Scarlet-Bodied Pergid Sawfly vs Lunar Ichneumon Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Scarlet-Bodied Pergid Sawfly Lunar Ichneumon Wasp
Scientific Name Perga kirbyi Megarhyssa lunator
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Pergidae Ichneumonidae
Size 16-24 mm 30-50 mm body, ovipositor up to 130 mm
Habitat Woodlands Forests
Diet Herbivores Nectar Feeders
Regions Australia Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Scarlet-Bodied Pergid Sawfly

A large, robustly built Australian sawfly with a bright scarlet to red-orange abdomen and dark head and thorax. Its spitfire larvae feed on eucalyptus in tight clusters.

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Did You Know?

Adult females demonstrate rare parental care for an insect by guarding their egg batch and early-instar larvae on the eucalyptus leaf.

Lunar Ichneumon Wasp

A striking ichneumon with a yellow and brown banded body. It parasitizes pigeon tremex horntail larvae inside hardwood trees.

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Did You Know?

Its ovipositor is the longest relative to body size of any insect in North America.