Hoplocampa brevis - Pear Fruit-borer

Very few records, scattered across south-east England, with no documented occurrence since 1967 (Miles 1936, Massee 1950). Pears are generally relatively scarce in the environment compared to related rosaceous shrubs and trees, but even so it seems likely that this species may be overlooked. There are some previous records from commercial orchards but most pest species are poorly reported (Musgrove, 2024).

One of the  Hoplocampa species with a darkened abdomen. The fore wing stigma is slightly darker at the base than at the apex. Males are unknown in Britain. In the female the ovipositor is as long as the hind tibia. The head is almost entirely light brown and there are brown patches on the lobes of the mesoscutum and scutellum. Wing venation yellow.

First recorded in two gardens in Cambridge in 1934 and then a severe infestation occured in pear orchards in Kent in 1949, but very few records since.

Hoplocampa brevis larvae feed inside the developing fruits of pear trees.

Jump to other species of Hoplocampa

Size: 5 - 5.5mm.

GB IUCN status: Regionally Extinct
GB rarity status: Extinct

Distribution: England

Flight period: Univoltine, April to May

Plant associations: Pyrus communis (pears).

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

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

Liston, A., Prous, M. and Vårdal, H., 2019. A review of West Palaearctic Hoplocampa species, focussing on Sweden (Hymenoptera, Tenthredinidae). Zootaxa, 4615(1), pp.1-45.

Massee, A. M. 1950: Hoplocampa brevis (Klug) (Hym., Tenthredinidae) recorded from Kent. - The Entomologist's Monthly Magazine, Fourth Series, London 86(11): 224

Miles, H. W. 1936: A revision of the British species of Hoplocampa Hartig (Hymenoptera, Symphyta). - The Entomologist's Monthly Magazine, Third Series, London 72(22): 58-62

Musgrove, A.J. 2024. A review of the status of sawflies of Great Britain - Phase 3: The Tenthredinidae (subfamily Nematinae). Natural England, unpublished