Scarlet-Bodied Pergid Sawfly vs Sabre Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Scarlet-Bodied Pergid Sawfly Sabre Wasp
Scientific Name Perga kirbyi Rhyssa persuasoria
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Pergidae Ichneumonidae
Size 16-24 mm 25-40 mm body length
Habitat Woodlands Farmland
Diet Herbivores Wood Feeders
Regions Australia Europe, Asia
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.

💡

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.

Sabre Wasp

The largest European ichneumon wasp, recognized by its black-and-white banded body. It parasitizes the larvae of wood wasps within conifer trunks.

💡

Did You Know?

She can detect a wood wasp larva through several centimeters of solid timber using her antennae.