Social Pear Sawfly vs Mottled Umber Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Social Pear Sawfly Mottled Umber Moth
Scientific Name Neurotoma saltuum Erannis defoliaria
Order Hymenoptera Lepidoptera
Family Pamphiliidae Geometridae
Size 10-12 mm 35-45 mm wingspan (males)
Habitat Orchards Orchards
Diet Fruit Feeders Herbivores
Regions Europe, Western Asia Europe, Western Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Social Pear Sawfly

A broad-bodied sawfly with long antennae whose larvae spin communal webs on pear and other fruit trees. Multiple larvae feed together within the silk nest.

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Did You Know?

The larvae build elaborate communal silk nests that can envelope entire branch clusters, creating conspicuous webbed masses on fruit trees.

Mottled Umber Moth

A variably patterned brown moth where males range from pale to almost black. Females are completely wingless and resemble small spiders.

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Did You Know?

Wingless females attract mates by releasing pheromones from the trunk of their host tree.