Symphyta
Guides
Tenthredo fernaldii
Tenthredo fernaldii is a species of common sawfly in the family Tenthredinidae. Like other members of the genus, it lacks the narrow 'wasp waist' characteristic of many Hymenoptera, with the abdomen attached broadly to the thorax. Adults are active in late summer and early autumn, and may be encountered on flowers or foliage. The species has been documented from the southwestern United States, with observations from Arizona.
Tenthredo mellicoxa
Tenthredo mellicoxa is a sawfly in the family Tenthredinidae. Adults are active in late summer and early autumn. The species has been documented in association with Hydrophyllum virginianum (Virginia waterleaf), a plant in the Boraginaceae family. Larvae feed on foliage of this host plant. Like other Tenthredo species, adults are predatory and feed on smaller insects in addition to consuming pollen and nectar.
Tenthredo xantha
Tenthredo xantha is a sawfly species in the family Tenthredinidae. Like other members of the genus Tenthredo, adults lack the narrow waist characteristic of many wasps and possess a broad connection between thorax and abdomen. The species is known from northern Canada, with records from Yukon, Northwest Territories, British Columbia, and Alberta. Adults are active in late summer and early autumn.
Tethida
Tethida is a genus of sawflies in the family Tenthredinidae, established by Ross in 1937. The genus contains at least one described species, Tethida barda. As a member of the suborder Symphyta, these insects lack the constricted 'wasp waist' characteristic of many other Hymenoptera.
Trachelus tabidus
Black Wheat Stem-sawfly
Trachelus tabidus is a stem-sawfly in the family Cephidae, commonly known as the Black Wheat Stem-sawfly. It is an agricultural pest of cereal crops, particularly wheat. The larvae bore inside stems, causing lodging and yield loss. It has been documented in North America and Europe, including the Azores.
Urocerus californicus
California Horntail
Urocerus californicus, commonly known as the California Horntail, is a large wood-boring wasp in the family Siricidae. Adults are striking insects with elongated, cigar-shaped bodies and prominent ovipositors in females. Despite their intimidating appearance, they are non-venomous and do not sting. The species is native to western North America, with records from Oregon, California, and British Columbia. Like other horntails, females bore into dead or dying hardwood trees to deposit eggs, introducing symbiotic fungi that help break down wood for larval consumption.
Urocerus cressoni
Black-and-red Horntail
Urocerus cressoni is a large wood-boring wasp in the family Siricidae, commonly known as the Black-and-red Horntail. Females range from 37–50 mm in length, males 18–37 mm. The species is native to North America and has been recorded across Canada from Nova Scotia to Manitoba. Like other horntails, females possess a prominent ovipositor for drilling into wood to deposit eggs, along with a shorter dorsal spine (cornus) that gives the family its common name. The species is non-venomous and poses no threat to humans.
Urocerus taxodii
Taxodium horntail
Urocerus taxodii is a species of woodwasp in the family Siricidae, described by Ashmead in 1904. As a member of the genus Urocerus, it shares the characteristic elongated, cylindrical body form and prominent cornus (horn-like projection at the abdomen tip) typical of horntails. The species is associated with Taxodium (cypress/bald cypress) as a larval host, as indicated by its specific epithet. Like other siricids, females possess a long ovipositor for drilling into wood to deposit eggs, and they vector wood-decaying fungi that serve as food for their larvae.
Waldheimia carbonaria
Waldheimia carbonaria is a species of sawfly in the family Tenthredinidae, first described by Cresson in 1880. It is a member of the suborder Symphyta, the group of Hymenoptera that includes sawflies and horntails, which lack the narrow waist characteristic of wasps, bees, and ants. The genus Waldheimia contains relatively few species, and W. carbonaria is among the better-documented members of this genus in North America. Like other Tenthredinidae, the larvae are likely herbivorous, though specific host plant associations remain poorly documented.
Waldheimia vitis
Waldheimia vitis is a sawfly species in the family Tenthredinidae, first described by Harris in 1841. As a member of the suborder Symphyta (sawflies), it lacks the constricted waist characteristic of wasps and bees in the suborder Apocrita. The species epithet 'vitis' suggests a potential association with grape plants (Vitis spp.), though specific host relationships remain poorly documented. Sawflies in this family are typically phytophagous, with larvae feeding on plant foliage.
Xeris
horntails
Xeris is a genus of horntails (woodwasps) in the family Siricidae, circumscribed by Achille Costa in 1894. The genus contains sixteen recognized species distributed across North America and Eurasia. Xeris species are distinguished from other siricid genera by specific wing venation and morphological features.
Xiphydria
wood wasps, xiphydriid wood wasps
Xiphydria is a genus of wood wasps in the family Xiphydriidae, distributed across the Holarctic region including Europe, Asia, and North America. Adults are characterized by a distinctive elongated 'neck' formed by the long propleuron, antennae with approximately 20 segments, and mandibles with four teeth. Females oviposit into diseased or dead wood of broadleaf trees and vector symbiotic fungi that decompose wood for larval consumption. The genus is univoltine with one generation per year. While generally of minor economic importance, some species can damage oak and other hardwoods.
Xiphydria abdominalis
Xiphydria abdominalis is a species of wood-wasp in the family Xiphydriidae, a group of sawflies that develop in decaying wood. The genus Xiphydria contains approximately 15 species in North America. These insects are associated with dead and dying hardwood trees, where larvae tunnel in the wood. Adults are diurnal and have been observed flying near host material. The species is part of a guild of wood-inhabiting insects that play important roles in forest decomposition processes.
Xiphydriidae
wood wasps, swordtail sawflies
Xiphydriidae is a family of approximately 150 species of wood wasps distributed worldwide across North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and other regions. Adults are distinguished by their globose (dome-shaped) heads borne on long, slender necks, with body lengths ranging from 6–21 mm. Larvae are wood borers in dead or dying trees and branches, where they feed on symbiotic fungi rather than wood directly. The family has a fossil record extending to the mid-Cretaceous, with the oldest known fossils from this period.
Xyela bakeri
Xyela bakeri is a Nearctic sawfly species in the family Xyelidae, first described by Konow in 1898. It belongs to the X. bakeri species group, which includes the Japanese X. fusca and an undescribed Chinese species—one of only two Xyela groups with trans-Beringian distributions. The species is endemic to North America with records spanning from Quebec to Florida and west to British Columbia, California, and the Yukon Territory. Larvae develop as internal feeders in pine cones, with documented hosts including multiple Pinus species in subgenus Pinus.
Zadiprion rohweri
Pinyon Pine Sawfly
Zadiprion rohweri, commonly known as the Pinyon Pine Sawfly, is a species of conifer-feeding sawfly in the family Diprionidae. It is associated with pinyon pine (Pinus edulis and related species) in the southwestern United States and Mexico. The species was described by Middleton in 1931 and is one of several Zadiprion species specialized on pine hosts. Sawflies in this genus are known for gregarious larval feeding that can cause noticeable defoliation.