Pamphiliidae

Definition

A family of sawflies (suborder Symphyta, superfamily Pamphilioidea) comprising approximately 200 species distributed across temperate regions of North America and Eurasia. Distinguished from other sawfly families by larvae that construct silk shelters—either rolling individual leaves into tubes or spinning communal webs—in which they feed gregariously or solitarily on host plants. The family comprises three subfamilies (Cephalciinae, Juralydinae, Pamphiliinae) with a fossil record extending to the Jurassic.

Etymology

From Pamphilius (type genus) + -idae (family suffix)

Example

Larvae of Acantholyda erythrocephala (head false web-spinning sawfly) spin dense silken webs on pine needles, while species of Neurotoma roll leaves of rosaceous shrubs into individual feeding shelters.

Synonyms

• leaf-rolling sawflies
• web-spinning sawflies

Related Terms

• Symphyta
• Pamphilioidea
• sawfly
• larval silk
• gregarious feeding
• Cephalciinae
• Pamphiliinae
• Acantholyda
• Neurotoma

Usage Notes

Distinguished from other sawfly families (Tenthredinidae, Cimbicidae, Diprionidae) by the combination of silk-producing larvae and leaf-rolling or web-spinning behavior. Not to be confused with web-spinning caterpillars (Lepidoptera), which use different silk proteins and have prolegs with crochets. The common names 'leaf-rolling sawflies' and 'web-spinning sawflies' apply to the family as a whole, though individual species may exhibit only one behavior.