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Spitfire
Conservation status: ?
From their dark colour and white bristles, these larave are most likely to be a species of Perga sawfly. Sawflies aren't actually flies, but are related to wasps.
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Scientific Classification
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Hymenoptera
Pergidae
Perginae
Perga
sp.
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Larvae, such as these, are known as "Spitfires" because they have a nasty habit of dribbling concentrated Eucalyptus oil from their mouths when upset. Many birds don't like the taste of the oil. The larvae will also raise and wave their tails around in a threatening manner. The oil and this behaviour is harmless to humans, though it can be startling.
At night, the larvae leave the group to feed individually. When it is time to huddle together again for protection during the day, the Spitfires tap their tails on the branches to find each other.
Fully grown Spitfires leave their trees and bury themselves in the ground to pupate over Summer. They emerge as adults in the Autumn. Adult sawflies are short-lived and rarely seen. Unlike many wasps, they don't sting.
After mating, a female will select a Eucalyptus leaf and scrape off the hard, outer waxy coating of the leaf. She then cuts a slit into the leaf and lays her eggs in a row in the slit. This is how the group got their common name of "Sawfly". The young sawfly larvae hatch after a couple of weeks and then feed for several months on leaves before they are ready to become adults.
Perga is the dominant genus of Spitfire sawfly. In south-eastern Australia, they have been known to totally strip young trees of their leaves.
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References:
- "Encyclopedia of Australian Wildlife"; Reader's Digest (Australia) Pty Ltd; Ultimo; 2010; pg 551.
- "Field Guide to Insects in Australia, A" by Paul Zborowski and Ross Storey; Reed New Holland (Australia) Pty Ltd; 3rd Edition; 2010; pg 249.
- Atlas of Living Australia - Perga
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