandria · *Stromboceridea

Tribe *Heptamelini *Heptamelus

Tribe Strongylogastrini *Eriocampidea · Thrinax · Strongylogaster

SUBFAMILY TENTHREDININAE

Tribe Macrophyini *Deda · Macrophya · Pachyprotasis

Tribe Perineurini Leucopelmonus

Tribe Sciapterygini Filacus · Zaschizonyx

Tribe Tenthredinini Lagium · Rhogogaster · Tenthredo

Tribe Tenthredopsini Aglaostigma

Size

5-20 mm(1)

Identification

Mesonotum not divided by a transverse groove between bases of fore wings. Protibia with 2 apical spurs, the smaller spur at least half as long as larger spur. Fore wing without longitudinal vein Sc; at most a short vein Sc1 dividing costal cell. Metatibia with 1 preapical spur or none. Pronotum in dorsal view with posterior margin strongly concave. Tergum 1 not extending to metacoxa and not fused with metapleuron. Mesoscutellar appendage clearly outlined at least laterally. Protibia with dorsal spur usually with lateral lobe. Anterior margin of lateral ocellus level with middle of median ocellus. Mesepimeron with upper portion not excavated along centre.

Larvae eruciform. They usually coil the body (or the posterior end) over the edge of the leaf.

Food

Most of the larvae feed on foliage, but a few are leaf miners or stem borers(1)

Some info on host plants here

Life Cycle

Usually a single generation a year. Overwinters in the ground or in protected places as a pupa or cocoon.

Works Cited

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

2.	The genera and subgenera of the sawflies of Canada and Alaska (Hymenoptera: Symphyta) Goulet H. 1992. The insects and arachnids of Canada, Pt. 20. Ottawa: Agriculture Canada. 235 pp.

3.	Blank et al. (2012) ECatSym: Electronic World Catalog of Symphyta (Insecta, Hymenoptera). Program version 4.0 beta

4.	Order Hymenoptera. In: Zhang Z-Q (ed) Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classif. and survey of taxonomic richness Aguiar AP, Deans AR, Engel MS, Forshage M, Huber JT, Jennings JT, Johnson NF, Lelej AS, Longino JT, Lohrmann V, Mikó I, Ohl M. 2013. Zootaxa 3703: 51–62.

Contributed by Tony DiTerlizzi on 18 March, 2005 - 9:52am
Additional contributions by cotinis, Beatriz Moisset, tom murray, v belov, Arturo Santos
Last updated 15 October, 2021 - 7:37pm

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