European Wheat Stem Sawfly vs Black-Headed Ash Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute European Wheat Stem Sawfly Black-Headed Ash Sawfly
Scientific Name Cephus pygmeus Tethida barda
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Cephidae Tenthredinidae
Size 8-10 mm (adult) 6-8 mm
Habitat Farmland Forests
Diet Omnivores Herbivores
Regions Europe, Asia, North America Eastern North America
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

European Wheat Stem Sawfly

A stem-boring sawfly pest of wheat and other cereals throughout Europe and western Asia. It has also established in parts of North America.

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Did You Know?

Solid-stemmed wheat varieties were bred specifically to resist stem sawfly larval boring.

Black-Headed Ash Sawfly

A small sawfly whose larvae have distinctive black heads and whitish-green bodies. They feed on the underside of ash leaflets, skeletonizing them.

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Did You Know?

This species is often mistaken for moth caterpillars, but like all sawfly larvae, it has more than five pairs of prolegs on its abdomen.