Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
Upcoming Events

See Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2023

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29

Photos of insects and people from the 2015 gathering in Wisconsin, July 10-12


Previous events
TaxonomyBrowse
Info
ImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » "Symphyta" - Sawflies, Horntails, and Wood Wasps » Argid Sawflies (Argidae) » Arge » pectoralis group (Arge pectoralis group) » Birch Sawfly (Arge pectoralis)

Species Arge pectoralis - Birch Sawfly

Classification · Explanation of Names · Size · Identification · Range · Season · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · Works Cited
Arge pectoralis larvae on alder - Arge pectoralis Unknown Sawfly - Arge pectoralis - female Birch Sawfly - Arge pectoralis - female Tenthredinidae sp ? - Arge pectoralis Chokecherry Sawfly - Arge pectoralis Arge pectoralis - female Arge pectoralis
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 Argidae (Argid Sawflies)
Genus Arge
No Taxon (pectoralis group)
Species pectoralis (Birch Sawfly)
Explanation of Names
Arge pectoralis (Leach 1817)
Latin pectoralis means having a distinctive thorax
Size
♂ 7.5-9.5 mm, ♀ 9.0-11.5 mm(1); last instar larvae ~18 mm(2)
Identification
Adult is said to be blue-black with white markings on legs (Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station)
Range
Transcontinental in Canada and n. US south to NC-MS-KS-CO-WA(1)
Season
adults Jun-Jul, larvae Jul-Sep(2)
Food
Larvae feed on birch (Betula), also hazelnut (Corylus), alder (Alnus), and willow (Salix)(2)
Life Cycle
Female deposits eggs in slits cut in the margin of leaves. Overwinters as last-instar larva inside a cocoon spun on leaf litter.(2)
Remarks
the most commonly encountered argid(3)
Works Cited
1.The sawfly genus Arge (Hymenoptera: Argidae) in the Western Hemisphere
Smith D.R. 1989. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 115: 83-205.
2.Eastern Forest Insects
Whiteford L. Baker. 1972. U.S. Department of Agriculture · Forest Service.
3.Garden Insects of North America : The Ultimate Guide to Backyard Bugs (Princeton Field Guides)
Whitney Cranshaw. 2004. Princeton University Press.
Contributed by Cotinis on 15 August, 2006 - 11:14am
Additional contributions by Chuck Entz, v belov
Last updated 19 May, 2013 - 6:00pm

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2023 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact