Arge cyanocrocea Forster, 1771
Common names: Bramble sawfly [En]

Tubize, BRABANT ● Belgium

Description: As all sawflies, these species are related to wasps and not to flies, but lack the typical wasp waist. Its head and thorax are black, while the abdomen is yellowish orange.
Arge cyanocrocea can be distinguished from the similar Arge pagana by its dark wing patches and gray apex of wings and by its reddish legs, with small black rings.
The adults grow up to 7–8 millimetres long.
The larvae look like caterpillars, but they have five pairs of prolegs, while caterpillars have four pairs.

Biology: Adults can be encountered from May to July, feeding on pollen and nectar of several Apiaceae species (Aegopodium podagraria, Meum athamanticum, Heracleum sphondylium, etc.), Euphorbiaceae species and Asteraceae species (Tanacetum vulgare).
The larvae feed on the leaves of brambles (hence the common name), mainly blackberry (Rubus fruticosus), raspberry (Rubus idaeus) and great burnet (Sanguisorba officinalis).

Habitat: Seen around hedgerows and foraging on umbellifers such as Hogweed.

Distribution: Most of Europe, in the Caucasus, in Asia Minor and in Japan.

References:
Wikipedia, Arge cyanocrocea
Nature Spot

Created on

Wednesday 11 May 2016

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Belgium

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