Arctic Sawfly vs Gwynne's Mining Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Arctic Sawfly Gwynne's Mining Bee
Scientific Name Amauronematus abnormis Andrena bicolor
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Tenthredinidae Andrenidae
Size 5-8 mm 8-10 mm
Habitat Tundra & Arctic Grasslands
Diet Herbivores Fruit Feeders
Regions Arctic Scandinavia, Finland, northern Russia, Arctic Canada, Alaska Europe, Western Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Arctic Sawfly

A small, dark sawfly associated with willows in Arctic and subarctic regions. Females use their saw-like ovipositor to cut slits in willow leaves and stems for egg-laying. Larvae resemble caterpillars and feed openly on leaves.

💡

Did You Know?

Arctic sawfly larvae can produce silk pads to anchor themselves to willow leaves during strong tundra winds.

Gwynne's Mining Bee

A small, common mining bee with a two-toned appearance: dark brown thorax and orange-brown abdominal hair. It produces two generations per year in most of its range.

💡

Did You Know?

Its two annual generations visit completely different sets of flowers, with spring bees favoring trees and summer bees preferring brambles.