Pristiphora cincta - Banded Sawyer
Species not placed in a group

Widespread to northern Scotland, fairly frequently recorded. Benson (1958) considered there to be two subspecies, with that feeding on Vaccinium to be much the more frequent, 'reaching even the summits of the highest Scottish Mountains'. Prous et al. (2017) note that more than one species may be involved (Musgrove, 2024).

More than one species may be concealed within Pristiphora cincta. Possibly a lowland species feeding on birch and a highland species feeding on bilberry. The female abdomen is red girdled on up to four middle tergites. Males often have a red girdle on the abdomen (lowland specimens?) but are best determined by examination of the penis valves.

Pristiphora cincta larvae feed on downy birch, willows, bilberry and bog bilberry.

Jump to other species of Pristiphora

Size: 5.5 - 6.5mm

GB IUCN status: Least Concern
GB rarity status: None

Distribution: England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland

Flight period: April to June

Plant associations: Betula pubescens, Salix spp., Vaccinium myrtillus and Vaccinium uliginosum (downy birch, willows, bilberry and bog bilberry)

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 Natural England, unpublished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