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Cimbex quadrimaculatus (O.F. Müller, 1766) larva – Hymenoptera Symphyta Cimbicidae
This larva of about 4-5 cm, belongs to the Order Hymenoptera (wasps, bees and similar), Family of Cimbicidae and do not belongs to the butterflies (Order Lepidoptera). In Europe the largest species is the Cimbex quadrimaculata, also known as Palaeocimbex quadrimaculatus. Cimbicidae have phytophagous larvae, which feed on the leaves of trees and shrubs. The larvae of Cimbex quadrimaculata gnaw the leaf margins (mainly cherry tree) and once reached maturity, between June and July, they leave the host plant and take refuge under stones or deep down in the ground where they build a robust cocoon inside which they overwinter. There is only one generation per year, the hatching is at the last days of March and early April. [Major, 1951]
