''Arge pagana'' is a sawfly in the family

Argidae Argidae is a large family of sawflies, containing some 800 species worldwide, primarily in tropical regions. The larvae are phytophagous, and commonly can be found feeding (and often pupating) in groups, though very few attain pest status. The ...

. It is known by the name "large rose sawfly" although the related species ''

Arge ochropus ''Arge ochropus'', the rose sawfly, is a species belonging to the family Argidae subfamily Arginae. Description The adults grow up to long and can be encountered from April to May.

'' is also known by this name.

Subspecies

* ''Arge pagana pagana'' (Panzer, 1798) * ''Arge pagana stephensii'' (Leach, 1817) (

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

)

Distribution

This species can be found in the

Palearctic realm The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Sibe ...

Description

''Arge pagana'' can reach a length of about 1 cm. Wings and veins on the wings are black, often with blue metallic sheen. Pronotum and legs are also black. Its most conspicuous feature is a large rounded yellow abdomen. It has a black head and thorax and the legs are largely black. Larvae reach about 25 mm and are pale green with black dots and a yellow head.Bulletin de la Société des sciences naturelles de l'Ouest de la France, 1902
/ref>

Biology

The eggs are laid on

rose A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...

s. Larvae appear in early summer and reach full size by the end of July. The larvae are gregarious and live in colonies feeding on rose leaves (''

Rosa Rosa or De Rosa may refer to: People *Rosa (given name) * Rosa (surname) *Santa Rosa (female given name from Latin-a latinized variant of Rose) Places *223 Rosa, an asteroid *Rosa, Alabama, a town, United States * Rosa, Germany, in Thuringia, G ...

'' species, '' Rosa acicularis'').Funet
/ref> The pupal period is very short. Adults feed on nectar and pollen from '' Tanacetum vulgare'' and '' Heracleum sphondylium''. During the warmer years there may be two or, rarely, three generations.

Gallery

Large rose sawfly (Arge pagana stephensii).jpg, ''A. p. stephensii'',

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

. laying eggs, the

ovipositor The ovipositor is a tube-like organ used by some animals, especially insects, for the laying of eggs. In insects, an ovipositor consists of a maximum of three pairs of appendages. The details and morphology of the ovipositor vary, but typical ...

can just be seen between the rear legs. Arge pagana 3 beentree.jpg, Scar on the shoot of rose after the hatching of eggs Arge pagana 5 beentree.jpg, Larva

References

External links

* A.Rame
LES TENTHREDES

Argidae Hymenoptera of Europe Insects described in 1798 Taxa named by Georg Wolfgang Franz Panzer {{sawfly-stub