Yucca Plant Bug vs Scarlet-Bodied Pergid Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Yucca Plant Bug Scarlet-Bodied Pergid Sawfly
Scientific Name Halticotoma valida Perga kirbyi
Order Hemiptera Hymenoptera
Family Miridae Pergidae
Size 3-5 mm 16-24 mm
Habitat Deserts & Drylands Woodlands
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions North America Australia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Yucca Plant Bug

A dark metallic blue plant bug that feeds on yucca plants in the arid Southwest. Heavy infestations can cause yellowing and dieback of yucca leaves.

💡

Did You Know?

It is one of the few insects specialized to feed on the tough, waxy leaves of yucca plants.

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.