Athalia liberta - Pallid Tigress

Recorded widely from Yorkshire southwards, with more sporadic records in central Scotland (Musgrove, 2023).

All the tibiae are ringed apically with black and the thorax is orangy on the sides and ventrally. Athalia liberta males cannot be distinguished from Athalia cornubiae. In females the hypopygium is not deeply incised either side of the middle.

Larvae feed on hedge garlic, hairy bittercress and hedge mustard.

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Size: 5-7mm

GB IUCN Status: Least Concern
GB Rarity Status: None

Distribution: England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland

Flight period: May to August

Plant associations: Alliaria petiolata (Garlic Mustard), Cardamine hirsuta (Hairy Bitter-cress) and Sisymbrium officinale (Hedge Mustard)

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

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 Natural England, unpublished