Common sawflies
(Macrophya spp.)
Overview • Description • Distribution • Taxonomy
Overview |
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Macrophya is a very large genus of medium-sized sawflies. There are 306 Macrophya species worldwide, 46 species in North America north of Mexico, and at least 22 species in Minnesota. The hosts of only 14 species are known, and the larvae of only 10 species have been described. Little is known of the hosts or the biology of the remaining Macrophya species. Of the known species, all of the larvae feed externally on the leaves of their host plants, which include various trees and shrubs. They pupate in the soil in a cocoon made of soil. Adults are active mostly in May and June in Minnesota, from April through July in other parts of their range. |
Description |
Adults are 3⁄16″ to ⅝″ (10 to 15 mm) in length. They are mostly black but with white, yellow, or reddish markings. The antennae are relatively short, on most species shorter than or about as long as the length of the abdomen. They have 9 segments. The third segment is longer than the fourth. On the hind legs, the first segment (coxa) and the third segment (femur) are elongated. The spurs at the tip of the fourth segment (tibia) are long, much longer than the tibia is wide. The last part of the leg (tarsus), corresponding to the foot, has five segments. On the hind legs the first tarsal segment is also elongated. On most species it is as long or longer than the remaining segments combined. |
Distribution |
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Sources Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu, 9/9/2025). A revision of the genus Macrophya Dahlbom (Hymenoptera: Symphyta, Tenthredinidae) of North America Gibson G.A.P. 1980. Mem. Ent. Soc. Canada 114: 1‒167. |
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Taxonomy |
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Order |
Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies) |
Suborder |
Symphyta (sawflies, horntails, and wood wasps) |
Superfamily |
Tenthredinoidea (typical sawflies) |
Family |
Tenthredinidae (common sawflies) |
Subfamily |
Tenthredininae |
Tribe |
Macrophyini |
Subordinate Taxa |
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common sawfly (Macrophya alboa) common sawfly (Macrophya cassandra) common sawfly (Macrophya cinctula) common sawfly (Macrophya epinota) common sawfly (Macrophya festana) common sawfly (Macrophya flavicoxae) common sawfly (Macrophya flavolineata) common sawfly (Macrophya fulginea) common sawfly (Macrophya intermedia) common sawfly (Macrophya lineatana) common sawfly (Macrophya macgillivrayi) common sawfly (Macrophya maculilabris) common sawfly (Macrophya mensa) common sawfly (Macrophya pannosa) common sawfly (Macrophya pulchella) common sawfly (Macrophya senacca) common sawfly (Macrophya simillima) common sawfly (Macrophya succincta) common sawfly (Macrophya trisyllaba) common sawfly (Macrophya varia) common sawfly (Macrophya zoe) elder strider (Macrophya alboannulata) |
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Synonyms |
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Beldonea Paramacrophya Zalagium |
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Common Names |
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This genus has no common name. The common name for the family Tenthredinidae is common sawflies, and it is applied here for convenience. |
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Glossary
Coxa
The first (most proximal) segment of the legs of most arthropods, including all insects, spiders, and crustaceans, and most arachnids. It attaches the leg to the body and connects to the trochanter. Plural: coxae.
Femur
On insects and arachnids, the third, largest, most robust segment of the leg, coming immediately before the tibia. On humans, the thigh bone.
Tarsus
On insects, the last two to five subdivisions of the leg, attached to the tibia; the foot. On spiders, the last segment of the leg. Plural: tarsi.
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Alfredo Colon |
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Alfredo Colon
6/10/2018
Location: Woodbury, Minnesota
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