Sawfly Larvae

Description:

These waxy green and black sawfly larvae gave the edge of this buttonbush (Cephalanthus) leaf a lacey appearance. Sawfly larvae look like caterpillars (the larvae of moths and butterflies), with two notable exceptions; (1) they have six or more pairs of prolegs on the abdomen (caterpillars have five or fewer), and (2) they have two stemmata instead of a caterpillar's six. You can see what appears to be a later instar here: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/567...

Habitat:

Typical sawfly larvae are herbivorous, the group feeding on a wide range of plants. Individual species, however, are often quite specific in their choice of plants used for food. Pseudosiobla is the only sawfly genus known to feed on Cephalanthus. (Bug guide)

Notes:

Spotted on the bank of a wooded detention/retention pond in an office building complex in Kennesaw, GA