Parasitic Wood Wasp vs Green Oak Tortrix

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Parasitic Wood Wasp Green Oak Tortrix
Scientific Name Orussus abietinus Tortrix viridana
Order Hymenoptera Lepidoptera
Family Orussidae Tortricidae
Size 8-14 mm 20-24 mm wingspan
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Parasitoids Herbivores
Regions Europe, Western Asia Europe, Western Asia, North Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Parasitic Wood Wasp

A small, dark-bodied wasp-like insect with a flattened head and short antennae inserted below the eyes. It is among the most primitive parasitoid Hymenoptera.

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Did You Know?

Orussidae are considered the evolutionary link between sawflies and parasitoid wasps, making them key to understanding Hymenoptera evolution.

Green Oak Tortrix

A small bright green moth with pale hindwings that is the most important oak defoliator in Europe. Outbreak years can turn whole oak canopies brown by June.

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Did You Know?

Defoliation by this moth has shaped oak woodland ecology for thousands of years.