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 lay their eggs. The name is associated especially with the Tenthredinoidea, by far the largest superfamily in the suborder, with about 7,000 known species; in the entire suborder, there are 8,000 described species in more than 800 genera. Symphyta is paraphyletic, consisting of several basal groups within the order Hymenoptera, each one rooted inside the previous group, ending with the Apocrita which are not sawflies.
Xiphydriidae are a family of wood wasps that includes around 150 species. They are located all over the world including North and South America, Australia, Europe, and others. Xiphydriidae larvae are wood borers in dead trees or branches of a range of trees. They are characterized as having long and skinny necks with dome-shaped heads. The oldest fossils of the group are from the mid Cretaceous.
The Tenthredinoidea are the dominant superfamily of sawflies within the Symphyta, containing some 8,400 species worldwide, primarily in the family Tenthredinidae. All known larvae are phytophagous, and a number are considered pests.
The Blasticotomidae are a very small family of sawflies, containing only 13 species in 3 genera worldwide, restricted to temperate regions of Eurasia where the larvae are specialized stem borers of ferns.
The Pergidae are a moderate-sized family of sawflies occurring in the Western Hemisphere and the Australasian Region. The Pergidae are, with almost 450 described species, the third-largest family of Symphyta after the Tenthredinidae and the Argidae. Morphologically, most pergids are typically sawfly-like, but the form of the antennae varies considerably in number of segments and from simple to serrate and pectinate or even bipectinate. Sexual dimorphism is common and reflected in differences in type of antennae, colour, and size. Included are some of the few known apterous sawflies, those of the genus Cladomacra occurring in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, and a species with brachypterous females, Clarissa tasbates, in Tasmania.
Tenthredinidae is the largest family of sawflies, with well over 7,500 species worldwide, divided into 430 genera. Larvae are herbivores and typically feed on the foliage of trees and shrubs, with occasional exceptions that are leaf miners, stem borers, or gall makers. The larvae of externally feeding species resemble small caterpillars. As with all hymenopterans, common sawflies undergo complete metamorphosis.
Arge pagana is a sawfly in the family Argidae. It is known by the name "large rose sawfly" although the related species Arge ochropus is also known by this name.
Geometrinae is the nominate subfamily of the geometer moth family (Geometridae). It is strongly split, containing a considerable number of tribes of which most are presently very small or monotypic. These small moths are often a light bluish green, leading to the common name of emerald moths, though a few species called thus are also found in the tribe Campaeini of the Ennominae. In 2018, a phylogeny and classification based on a molecular phylogenetic analysis was published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society in which 13 tribes were accepted.
Arge scapularis or elm argid sawfly is a sawfly in the family Argidae. It is found across North America and commonly infests elm trees. The name "scapularis" refers to the insect's distinctive so-called "shoulder blades".
Arge cyanocrocea, the bramble sawfly, is a species of sawflies of the family Argidae, subfamily Arginae.
Arge ochropus, the rose sawfly, is a species belonging to the family Argidae subfamily Arginae.
Arge melanochroa is a species of the family Argidae, subfamily Arginae.
Arge berberidis, common name berberis sawfly, is a species of sawflies belonging to the family Argidae subfamily Arginae.
Neoptilia is a genus of argid sawflies in the family Argidae. There are at least two described species in Neoptilia.
Schizocerella pilicornis, commonly known as the purslane sawfly or portulaca sawfly, is a species of sawfly in the family Argidae. The larva is a leaf miner on Common Purslane.
Schizocerella is a genus of sawflies in the family Argidae. There are at least two described species in Schizocerella.
Sphacophilus cellularis is a species of sawfly in the family Argidae.
Sphacophilus is a genus of sawflies in the family Argidae. There are more than 30 described species in Sphacophilus.
Sterictiphora is a Holarctic genus of sawflies belonging to the family Argidae.
Arge similis, common name azalea argid sawfly, is an insect species from the family Argidae. The species was originally described by Samuel Constantinus Snellen van Vollenhoven.
