Symphytan
Guides
Tenthredo maxima
Tenthredo maxima is a sawfly species in the family Tenthredinidae, characterized by a broad connection between thorax and abdomen lacking the narrow 'wasp waist' of other Hymenoptera. The species comprises two recognized subspecies: T. m. maxima and T. m. retura (formerly T. retura). It occupies a unique phylogenetic position within the genus, forming its own species group with no close relatives in North America. The species has been extensively studied for its geographic variation across western North American mountain systems.
Xiphydria polia
Xiphydria polia is a species of wood-wasp in the family Xiphydriidae, a group of sawfly-relatives within Hymenoptera. Like other xiphydriids, it is a wood-boring insect whose larvae develop inside dead or dying hardwood trees. The family is characterized by a distinctive cornus—a spine-like projection at the tip of the abdomen present in both sexes. Very little specific information is documented for X. polia compared to better-known relatives such as Xiphydria maculata or the pigeon tremex (Tremex columba).