Plum Sawfly vs African Melon Leaf Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Plum Sawfly African Melon Leaf Beetle
Scientific Name Hoplocampa flava Aulacophora africana
Order Hymenoptera Coleoptera
Family Tenthredinidae Chrysomelidae
Size 4-6 mm 6-8 mm
Habitat Orchards Farmland
Diet Fruit Feeders Fruit Feeders
Regions Europe Sub-Saharan Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Plum Sawfly

A small, yellowish-brown sawfly that is a pest of plum orchards. Larvae bore into developing plum fruitlets, causing them to drop prematurely.

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Did You Know?

Larvae can be detected by their distinctive wet frass, which oozes from entry holes in young plum fruitlets.

African Melon Leaf Beetle

A bright orange to yellowish-red beetle with a smooth, shiny surface that is a significant pest of cucurbit crops across sub-Saharan Africa. Both adults and larvae cause feeding damage.

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Did You Know?

Adults are attracted to cucurbitacins and can completely defoliate young cucumber and melon plants within days of crop emergence.