Tomostethus nigritus
Outbreaks of large populations have become more common in recent years defoliating trees, especially in city locations: Telford, Manchester, Aberdeen. A black, slow moving species with dark wings. Sometimes the front legs are piceous.
Larvae feed gregariously on the native common ash and on the continent have been seen to use municipally planted narrow-leaved ash.
Size: 7 - 8mm
Status: Widespread
Distribution: England, Scotland, Wales
Flight period: April to June
Plant associations: Fraxinus spp. including Fraxinus excelsior and Fraxinus angustifolia (ashes including common ash and narrow-leaved ash)
The National Biodiversity Network records are shown on the map below. (See terms and conditions)
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- Tomostethus nigritus (Austrian specimen) Credit Rob Edmunds
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
Verheyde, F. and Sioen, G., 2019. Outbreaks of Tomostethus nigritus (Fabricius, 1804)(Hymenoptera, Tenthredinidae) on Fraxinus angustifolia ‘Raywood’in Belgium. Journal of Hymenoptera Research, 72, p.67.
Taylor, F.S., 2014. An outbreak of Tomostethus nigritus (F.) (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae) on Aberdeen’s urban ash trees. British Journal of Entomology and Natural History, vol. 27 pp 190-191.