Common sawfly

<em>Hoplocampa brevis</em>, the plum sawfly or common sawfly, is a hymenopteran insect in the family Tenthredinidae. The species is distributed across Europe and has been introduced to parts of North America, with records from Canada and the United States, typically in association with commercial plum and cherry orchards. Adults are small, wasp-like insects approximately 4–5 millimeters in length, with pale yellow-brown coloration. Females lay eggs inside flower buds of <em>Prunus</em> species during blossoming, and the hatching larvae burrow into developing fruitlets, feeding on the contents before exiting to pupate in the soil. Larval feeding causes fruitlets to drop prematurely, and infestations can cause economically significant losses in plum and damson production. The species is not currently evaluated on the IUCN Red List. Adults feed on nectar and pollen, and the species typically produces one generation per year, with adults emerging in spring coinciding with the blossoming period of host trees. The larvae are creamy white with a brownish head capsule and produce a distinctive, unpleasant odor when disturbed. Biological traits such as average lifespan, body weight, and detailed non-larval dietary composition remain poorly documented in standardized ecological databases.