Sawflies

Sawflies are a group of insects, closely related to wasps, that are relatively little-known. I've got a special interest in them, and have been trying to improve knowledge of them in Norfolk and indeed more widely through Britain. Most are small and seldom noticed by the non-specialist, but a few can be found without too much effort once you know where to look. They are probably best known to the general public from the fact that the caterpillar-like larvae of a few species can be quite apparent (sometimes destructive) on some garden plants.

Cephidae

Small family of quite elongated sawflies, larvae feed inside plant stems.

Calameuta pallipes - one on the common in 2018

Cephus pygmeus - a common species around wheat fields in summer, can often be seen on nearby buttercups and dandelions. A potential pest species, although regularly seen accompanied by the wasp Collyria coxator which parasitises its larvae and presumably keeps numbers in check.

Cephus spinipes - very similar to pygmeus but less common, presumably feeding on a different grass species (perhaps a wild one rather than a cereal crop?)

Phylloecus xanthostoma - singles on the common in 2018 and 2020, around patches of the foodplant Meadowsweet. These are the only confirmed Norfolk records, although it is presumably widely overlooked in damp places.

Siricidae

Small family of often very large insects, generally referred to as wood-wasps. Their larvae develop inside the wood of coniferous trees.

Urocerus augur - exceptional record of one that crash-landed in a garden pond in 2020, which proved to be the first Norfolk record (and second ever British record) of this species. Presumably arrived via imported timber as part of someone's building project. Superficially similar to the much commoner U. gigas which has yet to be found in the village.

Xiphydriidae

Small family with just three British species, one of which has been found in Shotesham. Larvae feed in dead wood.

Xiphydria prolongata - two seen on bench by the village pond in 2015 but not since. This species is associated with dead willows, and is widespread in southern Britain, although not often found.

Argidae

A small family of sawflies, characterised by having only three antennal segments (the last being very much the longest, and often slightly curved). The larvae feed externally on a range of trees and shrubs, sometimes gregariously.

Aproceros leucopoda (Zigzag Elm Sawfly) - this is a recent arrival in Britain, originating in East Asia. Since its first detection in 2018, it has become very widespread and common in Norfolk, including throughout Shotesham. Although the adult insects are seldom noticed, the larvae draw attention to themselves through their 'zigzag' cuts in elm leaves.

Arge ciliaris - recorded several times on the common, a species that feeds on Meadowsweet. Known in Norfolk from just a few wetland sites.

Arge cyanocrocea - recorded quite widely around the parish, a fairly striking species and readily identified with practice. Larvae feed on brambles, but the adults are often seen on the flowers of Hogweed and similar plants.

Arge melanochra - a few records of this species around the village, similar to cyanocrocea but a bit less common and flies a few weeks later in the summer. Larvae feed on hawthorn

Arge nigripes - a rose feeder, one of several all-black species and not easy to identify.  Recorded once along Naidens Lane in 2018.

Arge pagana - very familar as a larva to gardeners as a pest of their roses, although damage tend to be fairly localised. Common around Shotesham. There is a similar species (A. ochropus) but not yet located in the village.

Arge ustulata - a reasonably widespread species on hawthorn, found in the garden in 2023.

Cimbicidae

A small family of larger sawflies. There are a number of other species which are quite likely to be present but have not yet been found.

Abia nitens - one was found on the common in 2020 by visiting naturalists but could not be refound despite searching. This is quite a large a striking insect and this just shows how easy it is to overlook many sawflies.

Tenthredinidae

This is by far the biggest family of sawflies, with over 400 British species. As a result, it helps to divide the family up into subfamilies. These subfamilies are best separated based on the fine detail of the veins in the wings, which obviously does require a close view, easiest with a microscope but sometimes visible with a good photograph.

Subfamily Allantinae

Allantus cinctus - recorded in the garden in 2023, a rose-feeder.

Allantus cingulatus - recorded from several places around the village, and seems quite common in SE Norfolk but less so elsewhere. Feeds on rose and strawberry plants.

Allantus rufocinctus - one flew into house in 2018, which seems to be the only Norfolk record ever. Larvae feed on roses and brambles, unclear why it seems to be so rare.

Caliroa annulipes - small black sawfly but mostly noted as its larva, which feeds on oak and other trees, noted twice in 2020

Caliroa cerasi - small black larvae found on blackthorn, hawthorn and similar shrubs, noted several times in 2020

Caliroa cinxia - larvae occur in groups on oak leaves, noted along Hollow Lane in 2019 and 2020.

Caliroa varipes - one adult found on an oak tree, probably widely overlooked

Ametastegia carpini - a single adult flew into the house. There are not many other Norfolk records yet, but the larvae feed on geraniums and cranesbills so it may well be widely overlooked.

Ametastegia glabrata - recorded a couple of times on the common. Larvae feed on docks and a range of other low-growing plants.

Ametastegia tenera - two records from the common, another dock-feeder.

Empria liturata - difficult to identify, but this species appears to be present (multiple records)

Empria pumila - a male at Three Ponds Wood in 2021

Empria sexpunctata - one record in 2019, only the second Norfolk record.

Empria tridens - Grub Street, 2022

Monsoma pulveratum - an alder feeder, and a larva found on an alder on the common in 2019

Eriocampa ovata - another alder feeding species, noted on the common and in Joy's Loke.

Subfamily Athaliinae

Athalia bicolor - several records around the village, mostly on the common

Athalia circularis - a fairly common species around the village

Athalia cordata - a common species around the village

Athalia liberta - just a couple of records so far, from Joy's Loke and Grub Street

Athalia rosae (Turnip Sawfly) - can be common, helped by the fact this is by far the most easily identified species in this genus. A species which has increased greatly in recent years, perhaps making use of oil-seed rape crops.

Subfamily Blennocampinae

Ardis pallipes - a non-descript dark sawfly that feeds on rose, recorded once in the village in 2020, and with few other Norfolk records.

Blennocampa phyllocolpa - small dark sawfly that can be abundant around roses in the spring. Is best detected by the way its larvae roll the rose leaflets into distinctive tubes, which can be very easily found once known. Common in the village.

Claremontia confusa - a small black sawfly, found along the Street in 2023; feeds on Creeping Cinquefoil which is common along verges here.

Claremontia tenuicornis - an unremarkable dark sawfly, found once on the common in 2019. A meadowsweet feeder.

Monophadnoides ruficruris - another unremarkable small dark sawfly, recorded once in 2019 in the village; not many other Norfolk records either. Feeds on brambles.

Fenella nigrita - small sawfly best detected by the larval mines in the leaves of Creeping Cinquefoil. Only noted once in 2019 along the verge of The Street although the plant is abundant on roadsides and a targeted search would doubtless find it to be more common.

Fenusa dohrnii - most easily found via its leaf mines in alders, noted widely along the Common and into Joy's Loke.

Fenusa pumila - larval mines can be found on birch, noted on a sapling in 2020 in the village.

Heterarthrus fiora - larval mines on sycamore, the mine starting from the edge of the leaf. Noted in Shotesham Park Estate, Hollow Lane and Joy's Loke.

Heterarthrus cuneifrons - another sycamore miner, but this species mines from the centre of the leaf. Noted on Hollow Lane.

Heterarthrus vagans - another alder leaf miner, readily found on the common; an adult insect was found here too in August 2019.

Heterarthrus wuestneii - larvae mine the leaves of field maple and are widespread around the village

Fenusa ulmi - larvae mining elm leaves. Previously called Kaliofenusa with apparently two species. However, I long suspected there might just be one species after all, and this is now indeed the current treatment. Widespread around Shotesham.

Metallus lanceolatus - small sawfly whose larvae mine the leaves of Herb Bennet (aka Wood Avens). Easily overlooked but can be common when searched for, and occurs in the village.

Parna apicalis - larvae mine the leaves of lime trees; found once in 2013 in the village but not more recently so seems to be hard to detect

Profenusa pygmaea - a widespread species whose larvae mine the leaves of oak, noted at Church Hill, Joy's Loke and Hawes Green.

Scolioneura betuleti - another birch leaf-miner, noted at Stubbs Green and at Hollow Lane

Eutomostethus ephippium - a distinctive little red and black sawfly, found widely around the village. Larvae feed on a variety of grasses.

Eutomostethus luteiventris - an orange and black species whose larvae feed on Soft Rush, and recorded on the common amongst this plant.

Monophadnus pallescens - a small black sawfly whose larvae feed on buttercups; recorded from Stubbs Green

Rhadinoceraea micans - Iris Sawfly, seen on Yellow Iris on the common in 2021

Tomostethus nigritus - Ash Sawfly, found under an Ash tree in Joy's Loke in 2022

Halidamia affinis - another orange and black species, feeding on cleavers and other bedstraws, recorded several times in the village.

Subfamily Nematinae

Hoplocampa chrysorrhoea - small sawfly whose larvae feed in the sloes of blackthorn and similar Prunus. Found a few times at widely separated locations around the village so likely to be common.

Hoplocampa crataegi - small sawfly associated with hawthorn, only found along Grub Street so far.

Hoplocampa flava

Hoplocampa pectoralis - another close relative which feeds on hawthorn, found in garden once.

Cladius brullei - small dark sawfly found several times around the village. Larvae apparently favour raspberry, but are also known from bramble and this is far more likely as the foodplant here around Shotesham.

Cladius compressicornis - small dark sawfly, occurring on a wide range of rosaceous shrubs. One larva was found in garden feeding on Cotoneaster.

Cladius pectinicornis - small dark sawfly, males distinguished by striking antler-like antennae. Larvae feed on roses and related plants. Common around the village.

Cladius pilicornis - small dark sawfly, another hawthorn feeder and found widely around the parish.

Cladius ulmi - small dark sawfly, one of two Cladius species that feed on elms, found several times around the village.

Hemichroa australis - a striking black and red sawfly, although easier to locate in its larval stage on alder on birch. The feeding "slots" can be readily seen on alders on the common (see picture below)

Nematinus luteus - yellowish sawfly, feeds on alders. A dead one found once in a cobweb along Joy's Loke.

Dineura stilata - small sawfly associated with hawthorns, found widely around the village

Platycampus luridiventris - small dark sawfly, most easily found as a distinctive flattened larva under alder leaves on the common and in Joy's Loke; adult insect found once also.

Pristiphora armata - very common around hawthorn in spring

Pristiphora geniculata - single larva on rowan on Priory Lane in 2021

Pristiphora luteipes - a seldom-recorded species, maybe a case of it being widely overlooked. Found twice around sallows on the common.

Pristiphora monogyniae - very small sawfly associated with hawthorn, found a couple of times around the village

Pristiphora pallidiventris

Pristiphora punctifrons  - small sawfly associated with roses, found a couple of times

Pristiphora rufipes - on Aquilegia in the garden

Pristiphora testacea - orange and black sawfly whose larvae feed on birch, found egg-laying on a sapling in garden

Nematus septentrionalis - feeds on a wide range of shrubs; larvae found on hazel along Grub Street and on alder on the common; an adult also found once.

Nematus latipes - difficult to separate from septentrionalis, but one apparently of this species found in 2023.

Nematus lucidus - a common species around hawthorn, found widely around the village

Nematus umbratus - seems to be quite a rare species but one found along Hollow Lane in 2019; feeds on a range of trees

Euura bergmanni - a willow feeder, found once along Joy's Loke

Euura glutinosae - an alder feeder, found it several times along Joy's Loke.

Euura viridis - another birch feeder, found once along Joy's Loke

Euura annulata - a dock feeder, noted a couple of times

Euura myosotidis - found quite regularly on the common and a few other places; larvae feed on clovers

Euura leucotrocha - one flew into house; feeds on currants and gooseberry

Euura pavida - feeds on sallows, larvae found on a small sapling in the garden

Euura vicina - feeds on a range of trees plus on docks, noted several times around the village

Euura clitellata - several records from the common, larvae feed on grasses and sedges

Euura lichtwardti - another grass feeder, found once on the common

Euura histrio - an early spring species, noted a couple of times around sallows on the common

Euura humeralis - on sallow bud on the common in April 2024

Euura viduata - another early sallow-feeding species, noted on the common and along Grub Street

Euura mucronata - tiny black sawfly, larvae feed in sallow buds, noted a couple of times

Euura leucosticta - found once on the common, larva feed within a rolled leaf edge of sallow

Euura bridgmanii - larvae create bean-like galls in sallow leaves

Euura proxima - larvae create bean-like galls in long-leaved willows, easy to find

Euura pedunculi - larvae create hairy pea-shaped galls in sallow leaves

Subfamily Selandriinae

Aneugmenus padi - a small black sawfly with bright yellow legs, always found around bracken and located at a couple of places around the parish on small patches of this plant.

Dolerus ferrugatus - rush feeder, noted at Stubbs Green once in May

Dolerus madidus - rush feeder, noted on the common a few times in April

Dolerus triplicatus - rush feeder, noted on the common in May and early June

Dolerus anticus - feeds on spike-rush (Eleocharis), noted by Stubbs Green pond once in May, only one of two recent Norfolk localities for this species

Dolerus vestigialis - horsetail feeder, flies April to June and can be abundant on the common, as well as occasionally seen elsewhere

Dolerus aericeps - horsetail feeder, noted a few times on the common and along Naidens Lane, flying in July later than many other Dolerus

Dolerus bimaculatus - horsetail feeder, noted once on the common in May, a nationally scarce species

Dolerus eversmanni - horsetail feeder, noted once on the common in May, another quite local species

Dolerus aeneus - grass feeder, noted once in May on the common

Dolerus brevicornis - sedge feeder, noted once in March on the common

Dolerus fumosus - grass feeder, regular on the common in May

Dolerus gonager - grass feeder, noted once in a field margin (near bracken patch) in April

Dolerus haematodes - grass/sedge feeder, two noted in late March on the common and near Market Lane

Dolerus niger - grass feeder, noted regularly in May and June around the village

Dolerus nigratus - grass feeder, one of the commonest species, found widely from April to June

Dolerus picipes - grass feeder, found mostly on the common in late April and throughout May

Dolerus possilensis - grass feeder, found once on the common in April

Dolerus puncticollis - grass feeder, found from the end of March to mid April at a variety of locations

Dolerus varispinus - grass feeder, also found from late March to mid April at a range of locations around the village

Selandria melanosterna - recorded once on the common, feeds on grasses, sedges and rushes

Selandria serva - widespread, especially on the common, also feeds on grasses, sedges and rushes

Strongylogaster multifasciata - a bracken feeder, the larva was found on an isolated patch of bracken at the corner of one of the fields

Subfamily Tenthredininae

Aglaostigma aucupariae - one of the earliest sawflies each spring, flying between March and May. Lays its eggs on cleavers, and hence can be found very widely including in gardens

Aglaostigma fulvipes - very similar to previous species, also common around cleavers and flies April to June, so just a little later on average than aucupariae but with a wide degree of overlap.

Macrophya alboannulata - noted a few times in April and May, larvae feed on elder. A closely related species albicincta  feeds also on species of valerian, a number of which do occur around the village and so that species might also be present but undetected so far.

Macrophya annulata - noted on Hollow Lane in 2023. Feeds on Creeping Cinquefoil. Quite a large red and black species.

Macrophya blanda - noted once along Naidens Lane in June. This appears to be quite a local species, although its foodplants are common (brambles, Raspberry, Creeping Cinqufoil)

Macrophya duodecimpunctata - two seen on the common in June 2021, a species of grasses and sedges in wet areas

Macrophya montana - quite large and striking sawflies that can sometimes be seen on hogweed flower heads in May and June, although the larvae feed on various Rubus species (bramble, dewberry etc.)

Macrophya punctumalbum - noted once along Priory Lane back in 2013, this is a strikingly colourful species at close view. The larvae feed on privet and ash, the latter presumably the foodplant at this location.

Pachyprotasis rapae - a common and widespread species noted several times around the village in May and June, larvae feeding on a wide range of plants

Tenthredo amoena - quite a local species that feeds on St John's Worts, found on the common in July 2020

Tenthredo arcuata - a common species on flower heads around the village from May to July but hard to differentiate from several other species; feeds on clovers

Tenthredo atra - a large black sawfly, found on the upper common in 2023 amongst docks.

Tenthredo colon - one on the common in 2021.

Tenthredo maculata - a large and striking species found a couple of times in May, larvae feeding on grasses

Tenthredo mesomela - a striking and easily recognised black and green species, found a few times in May and June. Larvae feed on a wide range of plants.

Tenthredo notha - regular on the common and elsewhere between June and August but hard to tell apart from arcuata - feeds on clovers and vetches

Tenthredo omissa - found once on common in August 2020, a fairly local species of damp area, the larvae thought to feed on plantains

Tenthredo scrophulariae - readily recognised and always associated with figworts, the larval plant; Water Figwort grows along the common. Only found a few times so far though.

Tenthredo temula - another readily recognised species found a few times in May and June; the larval foodplant is unclear.

Tenthredopsis litterata - the identification of this genus is fraught with difficulty, but to date it seems like these two species (at least) may occur. All feed on grasses when larvae but the adults can sometimes be found around trees. One female in May seemed to be this species.

Tenthredopsis nassata - see above; three females in May/June seem to be this species.