Eutomostethus ephippium
A small black and red sawfly. The thorax and mesopleura are orange-red. A black form previously considered as a northern race is now elevated to Eutomostethus nigrans. 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
Status: Common
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
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
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.