Forest Stem-Sawfly no longer regionally extinct.

iNaturalistUK user, Nigel Sawyer, describes his exciting discovery.

Once in a blue moon one can get lucky and in early June 2024 I was checking out a spot just outside of Ham Gate (Richmond Park) on Ham Common when I spotted a black insect that I thought at the time was one of the black crane-flies moving in the wind. The insect had been captured by a spider so I took a few shots and loaded a photo onto iNaturalist. It turned out to be a type of Stem Sawfly (Family Cephidae) and the angle the spider held the sawfly meant that the species characteristics could be readily determined (by two people much more qualified to do so than me). This sawfly has now been confirmed as a Forest Stem-Sawfly (Phylloecus faunus) and is the first record of this species in England since before 1838 when it was described by Newman!

The Sawflies (Symphyta) of Britain and Ireland website states this species was believed to be extinct in the UK until this record. Many thanks to Andrew Liston and Andreas Taeger for confirming the identification and to Andrew Green for updating the Sawflies (Symphyta) of Britain and Ireland website. View the Forest Stem-Sawfly (Phylloecus faunus) observation.

Posted on 14 October, 2024 13:52 by giselle_s