Tenthredinoidea

Definition

A superfamily of sawflies (Hymenoptera: Symphyta) encompassing approximately 8,400 described species worldwide, with the vast majority placed in the family Tenthredinidae. Members are characterized by phytophagous larvae that typically feed externally on foliage, and many species are economically significant as agricultural or forestry pests. Unlike the Apocrita (wasps, bees, and ants), Tenthredinoidea retain a broad, unspecialized connection between thorax and abdomen without the constricted 'wasp waist.'

Etymology

Example

The larch sawfly (Pristiphora erichsonii) and the introduced pine sawfly (Diprion similis) are tenthredinoid species whose larval outbreaks can cause extensive defoliation of conifer plantations in North America.

Related Terms

• Symphyta
• Tenthredinidae
• sawfly
• phytophagous
• Apocrita
• Hymenoptera

Usage Notes

Tenthredinoidea is the dominant and most species-rich sawfly superfamily, but specialists distinguish it from the smaller superfamilies Pamphilioidea and Siricoidea (woodwasps). The group is sometimes referred to informally as 'common sawflies' or 'leaf-feeding sawflies,' though these terms are not formal taxonomic synonyms. When discussing larval biology, note that all known tenthredinoid larvae are plant-feeders, in contrast to the predatory or parasitoid larvae of many Apocrita.