Introduced Pine Sawfly vs Ocean Strider

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Introduced Pine Sawfly Ocean Strider
Scientific Name Diprion similis Halobates micans
Order Hymenoptera Hemiptera
Family Diprionidae Gerridae
Size 7-10 mm (adult) 4-5 mm
Habitat Farmland Beaches & Coastal
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Europe, North America Tropical Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Introduced Pine Sawfly

A European sawfly introduced to North America that feeds on white pine and other five-needled pines. Larvae feed gregariously and can heavily defoliate trees.

💡

Did You Know?

It was first detected in Connecticut in 1914 and quickly spread across northeastern North America.

Ocean Strider

A remarkable open-ocean water strider that spends its entire life on the surface of tropical seas. It is one of the very few insects adapted to a fully marine existence. It lays eggs on floating debris including feathers and seaweed.

💡

Did You Know?

It is one of the only insects to have colonized the open ocean and can be found thousands of kilometers from the nearest land, surviving storms and wave action.