Tenthredo mesomela (Linnaeus, 1758)
Family: Tenthredinidae (Common Sawflies)
Adults: May to July.
Length 10 to 14mm
This is a widespread common sawfly, found over most of the UK and Europe.
Habitat: A wide range of Habitats, woodland edges, hedgerows, meadows, favouring grounds with plenty of large vegetation growth.
The adults will be seen hunting small insects and they also feed on pollen and nectar, mainly from umbellifers.
The larvae feed mainly at night, on a wide range of plants, some favourites being the leaves of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) figwort family (Scrophulariaceae) and the willowherb family (Epilobium).
The larvae then hibernate in October, after actively feeding throughout the months of August and September.
The larvae are parasitized by various parasitoid species of Ichneumonidae, typically by Mesoleptidae prosoleuca and Euceros serricornis.