Xyelid Pine Bud Sawfly vs Scarlet-Bodied Pergid Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Xyelid Pine Bud Sawfly Scarlet-Bodied Pergid Sawfly
Scientific Name Xyela minor Perga kirbyi
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Xyelidae Pergidae
Size 3-4 mm 16-24 mm
Habitat Forests Woodlands
Diet Pollen Feeders Herbivores
Regions North America Australia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Xyelid Pine Bud Sawfly

A tiny sawfly with the characteristic elongated third antennal segment of its ancient family. Adults emerge in early spring to coincide with pine pollen release.

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Did You Know?

Xyelid sawflies time their adult emergence precisely to the few weeks when pine male cones are shedding pollen, their larvae's only food source.

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.