Don Herbison-Evans (
donherbisonevans@yahoo.com )
&
Stella Crossley
(updated 31 July 2008)
(Photo: courtesy of the
Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)
These are not true Caterpillars, but are the larvae of a Sawfly (which is really a wasp!). When young, these larvae are gregarious sitting side by side as they skeletonise a host plant leaf. They feed on :
They have very strong jaws, one group we captured gnawing through a plastic container in which we had housed them, leaving a little pile of plastic powder by their exit hole. They grow to a length of about 4 cms.
They pupate in a naked pupa without any covering or cocoon in the leaf litter.
An adult wasp (it is misnamed as a 'fly') has pretty orange and black bands on its body. Its wingspan is about 2 cms. The species has been found in New South Wales.
Other Saw Fly species have different foodplants.
Link to
other non-caterpillars
 butterflies |
 caterpillars |
 moths |
