Abia candens Konow, 1887

Abia candens

Abia candens is similar to Abia sericea but less common. The antennae in both sexes are dark on the apical and basal segments with middle segments yellow. In Abia sericea the antennae are usually all yellow and never with segment three bicolorous.

Larvae feed on scabious. Eggs are deposited into pockets cut along the edge of the leaf blade. Each pocket may be expanded to accomodate an additional egg. Eggs develop for two weeks. The larvae develop over a three to four week period. A cocoon is made below ground. Abia candens larvae lack a row of black dots on the dorsal midline and have an entirely pale suprapedal lobe.

Size: approx. 10mm

Status: Local

Distribution: England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland

Flight period: May to August

Plant associations: Succisa pratensis and Knautia arvensis (devil's bit scabious, field scabious)

The National Biodiversity Network records are shown on the map below. (See terms and conditions)

References:

Benson, R.B., 1952. Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects. Hymenoptera, Symphyta, Vol 6, Section 2(a-c), Royal Entomological Society, London

Kangas, E. 1960: Über die Biologie und die Larve von Abia candens. Kon. (Hym., Cimbicidae). - Annales Entomologici Fennici, Helsinki 26: 51-56

Hackston, M (2014). Family Cimbicidae: Key to the British species. https://sites.google.com/site/mikesinsectkeyshymenoptera/Home/hymenoptera/symphyta/superfamily-tenthredinoidea/family-cimbicidae [Accessed 25Apr2019]

Liston A, Knight G, Sheppard D, Broad G, Livermore L (2014) Checklist of British and Irish Hymenoptera - Sawflies, ‘Symphyta’. Biodiversity Data Journal 2: e1168. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.2.e1168

Savina, H. and Liston, A., 2009. European Abia species feeding on Dipsacaceae, with description of the larva of A. fulgens Zaddach, 1863 (Hymenoptera, Symphyta, Cimbicidae). Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France, 114(3), pp.265-276.