Tenthredinidae

A Dictionary of Zoology | 1999 | 700+ words | Copyright

Tenthredinidae (sawflies; suborder Symphyta, superfamily Tenthredinoidea) One of the largest families of symphytans, most of which are small, varying in length from 5 mm to about 20 mm. Adults have nine-segmented, thread-like antennae, and are black, brown, or brightly patterned, and can be found on flowers or other vegetation. The larvae of most species are external feeders, but some are leaf-miners or gall-makers. Eggs are inserted by the saw-like ovipositor into leaf tissue or woody twigs, some species causing considerable damage to cultivated plants and forest trees. The well-developed abdominal prolegs common in the symphytans are reduced or absent in leaf-mining or stem-boring species. Pupation generally takes place in the soil within a silken cocoon.

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MICHAEL ALLABY. "Tenthredinidae." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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MICHAEL ALLABY. "Tenthredinidae." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-Tenthredinidae.html

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