Curled rose sawfly

Curled rose sawfly is a black, wasp-like, small to medium-sized, common sawfly. It is native and common in Europe and Asia. It was imported into North America and now occurs from the northeast and Midwest and in the west coast states. As a larvae it is an agricultural pest of roses and strawberries.

Females are 5 ⁄16″ to ⅜″ (8.0 mm to 8.5 mm) long. Males are much smaller, ¼″ (6.4 mm to 6.7 mm) long. The thorax and abdomen are broadly connected.

The head is black. The antennae are thread-like, cylindrical, and entirely black. They have 9 segments. Segments 7 and 8 are not broadened at the tip.

The plate covering the thorax (pronotum) is black and shiny with a pair of small spots near the rear margin.

The abdomen is black with a large triangular spot on the first segment and a thick white band covering more than half of the fifth segment. The triangular spot is larger on females than on males. The female has a saw-like ovipositor at the tip of the abdomen.

The wings are mostly clear and evenly tinged dark brown. There is a dark brown mark on the leading edge of the forewing.

The legs are long and slender and are mostly colored alike. The third segment (femur) of the front and middle leg is black. The femurs on the hind leg is white just at the base. The fourth segment (tibia) is brownish-yellow with a small white band at the base, giving the appearance of “white knees.”

The larva is green or yellowish green above with tiny white dots, pale green or pale yellowish below. The head is orange, the eyes black. They have three pairs of legs on the thorax and at least six pairs of leg-like structures (prolegs) on the abdomen. Mature larvae are about ¾″ in length.

Male: ¼″ (6.4 mm to 6.7 mm)

Female: 5 ⁄16″ to ⅜″ (8.0 mm to 8.5 mm)

Two generations per year. Larvae from May to June. Adults through September.

Slugs are found on the underside of leaves. As they eat, they skeletonize the leaf, consuming the soft tissue and minor veinlets, leaving the midrib and lateral veins.

On the adult, the wings are held over the body when at rest. They hunt other insects often on umbellifers.

The mature bores into the pith of the stem and pupates. Pupa overwinter in the soil.

Leaves of rose (Rosa spp.) and strawberry (Fragaria spp.)

Small insects

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