Eutomostethus ephippium
Easily recognised and recorded across most of mainland Britain, as well as Skye (Musgrove, 2023).
This species has two colour forms. The commonest form in the south has the thorax and mesopleura orange-red. In the black form, previously considered as a northern race and once elevated to Eutomostethus nigrans, lacks the orange-red on the thorax and mesopleura. Only females known in Britain and Ireland.
Larvae feed on soft grasses such as annual meadow grass.
Jump to other Eutomostethus species
Size: 4 - 5mm
GB IUCN Status: Least Concern
GB Rarity Status: None
Distribution: England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland
Flight period: Possibly bivoltine, May to June and August
Plant associations: Gramineae (grasses, especially meadow grasses.)
The National Biodiversity Network records are shown on the map below. (See terms and conditions)
- Eutomostethus ephippium Credit Andrew Green
- Eutomostethus ephippium Credit Andrew Green
- Eutomostethus ephippium Credit Andrew Green
- Eutomostethus ephippium Credit Andrew Green
- Eutomostethus ephippium var. nigrans female Credit Andrew Green
- Eutomostethus ephippium var. nigrans female Credit Andrew Green
- Eutomostethus ephippium var. nigrans female Credit Andrew Green
References:
Benson, R.B., 1952. Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects. Hymenoptera, Symphyta, Vol 6, Section 2(a-c), Royal Entomological Society, London
Blank, S.M. and Taeger, A., 1998. Comments on the taxonomy of Symphyta (Hymenoptera). Pflanzenwespen Deutschlands (Hymenoptera, Symphyta).–Krefeld, pp.141-174.
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 Natural England, unpublished
Liston, A., Mutanen, M., Heidemaa, M., Blank, S.M., Kiljunen, N., Taeger, A., Viitasaari, M., Vikberg, V., Wutke, S. and Prous, M., 2022. Taxonomy and nomenclature of some Fennoscandian Sawflies, with descriptions of two new species (Hymenoptera, Symphyta). Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift, 69(2), pp.151-218.
Macek, J. (2014) ‘Descriptions of larvae of the Central European Eutomostethus species (Hymenoptera: Symphyta: Tenthredinidae)’, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae, 54(2), pp. 685–692.