Spanish Stick Insect vs Columbine Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Spanish Stick Insect Columbine Sawfly
Scientific Name Leptynia hispanica Pristiphora aquilegiae
Order Phasmatodea Hymenoptera
Family Phasmatidae Tenthredinidae
Size 4-6 cm 5-7 mm
Habitat Heathland Gardens
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Spain, Portugal Europe, introduced to North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Spanish Stick Insect

A small, slender European stick insect found across the Iberian Peninsula. It is one of the few phasmids native to Europe.

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Did You Know?

It is one of only a handful of stick insect species native to Europe.

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.