Dolerus gilvipes

Very seldom recorded, with just five records from Scotland and northern England. The only recent record at time of writing was from the North York Moors in 2009 (Musgrove, 2023).

Dolerus gilvipes will key to Dolerus pratorum in Benson's key as he considered it a subspecies. However, distribution studies have shown that Dolerus gilvipes is a separate species with a subarctic distribution. According to Morice, Dolerus gilvipes has an entirely black abdomen and the stigma of the forewing is paler at the base than the apex. The tibiae, pronotum and tegulae are marked with reddish yellow.

Larvae are unknown but probably feed on horsetails. 

Jump to other Dolerus species

Size: Approx. 6mm

GB IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
GB Rarity Status: Nationally Rare

Distribution: England, Scotland

Flight period: May to June

Plant associations: Equisetum sp? (possibly horsetails)

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. D. 1981: Loderus gilvipes (Klug) in Scotland, with second British records of Pristiphora bifida Hellen and Nematus frenalis Thomson (Hymenoptera, Tenthredinidae). - The Entomologist's Record and Journal of Variation, London 93(11-12): 222-223

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

Morice, F. D. 1920: Loderus gilvipes Klug: a sawfly new to Britain. - The Entomologist's Monthly Magazine, Third Series, London 56 (670): 58-60

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 Natural England, unpublished