''Diprion pini'', the common pine sawfly, is a

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 ...

species in the family Diprionidae. It is a serious

pest Pest or The Pest may refer to: Science and medicine * Pest (organism), an animal or plant deemed to be detrimental to humans or human concerns ** Weed, a plant considered undesirable * Infectious disease, an illness resulting from an infection ** ...

of economic

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...

, capable of defoliating large areas of

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family (biology), family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanic ...

forest. A major effect of the herbivore disturbance of ''Diprion pini'' is climate change. Since it feeds until late in the autumn, affected trees are weakened and often die in the subsequent winter. The species is found all across Europe, with outliers elsewhere. It affects the

Scots pine ''Pinus sylvestris'', the Scots pine (UK), Scotch pine (US) or Baltic pine, is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae that is native to Eurasia. It can readily be identified by its combination of fairly short, blue-green leaves and or ...

, mountain pine,

eastern white pine ''Pinus strobus'', commonly called the eastern white pine, northern white pine, white pine, Weymouth pine (British), and soft pine is a large pine native to eastern North America. It occurs from Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland, Canada west ...

, Monterey pine,

lodgepole pine ''Pinus contorta'', with the common names lodgepole pine and shore pine, and also known as twisted pine, and contorta pine, is a common tree in western North America. It is common near the ocean shore and in dry montane forests to the subalp ...

and black pine. Scots pines are not generally killed by a single defoliation, but weakened trees may suffer increased attack by

bark beetle A bark beetle is the common name for the subfamily of beetles Scolytinae. Previously, this was considered a distinct family (Scolytidae), but is now understood to be a specialized clade of the "true weevil" family ( Curculionidae). Although t ...

s, buprestid beetles, and pine weevils, which can kill trees, as can repeated defoliation. During high rates of defoliation, the growth rate of pines decreases significantly. Diprion pini 2 beentree.jpg, Mass of

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. Th ...

e on pine tree File:Diprion pini 1 beentree.jpg, Larval damage to pine Diprion pini - metamorphosis A - 02 - larva after its last moulting - exuvia.jpg, Last instar larva with exuviae Diprion pini - metamorphosis B - 03 - cocoon making (02 july 2010).jpg, Larva forming cocoon in pine tree Diprion pini - metamorphosis B - 05 - opened cocoon (14 july 2010).jpg, Opened cocoon Male diprion pini.jpg, Male

imago In biology, the imago (Latin for "image") is the last stage an insect attains during its metamorphosis, its process of growth and development; it is also called the imaginal stage, the stage in which the insect attains maturity. It follows the fi ...

Diprion pini - metamorphosis B - 06 - female (14 july 2010).jpg, Female imago File:2016-05-17 Diprion pini Balett.ogv,

Deimatic behaviour Deimatic behaviour or startle display means any pattern of bluffing behaviour in an animal that lacks strong defences, such as suddenly displaying conspicuous eyespots, to scare off or momentarily distract a predator, thus giving the prey anima ...

: group of larvae waving their heads simultaneously

References

External links

CABI datasheet
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1151518 Tenthredinoidea Insect pests of temperate forests Hymenoptera of Europe Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Sawflies described in 1758