Sirex areolatus - Areolate Woodwasp

Native to North America and probably only found in Britain when emerging from imported timber. Several specimens were taken in Coventry in 1923/24. Even if other undocumented records have occurred, it is clearly no more than an occasional import (Musgrove, 2022). Sirex areolatus adults have predominantly blue-black legs, head, and thorax. The female abdomen is wholly blue-black and in the male, it is black only on the basal and apical abdominal segments, with the central tergites being red-brown. The wings are smoky to violaceous.

Areolate Woodwasp larvae feed in timber of various non-native coniferous species for up to 3 years.

Jump to other Sirex species

Size: Approx. 10 to 40mm

GB IUCN Status: Not Applicable
GB Rarity Status: Not Applicable

Distribution: England (not established)

Flight period: June to October

Plant associations: Pinaceae spp. (pines, cedars, junipers, firs, redwood) including Cupressus macrocarpa (Monterey cypress), Calocedrus decurrens (Californian incense-cedar), Sequoia sempervirens (coastal redwood), Thuja spp. (white-cedar and red-cedar), Taxodium distichum (swamp cypress), Pinus contorta (lodgepole pine), Pinus radiata (Monterey pine), Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas fir).

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. 2022. A review of the status of sawflies of Great Britain - Phase 1: families other than Tenthredinidae. Natural England, unpublished

Schiff, N.M., Goulet, H., Smith, D.R., Boudreault, C., Wilson, A.D. and Scheffler, B.E., 2012. Siricidae (Hymenoptera: Symphyta: Siricoidea) of the western hemisphere. Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification 21: 1-305, 21, pp.1-305.