Sawflies - Subfamily Philomastiginae
Family Pergidae
- Females of Philomastiginae stand guard over eggs and young larvae. They buzz their wings and stridulate when disturbed. Philomastix sp. larvae have two "tails".
- Bramble Sawfly, Red Ash Sawfly
- Philomastix xanthophilus, adult body length 12mm, larva 20mm
- We found this group of sawfly larvae in early winter. They are pale green in colour. Their head is pale orange in colour. There are two tails at the end of their abdomen. On the stem of the same plant, we found two adult sawflies. We believed they are the larvae's parents, although we was not sure if they are one male one female or both females. The adults were pale brown in colour with long antenna. More information and pictures please click here.
- Reference:
- 1. Northern Territory Insects, A Comprehensive Guide CD - Graham Brown, 2009.
- 2. What wasp is that? - An interactive identification guide to the Australasian families of Hymenoptera, 2007.
- 3. Pergidae of the World - An online catalogue of the sawfly family Pergidae (Symphyta), Zoologische Staatssammlung München, 2009.
- 4. Insects of Australia, CSIRO, Division of Entomology, Melbourne University Press, 2nd Edition 1991, pp 931.
- 5. Family PERGIDAE - Australian Faunal Directory, Australian Biological Resources Study.
This page contains pictures and information about Sawflies in subfamily Philomastiginae that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
