Dock Sawfly vs Silver Y

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Dock Sawfly Silver Y
Scientific Name Ametastegia glabrata Autographa gamma
Order Hymenoptera Lepidoptera
Family Tenthredinidae Noctuidae
Size 5-7 mm 35-45 mm wingspan
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Herbivores Nectar Feeders
Regions Europe, introduced to North America Europe, Asia, Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Dock Sawfly

A small, shiny dark green to black sawfly with pale legs. Larvae are pale green caterpillar-like grubs that feed on dock and sorrel leaves.

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Did You Know?

In North America, dock sawfly larvae sometimes bore into apples to pupate, making them a nuisance pest in orchards despite not actually feeding on the fruit.

Silver Y

A migratory moth marked with a bright silvery Y or gamma symbol on each forewing. Billions migrate northward across Europe each spring in one of nature's great insect movements.

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Did You Know?

Radar studies revealed that up to 250 million Silver Y moths cross into Britain in a single summer.