Aneugmenus padi

Recorded widely across all of mainland Britain, and can be locally abundant (Musgrove, 2023).

A glossy black species with contrasting bright yellow legs and tegulae. Males of Aneugmenus padi are rarely encountered in Britain and Ireland . In the female, the pronotum and abdomen are entirely black. The abdomen is glossy with minimal microsculpture. The carina behind the genae runs at the sides of the head up to the level of the top of the eye. In the similar Aneugmenus temporalis, the carina only goes half way up the eye.

Larvae feed on ferns, especially bracken. They are green in colour and all larvae in the Aneugmenus genus have a v-notch in the first thoracic annulet behind the head visible when viewed face on.

Jump to other species of Aneugmenus

Size: 5 - 6mm

GB IUCN Status: Least Concern
GB Rarity Status: None

Distribution: England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland

Flight period: May to September

Plant associations: Pteridium aquilinum (bracken) and other ferns.

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

Lacourt, J. 1990: Le genre Aneugmenus Hartig 1837 en Afrique du nord (Hymenoptera Tenthredinidae). - Bulletin mensuel de la Société Linnéenne de Lyon, Lyon 59(6): 170-172

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

Musgrove, A.J. 2023. A review of the status of sawflies of Great Britain - Phase 2: The Athaliidae and the Tenthredinidae (excluding Nematinae). Natural England, unpublished

Niu, G.; Wei, M. 2013: Review of Aneugmenus Hartig (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae) with description of a new species from China and a key to world species (excluding Neotropical). - Entomotaxonomia, Wugong 35(3): 221-232.