American Cuckoo Wasp vs Scarlet-Bodied Pergid Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute American Cuckoo Wasp Scarlet-Bodied Pergid Sawfly
Scientific Name Chrysis angolensis Perga kirbyi
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Chrysididae Pergidae
Size 7-12 mm 16-24 mm
Habitat Farmland Woodlands
Diet Parasites Herbivores
Regions Sub-Saharan Africa Australia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

American Cuckoo Wasp

A metallic green and blue cuckoo wasp found across sub-Saharan Africa. It parasitizes mud-nesting wasps and bees on rocky outcrops and buildings.

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Did You Know?

Despite its species name referencing Angola, it is found throughout most of tropical and southern Africa.

Scarlet-Bodied Pergid Sawfly

A large, robustly built Australian sawfly with a bright scarlet to red-orange abdomen and dark head and thorax. Its spitfire larvae feed on eucalyptus in tight clusters.

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Did You Know?

Adult females demonstrate rare parental care for an insect by guarding their egg batch and early-instar larvae on the eucalyptus leaf.