Profenusa pygmaea - Oak Mining Sawfly

Benson (1952) described the range as north to Perthshire, but it is now distributed to northernmost mainland Scotland and the Inner Hebrides (Musgrove, 2023).

A small black bodies insect with uniformly infuscated wings. The tegulae, tibiae and basal tarsal segments are yellowish-white. The tergites have a fine microreticulated, or alutaceous, surface sculpture visible at high magnification. Males are unknown.

Profenusa pygmaea larvae mine in the upper cell layers of oak leaves.

Jump to other Profenusa species

Size: 3 - 4mm

GB IUCN Status: Least Concern
GB Rarity Status: None

Distribution: England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland

Flight period: May to July

Plant associations: Quercus robur and Quercus petraea (pedunculate and sessile oaks)

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. 2023. A review of the status of sawflies of Great Britain - Phase 2: The Athaliidae and the Tenthredinidae (excluding Nematinae). Natural England, unpublished