Long-tailed Giant Ichneumon vs Virginia Pine Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Long-tailed Giant Ichneumon Virginia Pine Sawfly
Scientific Name Megarhyssa atrata Neodiprion pratti pratti
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Ichneumonidae Diprionidae
Size 30-50 mm body, ovipositor up to 130 mm 6-8 mm
Habitat Woodlands Forests
Diet Wood Feeders Omnivores
Regions North America Southeastern United States
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Long-tailed Giant Ichneumon

A large dark-bodied ichneumonid wasp found in eastern North America. Females bore through bark to parasitize pigeon tremex horntail larvae.

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Did You Know?

Multiple females often congregate on the same dead tree, drilling simultaneously for hosts.

Virginia Pine Sawfly

A pine sawfly whose larvae are greenish-yellow with prominent dark stripes. It preferentially attacks Virginia pine and other hard pines in the southeastern United States.

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Did You Know?

This subspecies is restricted to Virginia pine, showing the host specificity that characterizes many Neodiprion sawfly taxa.