Tenthredo amoena 

Recorded widely throughout England and in south-east Wales; Benson (1952) only knew this species north to Buckinghamshire and so a significant northwards range expansion seems to have occurred (Musgrove, 2023).

A black species richly marked with yellow and with a shiny, sparsley punctured head around the frons and inner orbits. Similar to Tenthredo distinguenda and Tenthredo thompsoni but in amoena the first antennal segment is entirely yellow and the tegulae are marked with yellow on the front margin. In the female this is the only Tenthredo species where the fifth tergite is yellow at the base and black at the apex.

Tenthredo amoena larvae feed on St John's-worts.

Jump to other species of Tenthredo

Size: 9 - 11mm

GB IUCN Status: Least Concern
GB Rarity Status: None

Distribution: England, Wales

Flight period: June to August

Plant associations: Hypericum perforatum, Hypericum maculatum (perforate and imperforate St John's-wort)

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

Fekete, K. (2018) Beginner’s guide to identifying British Tenthredo, Natural History Museum, London. http://www.nhm.ac.uk/content/dam/nhmwww/take-part/identification-trainers/sawflies-guide-id-trainees.pdf [Accessed 26Apr2019]

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 Natural England, unpublished

Taeger, A. 1991: Vierter Beitrag zur Systematik der Blattwespengattung Tenthredo Linnaeus. Die Untergattung Zonuledo Zhelochovtsev, 1988 (Hymenoptera, Tenthredinidae). - Entomofauna. Zeitschrift für Entomologie, Ansfelden 12(23): 373-398