OzAnimals.com
Australian Wildlife

  Melaleuca Sawfly (Lophyrotoma zonalis)





Melaleuca Sawfly | Lophyrotoma zonalis photo
Melaleuca Sawfly, Swifts Creek, Victoria

Image by Fir0002/Flagstaffotos - GNU Free Documentation License.    (view image details)

Melaleuca Sawfly | Lophyrotoma zonalis photo
Melaleuca Sawfly, Swifts Creek, Victoria

Image by Fir0002/Flagstaffotos - GNU Free Documentation License.    (view image details)







MELALEUCA SAWFLY FACTS

Identification
The Melaleuca Sawfly is an orange and black sawfly. The head is bluish black with comb shaped or serrated antennae. The thorax and abdomen are orange and black. The lower parts of the legs are pale coloured. The wings are smoky blue black and held over the abdomen when at rest. The larvae are greenish caterpillars with dark head, and tail tapering to a point.

Other Names
Paperbark Sawfly

Size
20 mm

Habitat
Melaleuca plants

Food
As its name suggest, the Melaleuca Sawfly feeds on Melaleuca plants. It is only the larvae that feed on leaves.

Breeding
The adult lays eggs on leaves which hatch into larvae. The larvae feed on paperbark leaves until they pupate and eventually hatch out as adult sawflies.



Classification
Class:Insecta
Order:Hymenoptera
Family:Pergidae
Genus:Lophyrotoma
Species:zonalis
Common Name:Melaleuca Sawfly