Pristiphora subarctica - Subarctic Spruce Sawyer, Subarctic Spruce Sawfly
Pristiphora pallida group

There is just a single record from the Forest of Dean in 1949 (Benson 1950). Whilst spruce-feeding sawflies are generally very poorly recorded, and this species could well be overlooked, there is currently no evidence to treat this species as ever having become established in Britain (Musgrove, 2024).

The sawsheath is bulbous basally, tapering to the apex. The femur is yellow or infuscate on the underside. In the males, the under-thorax has at least the mesepimeron infuscate. Males can be distinguished by the penis valves.

Pristiphora subarctica larvae feed on Norway spruce.

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Size: Female: 5.0 - 6.0mm, male: 4.0 - 5.0mm

GB IUCN status: Not applicable
GB rarity status: Not Applicable

Distribution: England

Flight period: Assumed April to May

Plant associations: Picea abies (Norway spruce)

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.D., 1981. Pristiphora (Lygaeophora) lanifica (Zaddach, 1882) new to Britain (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae). Entomologist's gazette.

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 Natural England, unpublished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