Mahoenui Giant Weta vs Black-Headed Ash Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute	Mahoenui Giant Weta	Black-Headed Ash Sawfly
Scientific Name	Deinacrida mahoenui	Tethida barda
Order	Orthoptera	Hymenoptera
Family	Anostostomatidae	Tenthredinidae
Size	Body 50-70 mm	6-8 mm
Habitat	Forests	Forests
Diet	Herbivores	Herbivores
Regions	New Zealand	Eastern North America
Conservation	Endangered	Least Concern

Mahoenui Giant Weta

A critically threatened giant weta originally surviving in a single patch of introduced gorse scrub. It is brown with lighter banding and is largely arboreal.

💡

Did You Know?

Ironically, the invasive gorse bush has protected this weta from predators by providing spiny refuge.

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.

💡

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.