Family: Tenthredinidae
Family common name: common sawflies
Subfamily: Allantinae
Tribe: Empriini
Genus: Somanica D.R. Smith, 1979
Subgenera: none
The Tenthredinidae are the most species-rich family and are found throughout the world, in all continents but Antarctica. They are known as the “common sawflies.” They can generally be recognized by a cylindrical body and long, segmented antennae. Otherwise, they come in a variety of colors, sizes, and forms (Goulet 1992).
Sawflies in the Allantinae subfamily are mostly black and shining, sometimes with other colors. They have agricultural importance as some species are pests on cultivated and ornamental plants (Smith 1979a). They can be distinguished from other subfamilies by wing venation (Smith 2003a).
Somanica are small-sized, about 6–7 mm in length. There is a single North American species, S. occua, and it is recognized by a black body with red abdomen, red hind femur, and darkened wings (Smith 1979a, Taeger et al. 2010).
There is one described extant species worldwide, and it is Nearctic (Taeger et al. 2010).
A Nearctic key to species is included in Smith 1979a.
Subfamily characters
Genus characters​
Somanica can be confused with similar species in the subfamily Allantinae or tribe Empriini. It can be distinguished from most other genera by the lack of genal ridge, the circular emargination of the clypeus, and the tarsal claw inner tooth.
none
unknown
The biology of S. occua is unknown. Other genera in the subfamily are solitary external leaf feeders that overwinter in cells in the soil (Smith 1979a).
World: This genus is known only from North America (Taeger et al. 2010)
North America: Somanica occua occurs in Georgia (Smith 1979a).
Map data from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Entomology Collection (USNM)
Details about data used for maps can be found here.
Sawfly Gen
