''Arge berberidis'', common name berberis sawfly, is a species of sawflies belonging to the family
Argidae
Argidae, commonly known as the argid sawflies, is a large family of sawflies, containing some 800 species worldwide, primarily in tropical regions. The larvae are phytophagous, and commonly can be found feeding (and often pupating) in groups, tho ...
subfamily
Arginae
Arginae is a subfamily of argid sawflies in the family Argidae. There are about 12 genera and more than 400 described species in Arginae.
Genera
These 12 genera belong to the subfamily Arginae:
* '' Antargidium'' Morice, 1919
* ''Arge'' Schran ...
.
Description
''Arge berberidis'' can reach a length of about . Adults have bluish-black head and body. Wings are brown. This species has saws-sheath shaped tong. Larvae show black head and a greyish body with many small black spots and some yellowish blotches.
[Nature Spot]
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Biology
Larvae are considered a severe pest causing defoliation in the host plants (''Mahonia
''Mahonia'' is a formerly accepted genus of approximately 70 species of shrubs or, rarely, small trees with evergreen leaves in the family Berberidaceae, native to eastern Asia, the Himalaya, North America, and Central America. They are closely ...
'' and ''Berberis
''Berberis'' (), commonly known as barberry, is a large genus of deciduous and evergreen shrubs from tall, found throughout temperate and subtropical regions of the world (apart from Australia). Species diversity is greatest in South America a ...
''). Adults fly from June to August.[
]
Distribution
This sawfly is present in most of Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
(Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany, Danish mainland, Spanish mainland, France, Greek mainland, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, The Nederlands, Poland, Romania, European Russia, Slovakia, Ukraine, United Kingdom).Fauna europaea
/ref>
Habitat
These sawflies can be found on ''Mahonia
''Mahonia'' is a formerly accepted genus of approximately 70 species of shrubs or, rarely, small trees with evergreen leaves in the family Berberidaceae, native to eastern Asia, the Himalaya, North America, and Central America. They are closely ...
'' and ''Berberis
''Berberis'' (), commonly known as barberry, is a large genus of deciduous and evergreen shrubs from tall, found throughout temperate and subtropical regions of the world (apart from Australia). Species diversity is greatest in South America a ...
'' species.[
]
References
*Taeger, A., Blank, S. M. & Liston, A. D. 2010 - World Catalog of Symphyta (Hymenoptera). Zootaxa 2580: 1–1064. Magnolia Press, Auckland
External links
British Nature Guide - An incomplete guide to the wildlife of Britain
Argidae
Insects described in 1802
Hymenoptera of Europe
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