Arge pagana

Arge pagana
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Suborder:	Symphyta
Family:	Argidae
Genus:	Arge
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 in early summer and reach full size by the end of July. They reach about 25 mm and are pale green with black dots and a yellow head. The larvae are gregarious and live in colonies feeding on rose leaves. The pupal period is very short. During the year there may be two or, rarely, three generations.

Larva
Scar on the shoot of rose after the hatching of eggs
A. p. stephensii, Oxfordshire. laying eggs, the ovipositor can just be seen between the rear legs.