Dining with mates

Sawflies have to be one of the least recognised insects, pictured left. They make up the order Hymenoptera along with bees, ants and wasps and are distinguished from the latter three by not having a thin waist between the thorax and the abdomen. From an evolutionary aspect sawflies are the ancestors of all the insects of the order Hymenoptera.

The life of an adult sawfly is short-lived, around about a week. This and the fact that they look very wasp-like means that people either do not see them or recognise them for what they are. People are however familiar with the larvae. As a kid I was equally fascinated and repulsed by what I called spitfires, pictured right. Sawfly larvae are leaf eaters extraordinaire. Certain species of sawfly larvae form large aggregations for protection and sometimes, particularly after storms these masses can get dislodged from trees and fall to the ground where the disturbed spitfire larvae regurgitate an irritant fluid to drive away predators. Sawfly larvae can do enormous damage to trees sometimes stripping entire forests causing stunted tree growth or in the worst case the death of trees.

Larvae of the Green Long-tailed Sawfly (Lophyrotoma interrupta) have recently appeared on some of the eucalypt saplings on our property, pictured left. Unlike those pictured above they do not form large aggregations but they do like to eat together. They will line up next to each other on the edge of a leaf a systematically devour it, pictured below.

Pass the salt!