roseslug

(Endelomyia aethiops)

Conservation Status
roseslug
Photo by Alfredo Colon
  IUCN Red List

not listed

     
  NatureServe

not listed

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
           
           
 
Description
 
 

Roseslug is a very small common sawfly. It is native to northern Europe. It was introduced into North America, and now occurs from coast to coast in northern United States and southern Canada. It is uncommon in Minnesota.

Adults are wasp-like and to 3 16 (4 to 5 mm) long. The head, thorax, and abdomen are black. The abdomen is broadly joined to the thorax. The antennae are black, thread-like, and have nine segments. The wings are uniformly tinged dark smoky brown. The forewing does not have a vein crossing the cell on the leading margin (intercostal vein). The hindwing has three basal cells. The legs are mostly black. The second leg part (trochanter) has two segments. On the front and middle legs, the tip of the third leg segment (femur) and all of the fourth segment (tibia) are yellowish-white.

The larvae is looks like a caterpillar but is not. The term “caterpillar” refers only to larvae of moths and butterflies. The roseslug larva is up to (15 mm) long. The head is yellowish-brown. The body is translucent yellow. It often appears tinged green in the middle due to the contents of its gut. There are three pairs of true legs on the thorax and six pairs of fleshy, unsegmented, leg-like structures (prolegs) on the abdomen.

 
     
 

Size

 
 

Total length: to 3 16 (4 to 5 mm)

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat
 
 

 

 
     
 
Biology
 
 

Season

 
 

One generation per year: May through late June

 
     
 

Behavior

 
 

Larvae feed on leaves of rose plants. They eat only the epidermis and spongy layers of tissue on the underside of the leaf between the veins. The tissue that remains turns brown. The resulting damage is called windowpane skeletonization.

 
     
 

Life Cycle

 
 

Adults emerge in May. The female cuts into a leaf edge with her saw-like ovipositor and deposits her eggs. The eggs develop into embryos without first being fertilized by sperm (parthenogenesis). In late June the larvae drop to the ground and pupate. Pupa overwinter.

 
     
 

Larva Food

 
 

Leaves of rose (Rosa spp.)

 
     
 

Adult Food

 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

24, 29, 30.

 
  11/18/2019      
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Widespread but not common

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
 

Order

Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies)  
 

Suborder

Symphyta (horntails, sawflies)  
 

Superfamily

Tenthredinoidea (sawflies)  
 

Family

Tenthredinidae (common sawflies)  
 

Subfamily

Heterarthrinae  
  Tribe Caliroini  
 

Genus

Endelomyia  
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Endelomyia aethiops (misspelling)

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

roseslug

rose slug sawfly

 
       

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Femur

On insects and arachnids, the third, largest, most robust segment of the leg, coming immediately before the tibia. On humans, the thigh bone.

 

Proleg

A fleshy structure on the abdomen of some insect larvae that functions as a leg, but lacks the five segments of a true insect leg.

 

Tibia

The fourth segment of an insect leg, after the femur and before the tarsus (foot). The fifth segment of a spider leg or palp.

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
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Alfredo Colon

 
    roseslug      
           
 
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Other Videos
 
  Common Roseslug Sawfly Larvae - Endelomyia aethiops - Macro HD
Lisa Marie Carrick
 
   
 
About

Sep 9, 2018

Second instar common roseslug sawfly larvae (Endelomyia aethiops) being cute as heck! They’re also referred to as “rose skeletonizers”. Many people confuse sawfly larvae for caterpillars, but they are very different in many ways!

For more videos like this, follow me on IG at @garbage.nobility and/or check my personal arthropod related tag #garbagearthropodsetc to see all of my arthropod related posts in one place.

 
  Rose slug sawfly (Endelomyia aethiops)
MAD STEM MAN
 
   
 
About

Aug 17, 2016

The larvae are yellow to green like and almost translucent, caterpillar-like creatures, they are the ones who do the damage, you can see how it has eaten the leaves and some of the flower petals.

 
       

 

Camcorder

 
 
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  Alfredo Colon
Summer 2018

Location: Woodbury, MN

roseslug  
           
 
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Created: 11/18/2019

Last Updated:

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