Phylloecus faunus - Forest Stem-sawfly

Added to the British list by Liston on the basis of a lectotype collected in 1838 by Newman in the London area. Three specimens, including the type specimen, were said to have been taken in the vicinity of London in the early 19th century. Although, the evidence currently suggests it is now Regionally Extinct in Britain, the lack of British records could be, in part, because Benson (1951) did not include this species in his keys. As a result, other specimens of faunus could have been misidentified as Phylloecus niger (Musgrove, 2022). According to Newman's original description this is an almost entirely black sawfly with reddish costa. Reddish-brown are the apices of the femora, the tibiae and the basal tarsal segments.

Phylloecus faunus larvae tunnel into the pith inside the growing tip of first year blackberry stems. The mature larva spins a cocoon in the tunnel and the adult emerges from the stem the following spring.

Jump to other Cephidae

Size: unknown

GB IUCN Status: Regionally Extinct
GB Rarity Status: Extinct

Distribution: England

Flight period: April to June

Plant associations: Rubus fruticosus agg. (blackberries).

The National Biodiversity Network records are shown on the map below. (See terms and conditions)

References:

Bruzzese, E., 1982. The host specificity of Hartigia albomaculatus (Hym.: Cephidae] and its potential effectiveness in the biological control of European blackberry. Entomophaga, 27(3), pp.335-342.

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

Musgrove, A.J. 2022. A review of the status of sawflies of Great Britain - Phase 1: families other than Tenthredinidae. Natural England, unpublished

Newman E (1838) Entomological notes. The Entomological Magazine 5[1837–1838](2, 4, 5): 483–500.