In spring of 2020, I raised some Argidae larvae (most likely Arge tumsua or similar).
Argidae are quite easy to raise, much like moths, so I will briefly describe raising them from larvae.
Finding Argidae
I noticed this particular species because they were numerous, bright yellow, and strikingly beautiful. They were on a few Prunus angustifolia trees, a small, native wild plum tree.
The larvae are quite beautiful, but appear to be rare and extremely hyperlocalised. They were only present for a few short weeks from late April through early May.
Caring for Argidae
These guys congregated in small groups, usually three to five close together in groups.
I collected a few along with cuttings from their host plant. I only know of one park where this plant is found, so I had to go back (about 20 miles away) every two or three days for fresh cuttings. I kept the larvae in a butterfly cage shown here (a different sawfly, single specimen, shared the cage):
These guys were active and fun to watch. They interacted a bit with each other while finding the best position for munching. Unlike caterpillars who use their prolegs, these guys usually walk with their six legs with the rest of the body sticking out and slightly curled.
Larva to Pupa to Adult
Pupating:
Early in the morning on May 10, 2020, my first and second larvae dropped to the ground and began spinning their cocoons of silk. They generally chose leaf litter or bits of newspaper on the floor of the cage, sometimes hidden and sometimes exposed.
One is a little further along than the other:
And three hours later:
Eclosing:
Fifteen days later, May 25.2020, the first one ecloses:
Here she is with the other cocoon and her empty cocoon shell:
She's quite beautiful:
Inside the empty cocoon, the final exuvia is present:
Releasing Argidae
I released the first two at their original location and the remaining ones onto my backyard peach tree.
Here are the first two, released on Prunus angustifolia:
I think it would be interesting to observe these guys further and watch them lay eggs, and I still have many questions:
1. I assume Arge species are parthenogenetic? Can a parthenogenetic female Arge produce females?
2. I assume Arge adults feed on nectar, if at all?
A few resources:
Dave Smith:
Smith, D. (1989). The Sawfly Genus Arge (Hymenoptera: Argidae) in the Western Hemisphere. Transactions of the American Entomological Society (1890-), 115(2), 83-205. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25078451
and:
Smith, D. R. (1993). Systematics, Life History, and Distribution of Sawflies. https://Www.Researchgate.Net/Profile/David_Smith114/Publication/260798522_Systematics_life_history_and_distribut9ion_of_sawflies/Links/56bf430108ae2f498ef7e8f7/Systematics-Life-History-and-Distribut9ion-of-Sawflies.Pdf
Some sawflies of the UK:
https://www.naturespot.org.uk/taxonomy/term/19410
online book, 1937:
Ross, H. H. (1937). A Generic Classification of the Nearctic Sawflies (Hymentoptera, Symphyta). Illinois Biological Monographs, XV(2), 1-186. https://archive.org/details/genericclassific15ross/mode/2up
about that silk ...
Sutherland, T. D., Peng, Y. Y., Trueman, H. E., Weisman, S., Okada, S., Walker, A. A., Sriskantha, A., White, J. F., Huson, M. G., Werkmeister, J. A., Glattauer, V., Stoichevska, V., Mudie, S. T., Haritos, V. S., & Ramshaw, J. A. (2013). A new class of animal collagen masquerading as an insect silk. Scientific reports, 3, 2864. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep02864
cool facts:
Sawfly Facts. https://www.softschools.com/facts/animals/sawflies_facts/1477/