Black Headed Birch Sawfly vs European Spruce Longhorn Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Black Headed Birch Sawfly European Spruce Longhorn Beetle
Scientific Name Craesus alniastri Tetropium castaneum
Order Hymenoptera Coleoptera
Family Tenthredinidae Cerambycidae
Size 7-9 mm 8–18 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Herbivores Wood Feeders
Regions Europe Europe, Northern Asia
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Black Headed Birch Sawfly

A medium-sized sawfly with a dark head and orange body. Larvae are greenish-blue with black heads and feed communally on birch and alder leaves.

💡

Did You Know?

When a predator approaches, the entire colony of larvae simultaneously rears up and thrashes, making the group appear larger and more threatening.

European Spruce Longhorn Beetle

A longhorn beetle native to Europe that bores into spruce trunks. It typically colonizes weakened or recently felled spruce trees.

💡

Did You Know?

It became a regulated quarantine pest after being found attacking healthy spruce in Nova Scotia, Canada.