Pine False Webworm vs African Acacia Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Pine False Webworm African Acacia Ant
Scientific Name Acantholyda erythrocephala Pseudomyrmex sp. (African mimic: Tetraponera penzigi)
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Pamphiliidae Formicidae
Size 10-15 mm (adult) 3-6 mm
Habitat Farmland Grasslands
Diet Omnivores Gall Makers
Regions Europe, North America East Africa, Kenya, Tanzania
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Pine False Webworm

An invasive European sawfly that defoliates pines in North America. Unlike typical sawflies, larvae are solitary and spin silk tubes on branches.

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Did You Know?

Larvae feed inside silken tubes spun among the needles, unlike the gregarious feeding of most pine sawflies.

African Acacia Ant

A slender ant inhabiting the swollen galls of whistling thorn acacias in East Africa. Multiple ant species compete for occupation of these trees in a well-studied ecological system.

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Did You Know?

Four different ant species compete for whistling thorn acacias, with each species altering tree growth in different ways.