Tenthredo scrophulariae (Linnaeus, 1758) Figwort sawfly.
Family: Tenthredinidae. (Is a family of over 700 species worldwide)
Length: 11 to 15mm
Flight period: June to August.
A convincing wasp mimic although it lacks the thin waist of the “true” wasp.
A widespread and common species in the United Kingdom. Found over most of Europe including, North into Norway and far in the east; into Russia.
Habitat: In meadows, Woodland edges, along pathways and unkept gardens, wherever Figwort grows.
Tenthredo scrophulariae looks typically like most other Tenthredo species. Like other sawflies, the adult’s prey on flies and other insects they come across, while feeding on the nectar and pollen of flowers, T. Scrophulariae are often found on umbellifers; also occurring Buddleia and on the Black mullein (Verbascum nigrum), as they tend to feed on the less hairy, older leaves.
The larvae hibernate in October after actively feeding throughout the months of August and September. Feeding primary on leaves of Figwort. (Scrophulariae)
The larvae are quite large and reach a length of up to 30 millimetres. They have a dark head, with a dusty greyish-white body, covered in black spots.
The larvae are parasitized by various parasitoid species of Ichneumonidae, typically by Mesoleptidae prosoleuca and Euceros serricornis.