Pristiphora alpestris - Alpine Birch Sawyer
Pristiphora alpestris group

Despite its name (it was first discovered in Switzerland), this species has a southerly distribution in Britain with low numbers of records north to Yorkshire. Very few of the records have been in recent years, noteworthy for a southerly distributed species and more suggestive of a true decline than a similar pattern might imply for a northern species (Musgrove, 2024).

The female is best determined by the characteristics of the saw. Males are best determined by the penis valve.

Pristiphora alpestris larvae feed on birches and develop rapidly (10 to 15 days).

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Size: 5.0 - 6.0mm

GB IUCN status: Near Threatened
GB rarity status: Nationally Rare

Distribution: England, Wales

Flight period: May to July

Plant associations: Betula pendula and Betula pubescens (silver and downy birch)

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

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 Natural England, unpublished

Prous, M., Kramp, K., Vikberg, V. and Liston, A., 2017. north-Western Palaearctic species of Pristiphora (hymenoptera, tenthredinidae). Journal of Hymenoptera Research, Vol. 59