''Cimbex americanus'', the elm sawfly, is a species of

sawfly Sawflies are the insects of the suborder Symphyta within the order Hymenoptera, alongside ants, bees, and wasps. The common name comes from the saw-like appearance of the ovipositor, which the females use to cut into the plants where they l ...

in the family

Cimbicidae Cimbicidae is a family of sawflies in the order Hymenoptera. There are more than 20 genera and 200 described species in Cimbicidae. Larvae are solitary herbivores. The family is distinctive in having antennae with prominent apical clubs or kn ...

. This is a very large species of Hymenoptera, with adults measuring 3 cm and larvae reaching 5 cm long. If captured, adults may buzz and use their powerful spiny legs defensively. However, like other sawflies, this species does not possess a sting. The fly ''

Opheltes glaucopterus Opheltes glaucopterus is a Ichneumonidae wasp that parasitizes pupae from the sawfly genus ''Cimbex''. It has a Holarctic The Holarctic realm is a biogeographic realm that comprises the majority of habitats found throughout the continents in t ...

'' is a parasite of the prepupae stage of this sawfly.

Taxonomy

This species was originally described as ''Cimbex americana'' by

William Elford Leach William Elford Leach FRS (2 February 1791 – 25 August 1836) was an English zoologist and marine biologist. Life and work Elford Leach was born at Hoe Gate, Plymouth, the son of an attorney. At the age of twelve he began a medical appren ...

, who treated the genus as feminine. However, ''Cimbex'' comes from a masculine Greek noun, and the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature thus requires masculine species. Thus, its correct name is ''Cimbex americanus''.

References

External links

* Cimbicidae Articles created by Qbugbot Insects described in 1817 {{sawfly-stub