Columbine Sawfly vs White-spotted Sawyer

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Columbine Sawfly White-spotted Sawyer
Scientific Name Pristiphora aquilegiae Monochamus scutellatus
Order Hymenoptera Coleoptera
Family Tenthredinidae Cerambycidae
Size 5-7 mm 15-27mm
Habitat Gardens Forests
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Europe, introduced to North America North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Columbine Sawfly

A small, dark sawfly whose pale green larvae feed on the leaves of columbine plants. Larvae can cause significant damage in flower gardens.

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Did You Know?

Larvae feed from the leaf edges inward and can reduce a columbine plant to bare stems and leaf ribs within days.

White-spotted Sawyer

A large black longhorn beetle with a distinctive white spot at the base of the elytra. Males have antennae twice their body length.

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Did You Know?

It is often one of the first insects to colonize trees killed by forest fires and plays a key role in wood decomposition.