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Bottlebrush Sawfly

Pterygophorus cinctus

Photo by Mark Ridgway
Published on Project Noah
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-37.894, 145.311

Field Notes

Description:

Robust bodied, up to 25mm long, black head, strong orange and black pattern on thorax and banding on abdomen. Notable lack of waist like wasp. Some had feathery antennae and some had knobbly ones. Clear wings with dark veins.

Habitat:

Dozens on the trunk of large maleleuca

Notes:

family: PERGIDAE <br>
subfamily: Pterygophorinae <br>
http://bie.ala.org.au/species/Pterygophorus+cinctus# <br>

Reference Links:

Image #3 of the bug Bottlebrush Sawfly (Phylacteophaga cinctus)

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (6)
Latimeria
Robust indeed! They look like they're wearing shoulder pads.
MartinL
They are likely to be mating but the overlap is curious. Maybe sawflies have an odd physiology. I guessed the male by its smaller size and the more ornate antennae makes sense too. Well done, this is a good study.
Mark Ridgway
(the males are identifiable partly from the more complex shape to their antennae)
Mark Ridgway
Thanks martin again. I just found it while searching for my next thing which looks like a fly. Maybe I've got that so wrong too. Stay tuned for another laugh...
MartinL
These guys confused me until I discovered sawflies. (Yes, those spitfires do grow up.) I had trouble with this spotting http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/7853275 that looks kind of similar. Note - shoulder pads are shiny and smooth - sawflies have no narrow waist as other hymenoptera do - antennae are pinnate rather than elbowed (ant-like). What do you think?

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Mimetic Animals of the World
Mission
Hymenoptera of the world -- bees, ants and all their friends
Mission
Dandenong Ranges - fauna & flora

Tags

Photographed
PublishedJanuary 4, 2012

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