Cimbicidae

Taxonomy

Superfamily: Tenthrediniodea
Family: Cimbicidae
Family common name: cimbicid sawflies
Subfamilies: Abiinae, Cimbicinae, Coryninae, Pachylostictinae

Background

The family Cimbicidae are generally robust, large sawflies that feed on deciduousdeciduous:
describing a tree that drops its foliage once a year and then re-grows it; often senescence occurs before winter and re-growth occurs in the spring
tree species. They are easily recognized by the distinctively club-like antennaeantenna:
the sensory organ emerging from the front of the head, usually between the compound eyes and above the clypeus; includes the flagellum, scape and pedicel
(Smith and Middlekauff 1987Smith and Middlekauff 1987:
Smith DR and Middlekauff WW. 1987. Suborder Symphyta. In: Stehr FW ed. Immature Insects. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company. Vol. 1: 754 pp.).

Diversity

Cimbicidae includes 22 genera and 205 species worldwide. Three genera and 13 species are NearcticNearctic:
describing the region of the Northern Hemisphere that includes North America south through northern Mexico
in distribution (Taeger et al. 2018Taeger et al. 2018:
Taeger A, Liston AD, Prous M, Groll EK, Gehroldt T, and Blank SM. 2018. ECatSymmdash;Electronic World Catalog of Symphyta (Insecta, Hymenoptera). Program version 5.0 (19 Dec 2018), data version 40 (23 Sep 2018). Senckenberg Deutsches Entomologisches Institut (SDEI), Muuml;ncheberg. https://sdei.de/ecatsym/ Accessed: 28 Jan 2020.).

North American genera

Abia
Factsheet for:Abia
Glossary:labial palpus:
appendage emerging laterally from the labium

Cimbex
Trichiosoma

Diagnostic characteristics

• pronotum pronotum:
  the anterodorsal part of the thorax, often situated posterior to the head
  medially constricted as seen from above (Goulet 1992Goulet 1992:
  Goulet H. 1992. The genera and subgenera of the sawflies of Canada and Alaska: Hymenoptera. Symphyta. The insects and arachnids of Canada. Part 20. Agriculture Canada Publication.)
• propleuron propleuron:
  a lateral sclerite located between the pronotum and episternum near the anterior of the body
  short ventrally (Goulet 1992Goulet 1992:
  Goulet H. 1992. The genera and subgenera of the sawflies of Canada and Alaska: Hymenoptera. Symphyta. The insects and arachnids of Canada. Part 20. Agriculture Canada Publication.)
• two fore tibialfore tibia:
  the tibia of the fore leg
  spurs present (Goulet 1992Goulet 1992:
  Goulet H. 1992. The genera and subgenera of the sawflies of Canada and Alaska: Hymenoptera. Symphyta. The insects and arachnids of Canada. Part 20. Agriculture Canada Publication.)
• first flagellomereflagellomere:
  A segment of the flagellum of the antenna
  relatively long, about 0.4–0.5X the length of the entire antennaantenna:
  the sensory organ emerging from the front of the head, usually between the compound eyes and above the clypeus; includes the flagellum, scape and pedicel
  (Goulet 1992Goulet 1992:
  Goulet H. 1992. The genera and subgenera of the sawflies of Canada and Alaska: Hymenoptera. Symphyta. The insects and arachnids of Canada. Part 20. Agriculture Canada Publication.)
• 5–7 antennal segments (Goulet 1992Goulet 1992:
  Goulet H. 1992. The genera and subgenera of the sawflies of Canada and Alaska: Hymenoptera. Symphyta. The insects and arachnids of Canada. Part 20. Agriculture Canada Publication.)
• antenna antenna:
  the sensory organ emerging from the front of the head, usually between the compound eyes and above the clypeus; includes the flagellum, scape and pedicel
  expanded at the apexapex:
  the end or most distal area of any structure
  ; club-like; clavateclavate:
  club-like, thickening toward the tip; often used to describe antennae
  (Goulet 1992Goulet 1992:
  Goulet H. 1992. The genera and subgenera of the sawflies of Canada and Alaska: Hymenoptera. Symphyta. The insects and arachnids of Canada. Part 20. Agriculture Canada Publication.)
• postocular postocular:
  describes area behind the compound eye
  area with a furrowfurrow:
  a groove or linear depression
  (Goulet 1992Goulet 1992:
  Goulet H. 1992. The genera and subgenera of the sawflies of Canada and Alaska: Hymenoptera. Symphyta. The insects and arachnids of Canada. Part 20. Agriculture Canada Publication.)
• tergites 2–5 folded above abdominal spiracles (Goulet 1992Goulet 1992:
  Goulet H. 1992. The genera and subgenera of the sawflies of Canada and Alaska: Hymenoptera. Symphyta. The insects and arachnids of Canada. Part 20. Agriculture Canada Publication.)

Host associations

In North America, Cimbicidae feed on deciduousdeciduous:
describing a tree that drops its foliage once a year and then re-grows it; often senescence occurs before winter and re-growth occurs in the spring
trees from the families Rosaceae, Betulaceae, Sapindaceae, Salicaceae, and Ulmaceae (Smith and Middlekauff 1987Smith and Middlekauff 1987:
Smith DR and Middlekauff WW. 1987. Suborder Symphyta. In: Stehr FW ed. Immature Insects. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company. Vol. 1: 754 pp.).

May be confused with

Cimbicidae can be distinguished from other Tenthredinoidea families by the number of antennal segments, the distinctive clavateclavate:
club-like, thickening toward the tip; often used to describe antennae
antennal form, and the wide, robust body shape (Goulet 1992Goulet 1992:
Goulet H. 1992. The genera and subgenera of the sawflies of Canada and Alaska: Hymenoptera. Symphyta. The insects and arachnids of Canada. Part 20. Agriculture Canada Publication.).

Life history

Cimbicidae in North America are external leaf feeders. LarvaeLarva:
the immature stage of holometabolous insects
are relatively large and remarkably caterpillar-like, and are usually found curled on the underside of leaves. This family includes a couple of economic pests (see Cimbex and Abia
Factsheet for:Abia
Glossary:labial palpus:
appendage emerging laterally from the labium
) that can cause defoliation (Smith and Middlekauff 1987Smith and Middlekauff 1987:
Smith DR and Middlekauff WW. 1987. Suborder Symphyta. In: Stehr FW ed. Immature Insects. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company. Vol. 1: 754 pp.).

Distribution

World: The range of the family includes Europe, Asia, North and South America (Goulet 1992Goulet 1992:
Goulet H. 1992. The genera and subgenera of the sawflies of Canada and Alaska: Hymenoptera. Symphyta. The insects and arachnids of Canada. Part 20. Agriculture Canada Publication.).

North America: Cimbicidae are common in boreal and temperate regions in the United States and Canada (Goulet 1992Goulet 1992:
Goulet H. 1992. The genera and subgenera of the sawflies of Canada and Alaska: Hymenoptera. Symphyta. The insects and arachnids of Canada. Part 20. Agriculture Canada Publication.).