South American Walking Stick vs Columbine Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute South American Walking Stick Columbine Sawfly
Scientific Name Ctenomorpha gargantua Pristiphora aquilegiae
Order Phasmatodea Hymenoptera
Family Phasmatidae Tenthredinidae
Size 180-250 mm 5-7 mm
Habitat Forests Gardens
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions South America (Brazil, Peru, Bolivia) Europe, introduced to North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

South American Walking Stick

An extremely long stick insect that can reach over 250 mm in body length, making it one of the longest insects in South America. It is bright green as a nymph, becoming brown and bark-like as an adult. Females are flightless, while males can glide short distances.

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Did You Know?

When threatened, it drops to the ground and lies perfectly still, becoming virtually indistinguishable from a fallen twig.

Columbine Sawfly

A small, dark sawfly whose pale green larvae feed on the leaves of columbine plants. Larvae can cause significant damage in flower gardens.

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Did You Know?

Larvae feed from the leaf edges inward and can reduce a columbine plant to bare stems and leaf ribs within days.