Sawfly Larvae from Australia: AKA Spitfires

bugman

May 3rd, 2009 at 11:06 pm

Tags

Caterpillar (6 legs?), Brown, Spikey, Gum forest, Australia
Sun, May 3, 2009 at 5:07 AM
Hi There, we found this squad of unknown bugs when walking in a Gum (Eucalyptus) forest (Dandenong Ranges National Park) at Fern Tree Gully in Victoria, Australia. They were moving uphill as a unit, flicking their tails up when approached. They were on a gravel path and are about 60mm long. We’d love to know what they were. Thanks!
Nick and Kathryn
Fern Tree Gully, Victoria , Australia

Sawfly Larvae

Hi Nick and Kathryn,
Though they look like caterpillars, these are actually the larvae of Sawflies. Sawflies are Hymenopterans, the order that includes ants, bees and wasps. Often Sawfly Larvae feed in groups. We are uncertain of your exact species, and perhaps a reader will provide that answer. We are linking to the Brisbane Insect Sawfly page as well.

Sawfly Larvae

Hi Daniel,
Thanks so much for your prompt reply. We’ll keep checking back in case someone can identify their exact species so we could find what the adult would look like. In the mean time, once we knew they were sawflies we were able to find other references, and the alternative name of ’spitfires’. This site has what looks to be the same/similar species: http://australian-insects.com/lepidoptera/none/sawfly.html
Thanks again for running the site,
Nick and Kathryn

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