Xyelidae
Guides
Megaxyela
Megaxyela is a genus of primitive sawflies in the family Xyelidae, comprising 13 described extant species. The genus has a disjunct distribution spanning the eastern Nearctic and southeastern East Asia, with fossil species known from Colorado and Shandong, China. Members are external feeders on trees in the walnut family (Juglandaceae).
Megaxyela tricolor
Megaxyela tricolor is a species of sawfly in the family Xyelidae, the most primitive living family of Hymenoptera. The genus Megaxyela is characterized by its large body size relative to other xyelids. This species is known from Canada, with records from Ontario. Xyelid sawflies are typically associated with coniferous hosts, though specific host records for M. tricolor are not well documented.
Pleroneura
Pleroneura is a genus of sawflies in the family Xyelidae whose larvae are bud miners and shoot borers of fir (Abies) and spruce (Picea) species. Larvae feed within developing buds and shoots of conifers, with multiple species sometimes co-occurring on the same host tree. The genus occurs primarily in North America and Asia, with documented species attacking white fir in California, balsam fir in eastern North America, and Sakhalin spruce in Japan. Species-level taxonomy remains problematic, with recognition not currently based on fundamental characters.
Pleroneura bruneicornis
Balsam Shootboring Sawfly
Pleroneura bruneicornis is a species of sawfly in the family Xyelidae, commonly known as the Balsam Shootboring Sawfly. The species is associated with Abies (fir) hosts, particularly balsam fir. It belongs to a primitive lineage of Hymenoptera characterized by distinctive larval feeding habits in conifer shoots. The species is rarely observed, with limited occurrence records.
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.
Xyela minor
Xyela minor is a species of sawfly in the family Xyelidae. It is endemic to North America, with a range extending from Quebec to Florida and westward to British Columbia and California. The species is associated with multiple pine species as larval hosts.