This Sawfly is approximately .50 inch long. Overall it is brown with yellow legs. The head is light brown and small with large black eyes. The wings are clear with a brownish tint. The larvae are green with many black bristles scattered over the body and grow to about .50 inch. This sawfly was identified to the genus Periclista by Dr. Dave Smith of the BugGuide website. Members of this genus cannot usually be identified to species from photographs.
The frequency of occurrence in this area is not known. It has been photographed once at Fontenelle Forest in early May 2013. It was on a Swamp White Oak near the Nature Center.
There are 20 species in the genus Periclista. The larvae of most species feed on oaks. They form cells in soil to pupate. The adult sawfly emerges the next spring.
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