Iris Sawfly vs Scarlet-Bodied Pergid Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Iris Sawfly Scarlet-Bodied Pergid Sawfly
Scientific Name Rhadinoceraea micans Perga kirbyi
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Tenthredinidae Pergidae
Size 6-8 mm 16-24 mm
Habitat Ponds & Lakes Woodlands
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Europe Australia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Iris Sawfly

A small, metallic blue-black sawfly whose grayish larvae with dark heads feed along the edges of iris leaves, producing distinctive notching damage.

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Did You Know?

Larvae feed along leaf edges in a perfectly straight line, creating neat rectangular notches that are diagnostic for this species.

Scarlet-Bodied Pergid Sawfly

A large, robustly built Australian sawfly with a bright scarlet to red-orange abdomen and dark head and thorax. Its spitfire larvae feed on eucalyptus in tight clusters.

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Did You Know?

Adult females demonstrate rare parental care for an insect by guarding their egg batch and early-instar larvae on the eucalyptus leaf.