Birch Sawfly vs Cocktail Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Birch Sawfly Cocktail Ant
Scientific Name Cimbex femoratus Crematogaster peringueyi
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Cimbicidae Formicidae
Size 20-28 mm 3-5 mm
Habitat Parks Woodlands
Diet Herbivores Wood Feeders
Regions Europe, Western Asia Southern Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Birch Sawfly

One of the largest European sawflies, with a stout body, clubbed antennae, and variable coloring from black to yellowish-brown. Larvae are large, pale green caterpillar-like grubs found curled on birch leaves.

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Did You Know?

When disturbed, the large larva can squirt a jet of fluid from glands above its spiracles as a defensive mechanism.

Cocktail Ant

A small dark ant that holds its heart-shaped gaster raised above its body like a flag. It nests in dead wood and under bark.

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Did You Know?

When alarmed, they raise their abdomen over their back like a scorpion and exude a drop of repellent venom.