Pachyprotasis rapae
Abdomen mostly black above and with dark stigma. The underside of the abdomen is extensively white. The mid-dorsal line of the tergites lacks any white on the apical margins that is broader there than on the lateral edges. The species has a diagonal median black stripe in addition to the black margins and a black sterno-pleural longitudinal band. The similar Pachyprotasis similans and variegata lack the diagonal stripe.
Larvae feed on a broad range of plants.
Size: 7 - 8mm
Status: Common
Distribution: England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland
Flight period: May to July
Plant associations: Betonica spp., Scrophularia spp., Solidago spp. and Fraxinus spp. (betony, figwort, golden rod and ash)
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- Pachyprotasis rapae female
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- Pachyprotasis rapae female
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- Pachyprotasis rapae male
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- Pachyprotasis rapae male
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- Pachyprotasis rapae male
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- Pachyprotasis rapae female
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