Diprion similis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Diprion similis | |
|---|---|
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| Adult (top) and larva (bottom) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Suborder: | Symphyta |
| Family: | Diprionidae |
| Genus: | Diprion |
| Species: | D. similis |
| Binomial name | |
| Diprion similis | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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Diprion similis is a species of sawfly in the family Diprionidae. It is native to central and northern Europe and Asia but was accidentally introduced into North America where it has become invasive. The larvae feed on the needles of pine trees, especially those of the white pine (Pinus strobus). In North America it is known as the introduced pine sawfly or the imported pine sawfly. It is also known as the white pine sawfly because of its preference for feeding on the white pine, but this name is confusing because another sawfly, Neodiprion pinetum, whose larvae also feed on this tree, is itself known as the "white pine sawfly".
The adult male is between 7 and 9 mm (0.28 and 0.35 in) in length, black apart from the underside of the abdomen which is sometimes reddish-brown. Antennae are black and bipectinate (feather-like), and legs are yellow except for the trochanters and the base of the femora which are brownish-black. The female is between 7.5 and 10 mm (0.3 and 0.4 in) long, with a black head and thorax and usually a yellow and black abdomen, although some individuals are dark. Antennae are black and serrate (saw-like), and legs are yellow with dusky bases.[3]
Larvae have black heads and resemble the caterpillars of lepidopterans. Females have six instars and males have five. The first three instars are yellowish-green, and the later instars have black longitudinal stripes with patches of yellow and white on a bluish and black background.[3]
Distribution
D. similis is native to central and northern Europe (including Fennoscandia), Russian Siberia (as far as the Lake Baikal region), and China. It was first detected in North America in 1914 in Connecticut and has since spread to much of the eastern United States and Canada, wherever Pinus strobus is to be found. It feeds on other species of pine, but seems to favour P. strobus where it is available.[3]
