Description

Body length 7 to 10mm. A small black tenthredo with, in the female, a whitish band on the fifth sternite of the abdomen and two whitish spots on the first, the male is all black. The face and jaws are all black and the legs have white 'knees'. There is a cream and black stigma on the wing and the scale like plate at the wing base is also cream and black.

Habitat

The adults can be found in well vegetated areas where strawberries or roses are growing. The larvae feed on these plants and pupate in the cut stems.

Status and distribution

Common and widely distributed in England. Less common in Wales and Scotland. Fairly common in Nottinghamshire and recorded once at Netherfield Lagoons.

Best time to see

May to August in two generations.