A Sawfly Larva eating Willow Leaves in Juneau, Alaska
Aug 26, 2022 | Uncategorized
- A Sawfly Larva eating Willow Leaves in Juneau, Alaska shows a Trichiosoma triangulum- cimbicid sawfly eating the leaves on August 25, 2022.
- For interesting information about these sawflies and great photos of the adults look at /sites/default/files/OES_Bulletin_2015_Summer.pdf
- This is the only one I have seen, so far, in Juneau despite many years looking at the leaves and catkins of willows.
- I submitted a photo of the larva to Bugs and Plants of Alaska, a great facebook site, and got an identification from Alex Wenninger.
- These leaf eating sawflies are considered Phyllophagous : Feeds on the leaves of plants.
- This is a general life history statement from the literature: Beginning in June, the female, which is wasp-like with silvery membranous wings, cuts a network of slits along leaf margins and deposits her eggs in them. In July, groups of larvae can be readily observed around the leaves, which they consume right down to the midrib. At the end of its larval development, the insect falls to the ground and weaves a silky cocoon in which it overwinters as a prepupa in the litter.