Pristiphora bifida - Cleft Osier Sawyer
Pristiphora ruficornis group

Scattered records across England and Scotland. Benson (1958) knew of only one record, and since then it has been recorded just eight more times (three from one study) (Musgrove, 2024).

The tarsal claws are bifid with a long subapical tooth close to the apical one. Males have numerous stout black setae on the antennae amongst finer pale ones. In both sexes, the hind trochanter, trochantellus and tibia are partially pale.

Pristiphora bifida larvae feed on common osier.

Jump to other species of Pristiphora

Size: 4.5 - 5.5mm

GB IUCN status: Critically Endangered
GB rarity status: Nationally Rare

Distribution: England, Scotland

Flight period: Assumed May to August

Plant associations: Salix viminalis (Osier)

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 Natural England, unpublished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, 59

Prous, M., Vikberg, V., Liston, A. and Kramp, K., 2016. North-western Palaearctic species of the Pristiphora ruficornis group (Hymenoptera, Tenthredinidae). Journal of Hymenoptera Research, 51