Monostegia

Monostegia is a small genus with only five species globally distributed in the Palaearctic and Nearctic regions. In Britain and Ireland they are represented by one species.

The species are characterised within the Allantinae by the lack of a post-genal carina, hind tarsi that are only two thirds the length of the hind tibiae. On the antennae, the pedicle is shorter than the scape and less than 1.5 times as long as it is broad.

The larvae at maturity have a white waxy coating and feed on members of the Primulaceae family.

Species list:

Monostegia abdominalis (Fabricius, 1798)

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, 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

Schedl, W. 2016: Zur Biologie und Verbreitung von Monostegia nigra (Konow, 1896) in Nordtirol (Österreich) (lnsecta: Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae). - Linzer biologische Beiträge, Linz 48(1): 579-585.

Taeger, A. 1987: Ergänzungen zur Blattwespenfauna Bulgariens und Bearbeitung der Gattung Monostegia O. Costa (Insecta, Hymenoptera, Symphyta, Tenthredinidae). - Faunistische Abhandlungen Staatliches Museum für Tierkunde Dresden, Dresden 15(1): 1-10.