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)

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 Natural England, unpublished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.