Larger Citronella Ant vs Dusky Birch Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Larger Citronella Ant Dusky Birch Sawfly
Scientific Name Lasius interjectus Croesus latitarsus
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Formicidae Tenthredinidae
Size 4-4.5 mm 8-10 mm
Habitat Caves Woodlands
Diet Root Feeders Herbivores
Regions Eastern North America North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Larger Citronella Ant

A subterranean yellow ant that emits a strong lemon-like odor when crushed. It lives entirely underground tending root-feeding aphids for honeydew.

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Did You Know?

These ants are rarely seen above ground except during mating flights, when winged reproductives emerge in large swarms.

Dusky Birch Sawfly

A medium-sized sawfly with an orange abdomen and black head and thorax. Larvae are yellowish-green with dark spots and feed in rows along the edges of birch leaves.

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Did You Know?

The larvae feed in a distinctive edge-to-edge pattern, consuming the leaf blade while leaving the midrib intact like a fishbone.