Diprion pini

Identification

Diprion pini is very similar to the sympatric European species D. similis, in adults of both sexes. These two species are distinguished from all others by the versicolored propleurae. Both are discriminated by bicoloredbicolored:
having two colors, with the change between these colors being abrupt.
protibiae from D. jingyuanensis, D. koreanus, D. liuwanensis, D. nipponicus, and D. wenshanicus.

Female Diprion pini are distinguished from D. similis by the irregularity of annular serration on gonapophyses VIII. Contrary to Viitasaari and Varama (1987)Viitasaari and Varama (1987):
Viitasaari M. and Varama M. 1987. Sahapistiäiset 4. Havupistiäiset (Diprionidae). [In Finnish.] Helsingen yliopisto. Maatalous ja metsäeläintieteen laitos. Julkaisuja 10: 79 pp., coloration of the scape and pedicel is not useful for distinguishing females of these species.

The male is distinguished from D. similis by distaldistal:
remote from the body.
infumation of the hindwing, by the proximoventral and distoventral corners of the valvicepsvalviceps:
the distal end of the penial sclerite. There is no explicit anatomical boundary between the valviceps and the remainder of the penial sclerite.
being equally low in their extent below the long axis of the penial scleritepenial sclerite:
paired sclerites of the male genitalia that convey spermatozoa into the female genital tract (Boudinot 2018). In Diprion, these presumably also help anchor the male in place during mating. Penial sclerites in Diprion have a hatchet-like shape, with the valvura being the 'haft' and the valviceps the 'head'.
. Diprion pini and D. similis are together distinguishable from all other Diprion spp. in the presence of occipital maculae.

Discrimination between D. pini and D. similis is far easier for larval specimens, which in the final feeding instarinstar:
the stages of the sawfly larva, delimited by moulting events in which the larva sheds its exoskeleton and thus grows larger. The appearance of the larva changes dramatically throughout its growth from hatching to prepupa. The number of instars may differ according to sex.
of D. pini are pale white, yellow, or green, with a single row of black spots.

Plant associations

The common pine sawfly prefers Scots, Austrian, Monterey, and lodgepole pine (Barre et al. 2002Barre et al. 2002:
Barre F, Milsant F, Palasse C, Prigent V, Goussard F, Geri C. 2002. Preference and performance of the sawfly Diprion pini on host and non–host plants of the genus Pinus. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 102: 229–237.). Larvae may successfully develop on many pine species and have also been observed feeding on spruce (Picea) and fir (Abies) (Smith 1974Smith 1974:
Smith DR. 1974. Conifer sawflies, Diprionidae: key to North American genera, checklist of world species, and new species from Mexico (Hymenoptera). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 76(4): 409–418.).

View full screen host table here

Distribution

In Europe and eastwards to Yakutia, Russian Federation (Popov 2022Popov 2022:
Popov AA. 2022. Distribution of dendro– and tamnobiont Symphyta fauna (Hymenoptera, Symphyta) in the middle taiga subzone of Yakutia. [In Russian.] Arctic and Subarctic Natural Resources 27(4): 561–571.), extending also into the Maghreb (Pschorn-Walcher 1982Pschorn-Walcher 1982:
Pschorn-Walcher H. 1982. Unterordnung Symphyta. [In German.] In W. Schwenke (ed.), Die Forstschädlinge Europas. Parey, Hamburg: pp. 4–196.) and Anatolia (Simsek and Kondur 2017Simsek and Kondur 2017:
Simsek Z, Kondur Y. 2017. Determination of the natural enemies of Diprion pini L. (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae) in Cankiri, Turkey. Fresenius Environmental Bulletin 26(11): 6749–6759.). Records in North America can be disregarded as erroneous.

Natural enemies

The wasp Neochrysocharis formosa (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eulophidae) is an effective parasitoid of the common pine sawfly, attacking the eggs (Simsek and Kondur 2017Simsek and Kondur 2017:
Simsek Z, Kondur Y. 2017. Determination of the natural enemies of Diprion pini L. (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae) in Cankiri, Turkey. Fresenius Environmental Bulletin 26(11): 6749–6759.).

The true flies Drino inconspicuoides and Diplostichus janithrix (Diptera: Oestroidea: Tachinidae) are  larval parasitoids of Diprion pini (Eichhorn 1977Eichhorn 1977:
Eichhorn O. 1977. Autökologische Untersuchungen an Populationen der gemeinen Kiefern-Buschhornblattwespe Diprion pini (L.) (Hym.: Diprionidae). II. Zur Kenntnis der Larvenparasiten und ihrer Synchronisation mit dem Wirt. [In German.] Zeitschrift fur Angewandte Entomologie 83(1): 15–36., Sharov 1993Sharov 1993:
Sharov AA. 1993. Biology and population dynamics of the common pine sawfly, Diprion pini L., in Russia. Wagner M, Raffa KF (eds.): Sawfly Life History Adaptations to Woody Plants, pp. 409–429.).

Taxonomy

Basionymbasionym:
the original combination of a species name, consisting of the genus name and a specific epithet.
: Tenthredo pini Linnaeus, 1758

Junior synonyms: Tenthredo dorsata Fabricius, 1781; Tenthredo eques Schrank, 1782; Tenthredo pineti Bechstein & Scharfenberg, 1805; Lophyrus pini var. nigripectus Matsumura, 1912; Diprion pini var. klugi Enslin, 1916; Diprion pini var. nigristernis Enslin, 1916; Diprion pini var. nigroscutellatum Enslin, 1916; Diprion butovitschi Hedqvist, 1967

Obsolete or incorrect combinations: Pteronus pini, Hylotoma pini, Lophyrus pini, Lyda pini