Periclista pubescens
Recorded widely across England and Wales north to Co Durham; no Scottish records at time of writing.
The head and the abdomen are generally dark as is the stigma. The thorax is dulled by very fine, shallow punctures. The antennae are longer than P. lineolata and segment 3 is equal to or shorter than segments 7 and 8 combined.
In the male, the tergites have pale apical margins. The legs have black femora, white tibiae (apically brown) and brown tarsi. In the female, the abdomen is laterally marked with reddish-yellow on the downturned face of each tergite and the femora and tibiae are mainly reddish-yellow.
Periclista pubescens larvae feed on sessile and English oak. Eggs are deposited into the unfurling leaf buds. This species has the longest branched bristles of the British species, with the bristles dorsally having the branches clearly shorter than the long stems. The anal segment has a single row of four spines. The central pair are forked and the outer pair are simple but may be angled.
Jump to other Periclista species
Size: 6 - 7mm
GB IUCN Status: Least Concern
GB Rarity Status: None
Distribution: England, Wales
Flight period: April to May
Plant associations: Quercus petraea and Quercus robur (sessile and English oak)
The National Biodiversity Network records are shown on the map below. (See terms and conditions)
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- Periclista pubescens female Credit Andrew Green
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- Periclista pubescens female Credit Andrew Green
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- Periclista pubescens female Credit Kate Wright
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- Periclista pubescens female Credit Kate Wright
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- Periclista pubescens female Credit Kate Wright
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- Periclista pubescens female Credit Kate Wright
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- Periclista pubescens eonymph Credit Andrew Green
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- Periclista pubescens larva Credit Andrew Green
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- Periclista pubescens larva Credit Andrew Green
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- Periclista pubescens larva Credit Ian Andrews
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
Lorenz, H. and Kraus, M., 1957. Die Larvalsystematik der Blattwespen (Tenthredinoidea und Megalodontoidea) aus dem Zoologischen Inst. Univ. Erlangen. Abh. Larvalsyst. Ins, (1).
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