ENY 3005 Family Identification

Hymenoptera: Symphyta: Cimbicidae Pronunciation: cim-BIS-si-dee  Common name: cimbicid sawflies

Larva of Cimbex americana Leach, the Elm Sawfly. Caterpillars feed on elm, willow, and other hardwoods.

Identifying characteristics for the family Cimbicidae include:

• Suborder Symphyta: base of abdomen broadly joined to thorax.
• Large, robust sawflies, 18-25 mm in length.
• Antennae slightly clubbed.
• Trochanters 2-segmented; front tibia with 2 apical spurs.

• Larvae eruciform.
• Two subfamilies, 8 genera, and 12 species in North America. About 130 species worldwide.

References:

• Page 316 and plate 15 in D. J. Borror and R. E. White. 1970. A Field Guide to the Insects. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
• Page 370 in R. G. Bland and H. E. Jaques. 1978. How to Know the Insects, 3rd ed. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Co. 409 p.
• Page 702 in D. J. Borror, C. A. Triplehorn, and N. F. Johnson. 1989. An Introduction to the Study of Insects, 6th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders College Publishing. 875 p.
• Pages 26-28 in K. V. Krombein et al. 1979. Catalog of Hymenoptera in America north of Mexico. Washington : Smithsonian Institution Press. 3 volumes.
• Pages 579-583 in H. V. Daly, J. T. Doyen, and A. H. Purcell III. 1998. Introduction to Insect Biology and Diversity, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press. 680 p.

Links to other Hymenoptera taxa: Symphyta, Cimbicidae, Diprionidae, Siricidae, Braconidae, Ichneumonidae, Chrysididae, Scoliidae, Mutillidae, Formicidae, Pompilidae, Vespidae, Sphecidae, Halictidae, Apidae.