Neurotoma fasciata (Norton), the cherry webspinning sawfly, occurs from 
Quebec to Florida, west to Wisconsin, Missouri, and Arkansas. Its hosts are listed 
as black and pin cherries. The full-grown larva has a shiny black head and 
prothoracic plates, and a deep green body; it is about 18 mm long. The larvae are 
gregarious and construct dirty-brown nests on branches and shoots, especially on 
young trees. Prepupae overwinter in cells in the soil and some of these pupate in the 
spring. The remainder do not pupate until late fall or the following spring. The 
related species, N. crataegi Middlekauff, feeds on hawthorn from Massachusetts 
and New York, west to Manitoba, Wisconsin, and Illinois. 
Superfamily Tenthredinoidea 
Sawflies 
Members of the superfamily Tenthredinoidea are commonly called sawflies 
because of the sawlike ovipositor of the female. The ovipositor is composed of three 
main pieces held within protecting sheaths. The upper piece is rigid and consists of 
a pair of fused lances, with ventral grooves along which the other two pieces slide. 
These last two are called the lancets, or saws. They consist of thin plates with their 
flat inner surfaces together. Each plate is usually shaped like a long, acute triangle 
with the dorsal edge along a groove of the lance. The ventral edge is usually 
sawtoothed. The rod that attaches the blade to the abdomen and controls its 
movements originates at the narrow base of the lance. 
Sawfly larvae resemble lepidopterous larvae but are usually naked. A few, 
however, are spined, hairy, or covered with a gummy or waxy secretion. The best 
single feature for distinguishing sawfly larvae from lepidopterous larvae is the 
presence of only one simple eye on each side of the head—lepidopterous larvae 
have six on each side. When disturbed, the larvae of certain sawfly species curl up 
and lie on their sides, whereas others hold their abdomens aloft over their heads or 
raise the head and thorax. The majority are external feeders on foliage, either eating 
entire leaves or skeletonizing them. Some feed from within; a few feed within 
mines in the leaves, leaf petioles, and twigs; some produce galls on the leaves or 
shoots; and a few feed on catkins, buds, or fruits. When they reach maturity they 
either spin cocoons or construct cells in which to pupate. Cocoons may be spun on 
leaves, twigs, or other parts of the host, or they may be spun in the litter or soil 
beneath the trees. Cells are formed in pith, bark, and brashy wood, or in the 
ground. Leafmining species sometimes form their cocoons within their mines. 
Sawfly adults frequently resemble small bees or wasps, except for their antennae 
and the broad connection between thorax and abdomen. The antennae may be 
feathered, clubbed, threadlike, forked, or may bear spurs on some of the joints. 
Sawflies constitute one of the most destructive groups of insect defoliators in 
eastern forests. Outbreaks occur frequently and sometimes spread over large areas 
and persist for several years before subsiding. Damage is often severe, especially in 
coniferous plantations. Outbreaks of an increasing number of species infesting 
pines have been reported during recent years, possibly as a result of the establish- 
ment of numerous pine stands in planting programs. Lists of the species in the 
superfamily occurring in America north of Mexico have been published (697). 
Family Pergidae 
Pergid Sawflies 
The family Pergidae is represented in Canada and the United States by only one 
genus, Acordulecera. Four species are now listed from the Eastern United States 
west to Arizona (697). Full-grown larvae are usually greenish with light or blackish 
heads and distinct lateral lobes, and measure less than 12 mm long. Each body 
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