Gregarious-feeder
Guides
Anisota consularis
Florida oakworm moth, consular oakworm moth
Anisota consularis is a saturniid moth native to southeastern North America. Larvae feed on oak foliage, often in gregarious groups, and can cause noticeable defoliation during outbreak years. The species was described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1896 and is distinguished from related oakworms by its more restricted Florida-centered distribution.
Anisota fuscosa
Anisota fuscosa is a moth species in the family Saturniidae, described by Ferguson in 1971. It is currently recognized as a synonym of Anisota stigma. The genus Anisota includes several species of wild silk moths whose caterpillars are known as oakworms, feeding primarily on oak foliage. These caterpillars are gregarious feeders and can cause localized defoliation of host trees. Adults are typically active in spring and summer, with larvae descending to soil to pupate and overwinter.
Euura ribesii
Imported Currantworm
Euura ribesii is a sawfly species in the family Tenthredinidae, commonly known as the Imported Currantworm. It is a significant pest of currant and gooseberry plants (Ribes species), with larvae that feed gregariously on foliage. The species has been introduced to North America from Europe and is now established in multiple regions. Adults are small, wasp-like insects that lack the narrow waist characteristic of many other Hymenoptera.
Hypera quadricollis
hibiscus flea beetle
Hypera quadricollis is a minute weevil species in the family Curculionidae, historically classified under flea beetle genera Chaetocnema and Crepidodera due to morphological similarities. The species is strongly associated with rosemallow (Hibiscus spp.), particularly Hibiscus lasiocarpus, where adults feed gregariously on foliage. First described from Florida in 1878, it has since been recorded across eastern and central North America including Missouri and Alberta. The species was synonymized under Chaetocnema quadricollis by White (1996) in his revision of North American Chaetocnema, though current taxonomic databases list it under Hypera.
Neodiprion abbotii
Neodiprion abbotii is a conifer sawfly species in the family Diprionidae. As a member of the Diprioninae subfamily, it belongs to a group of primitive Hymenoptera that are among the few folivores capable of feeding on conifer needles. Adults are small, stingless wasps with a saw-like ovipositor used to insert eggs into conifer foliage. Larvae are caterpillar-like but possess more pairs of prolegs than Lepidoptera larvae and lack crochets.
Neodiprion abietis
balsam fir sawfly
Neodiprion abietis, the balsam fir sawfly, is a conifer-feeding sawfly native to North America. Larvae are gregarious defoliators that feed preferentially on balsam fir (Abies balsamea) needles, with outbreaks capable of causing significant tree mortality in eastern Canadian forests. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism in development, with females typically undergoing six instars over 35 days and males five instars over 30 days. Population dynamics are strongly regulated by a host-specific nucleopolyhedrovirus (NeabNPV), which has been developed as a registered biological insecticide (Abietiv™) for outbreak management.
Neodiprion edulicolus
Pinyon Sawfly, Pinyon Pine Sawfly
Neodiprion edulicolus, the pinyon pine sawfly, is a conifer-feeding sawfly endemic to the Intermountain Region of western North America. The species periodically undergoes population outbreaks causing extensive defoliation of singleleaf pinyon pine (Pinus monophylla), with over 100,000 acres affected during documented events in 1965-1966 in eastern Nevada. Unlike bark beetles and fungi that typically dominate conifer health concerns, this folivore can render host trees commercially unfit for Christmas tree sales. Outbreaks have historically been short-lived, with populations declining due to climatic factors and parasitoid pressure.
Neodiprion pratti
Virginia pine sawfly, jack pine sawfly
Neodiprion pratti is a conifer sawfly native to North America with documented populations in Canada and the eastern United States. The species exhibits complex host-associated population structure, with distinct populations adapted to specific pine hosts including Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana), jack pine (Pinus banksiana), sand pine (Pinus clausa), slash pine (Pinus elliottii), and longleaf pine (Pinus palustris). Populations show significant variation in life history, with northern forms typically univoltine and a distinctive West Florida population exhibiting winter-active phenology with adults emerging in October-November.
Neodiprion pratti pratti
Virginia pine sawfly
Neodiprion pratti pratti, the Virginia pine sawfly, is a conifer-feeding sawfly native to eastern North America. It is a univoltine species with larvae that feed gregariously on pine needles, particularly Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana) and pitch pine (Pinus rigida). The subspecies exhibits a distinctive winter-active life history in some populations, with adults emerging in late autumn and larvae feeding during the cool season. This phenology allows escape from egg parasitoids but exposes small larvae to periodic mortality from freezing events and ice storms.
Neodiprion virginianus
Neodiprion virginianus is a conifer sawfly (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae) that feeds on jack pine (Pinus banksiana). It is part of a species complex with variable taxonomy. The species has been documented causing localized defoliation outbreaks in northeastern North America, with populations capable of sudden collapse. Larvae are gregarious folivores that consume pine needles.
Tomostethus multicinctus
brownheaded ash sawfly
Tomostethus multicinctus, commonly known as the brownheaded ash sawfly, is a sawfly species in the family Tenthredinidae native to southern Canada and the eastern United States. Adults are wasp-like in appearance but do not sting. The larvae are specialized herbivores that feed gregariously on ash foliage, with a life cycle tightly synchronized with the leaf phenology of their host trees. Heavy infestations can cause complete defoliation within a week, though trees typically recover by producing new foliage.