About the Loosestrife Sawfly
Monostegia is a genus of sawfly. The authority is based on the description by Achille Costa and Oronzio Costa, although earlier work grants this to Fabricius 1798., though the most common species, M. abdominalis, bears the authority of Fabricius.
Adults: Head and thorax are black, with some yellow parts including mouthparts. Legs and abdomen mainly yellow, wings suffused with brown. Eggs: Smooth, white and oblong measuring 1 mm by 4 mm. Larvae: Caterpillar-like, growing from 2–4 mm to 16–21 mm. Pupae: Shorter and fatter measuring 8 mm in length, and become increasingly melanized.
Monostegia nigra Konow 1896 Distribution is holarctic, from Europe to Asia Minor and the Caucasus in the south, through to Siberia. Though it was only introduced to North America from Europe in the 1950s, where it naturalised, its range continues to expand. In 1979 its distribution in North America was from Quebec to New Jersey... Wikipedia →