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Sawfly Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.
| Sawfly Temporal range: Triassic – Recent |
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| Melaleuca | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Suborder: | Symphyta |
A Sawfly is an insect belonging to suborder Symphyta of the Order Hymenoptera. The sawflies are a group of largely plant-eating (herbivorous) insects. The group is less specialised than the ants, bees and wasps.
Sawflies are distinguishable from most other Hymenoptera by the broad connection between the abdomen and the thorax, and by their caterpillar-like larvae. The common name comes from the saw-like appearance of the ovipositor, which the females use to cut into the plants where they lay their eggs. Large populations of certain sawfly species can cause substantial economic damage to forests and cultivated plants.
Xyelidae
The Xyelidae is a small family of sawflies known from fewer than 50 extant species in 5 genera, with an extensive fossil record. They are the oldest fossil Hymenoptera, dating back to the Triassic, some 200 million years ago.
Most species occur in the Northern hemisphere, especially in boreal regions, though there are a few neotropical species. Most are associated with conifers (esp. Pinus and Abies), where the larvae feed on pollen or within buds, though larvae of a few species feed on the leaves of deciduous trees.
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Wikispecies has information on: Symphyta. |
Images for kids
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Carl Gerstäcker established the suborder Symphyta
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Giant horntail, Urocerus gigas, a Batesian mimic of a hornet, ovipositing. It does not sting.
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The European hornet is a wasp-waisted Apocritan with a sting, not a Symphytan.
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Aposematically coloured caterpillar-like larva of Abia sericea
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Rose stem sawfly (Hartigia trimaculata) larva in a rose stem
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Anti-predator adaptation: spitfire sawfly larvae grouped together for safety in numbers
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Parasitoidal chalcid wasps (Dahlbominus fuscipennis (sv)) emerging from a sawfly cocoon
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Adult male newly emerged from its cocoon
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The pine sawfly Diprion pini is a serious pest of forestry.
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Caterpillar-like larvae of Iris sawfly on yellow flag, showing damage to host plant