Pristiphora erichsonii (Hartig, 1837)

Pristiphora erichsonii - Erichson's Larch Sawfly
Pristiphora erichsonii group

Scattered records across Britain. Noted by Benson (1958) as sporadically and locally abundant, but relatively few records are available, as with other species in commercial forestry. A useful summary by Hanson (1951) stated that this species was present in most (and abundant in some) larch plantations in the early 20th century but that infestations reduced rapidly and almost disppeared within a few years. The most significant infestations were noted in the Lake District and North Wales, where the species was still noted as present by 1949 but not in such numbers. Hanson noted the distribution as extending north to Inverness. The species continues to be reported on occasion, but given that larch plantations cover 126,000 ha in Britain (0.6% of land area), it seems likely to be widely overlooked (Musgrove, 2024).

Males are extremely rare. The females have a red banded abdomen and extensively pale antennae. The female can also be determined by the characteristics of the saw and sawsheath.

Pristiphora erichsonii larval food plant is European Larch and Japanese and American Larch where introduced. Larvae can be sporadically abundant and destructive.

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Size: 8.5 - 9.5mm

GB IUCN status: Data Deficient
GB rarity status: Nationally Rare

Distribution: England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland

Flight period: April to July

Plant associations: Larix decidua, Larix kaempferi and Larix laricina (European larch, Japanese larch and American larch)