Tenthredo neobesa

Benson (1952) was not aware of records subsequent to those from Wicken Fen in the late 19th or early 20th century. Subsequent records found in a range of databases have all been confirmed to be erroneous based on a taxonomic error in some biological recording software (Musgrove, 2023).

A very dark species almost entirely black all over except for the more or less yellowish hind margin of the pronotum, tibiae and apical margins of tergites three to five. Wings infuscate especially at the apices.

Tenthredo neobesa larvae feed on sowthistles.

Jump to other species of Tenthredo

Size: 11 - 13mm

GB IUCN Status: Regionally Extinct
GB Rarity Status: Extinct

Distribution: England

Flight period: June to July

Plant associations: Sonchus arvensis (sowthistle)

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 Natural England, unpublished