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)

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.