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Argid Sawfly, but what species???

Posted by August 21st, 2009 at 10:24 am

Categories

Horntails, Wood Wasps and Sawflies

sawfly larvae on hazelnut leaf
August 20, 2009
Hi WTB, I found these creepy caterpillars chomping on my contorted hazelnut. Finally determined that they are sawfly larvae but can’t find an exact match on your site. They look like they are made of green jello – yuk! Any idea what species they might be? Thanks for all your help and for maintaining such a great site!!!
Laura
Southeast PA, north of Philadelphia

Sawfly Larvae on Hazelnut

Sawfly Larvae on Hazelnut

Hi Laura,
We agree that this is an Argid Sawfly in the family Argidae.  According to BugGuide, the Birch Sawfly, Arge pectoralis, feeds on Hazelnut as well as birch and other trees, but the larvae have orange heads and the heads on your individuals are black.  We are pretty confident the genus is Arge, but we will have to postpone exact species identification.

Sawfly Larvae on Hazelnut

Sawfly Larvae on Hazelnut

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