Arge pagana

Arge pagana
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Suborder: Symphyta
Superfamily: Tenthredinoidea
Family: Argidae
Subfamily: Arginae
Genus: Arge (genus)
Species: A. pagana
Binomial name
Arge pagana
(Panzer, 1798)

Arge pagana is a sawfly in the family Argidae. It is known by the name "large rose sawfly" although the related species Arge ochropus is also known by this name

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 conspciuous feature is a large rounded yellow abdomen. It has a black head and thorax and the legs are largely black. Adults feed on nectar and pollen from Tanacetum vulgare and Heracleum sphondylium.

The eggs are laid on roses. Larvae appear on the first half of July and they acquire their full size at the end the same month. They reach about 25 mm and are pale green with black dots and a yellow head. These larvae are gregarious and live in colonies feeding on leaves of roses (Rosa acicularis). The pupal period is very short as the larva, buried from July 20 to 25, provides the perfect insect in the first days of August. During the year there may be two, rarely three generations of insects.

Distribution

This species can be found in the Palearctic ecozone.

Subspecies


References



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