Cimbicid sawfly vs koala

Abia lonicerae compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

• Cimbicid sawfly is Data Deficient while koala is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cimbicid sawfly	koala
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)
Family	Cimbicidae	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Abia	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Abia lonicerae	Phascolarctos cinereus

Evolutionary Relationship

Cimbicid sawfly and koala share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Cimbicid sawfly

DD — Data Deficient

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cimbicid sawfly	koala
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	75 cm
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cimbicid sawfly

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States.

koala

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, forests, and vegetated habitats.

Range

Found in Australia. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Cimbicid sawfly

Abia lonicerae, a species of cimbicid sawfly in the family Cimbicidae, is a stocky, wasp-like insect found across the Holarctic region, with a distribution spanning Europe and parts of Asia. The larvae feed on the foliage of honeysuckle (Lonicera) species, which gives the sawfly its species name. Adult Abia lonicerae are metallic-colored, often blue-green to bronze, and are among the larger sawfly species, reaching 10–15 millimeters in length. Adults are associated with flowers and are thought to be nectar feeders. Females use a saw-like ovipositor to insert eggs into the leaf tissue of host plants. The species is classified as Data Deficient by the IUCN, reflecting insufficient information to make a reliable assessment of its conservation status. Cimbicid sawflies are generally associated with deciduous woodland and woodland edge habitats where their host plants occur. The genus Abia encompasses multiple species distributed across the Holarctic, several of which share honeysuckle or related plants as larval hosts. As with many Hymenoptera, accurate distribution data are incomplete due to the challenges of surveying relatively inconspicuous insects. Maintaining diverse woodland edge habitats with abundant native honeysuckle is likely beneficial for Abia lonicerae populations.

koala

Iconic marsupial of eastern and southeastern Australia, koalas weigh up to 15 kg and spend up to 22 hours daily sleeping to conserve energy from their low-calorie eucalyptus leaf diet. Highly specialized to process toxic eucalyptus compounds that would kill most other mammals, they have gut microbiomes uniquely adapted for detoxification. Listed as Endangered in 2022, with populations decimated by chlamydia disease, habitat clearing, and climate change.