Pteryperga galla Benson, 1938
 PERGIDAE,   SYMPHYTA,   HYMENOPTERA
  
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com )
and
Stella Crossley


(Photo: courtesy of Ian Bevege, Lilli Pilli, New South Wales)

These are not true Caterpillars, but are the larvae of a wasp, or more accurately a Symphytan. The larvae are gregarious, and they are often found in a knotted ball of many individuals.


communal cocoon
(Photo: courtesy of Ian Bevege, Lilli Pilli, New South Wales)

The larvae grow to a length of about 5 cms. They pupate in a communal cocoon on the trunk of an adjacent tree.


(Photo: courtesy of Nicholas John Fisher, Tamborine Mountain, Queensland)

The adult insect (it is misnamed as a 'fly') is big and brown, with a black head and thorax.

The larvae and adults of this family are quite harmless to people. They do not sting, as their cousins the communal wasps do.

This species has been found in

  • Queensland, and
  • New South Wales.

    Various other species of Sawflies are ubiquitous, being found in :

  • Australia, and
  • the rest of the world.

    Further reading :

    Robert Bernard Benson,
    A revision of the genus Pterygophorus Klug, sensu lato, with the description of two new genera (Hymenoptera, Symphyta),
    Annals and Magazine of Natural History,
    Vol. 1 (1938) p. 623..

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    (written 21 April 2024)