Malcolm

Can someone kindly put a name to

www.indaal.demon.co.uk/pics/sawfly.jpg

Sawfly is merely my guess, which could be wildly out.

It was just under 2 cm long head to end of ovipositor. The body under
the wings was all black. I live in the west of Scotland and the habitat
was the windowsill of my study!

The only book I have to hand - Chinery's Collins Pocket Guide to Insects
- doesn't seem to illustrate it.

Thanks.

--
Malcolm

David Lee

Malcolm wrote...
>
> Can someone kindly put a name to
>
> www.indaal.demon.co.uk/pics/sawfly.jpg
>
> Sawfly is merely my guess, which could be wildly out.
>
> It was just under 2 cm long head to end of ovipositor. The body under the
> wings was all black. I live in the west of Scotland and the habitat was
> the windowsill of my study!
>
> The only book I have to hand - Chinery's Collins Pocket Guide to Insects -
> doesn't seem to illustrate it.

Sawfly - Siricid or Xiphydrid.

I think it could be Xiphydria camelus (Alder Woodwasp) - it's described in
your book as similar to X prolongata but without the red belt around the
abdomen. I believe the adult size is 20mm. The other possibility would be
Sirex noctilio (European Woodwasp) - also described in Chinery's book as
similar to S juvencus. This is generally a larger insect - up to 35mm - but
I believe that it may be quite variable in size.

The Xiphydriidae are supposed to be distinguisable from the Siricidae by a
prominent neck but this isn't always apparent in photographs that I've seen
of X camelus.

If your original photo is clear enough then Siricidae antennae are composed
of 14-30 segments whereas Xyphydriidae normally have 13 to 19 which could
either be diagnostic or totally unhelpful depending on how many you count!

David

Malcolm

In article <0uadnb97kfnDTXXfRVnyvw@eclipse.net.uk>, David Lee
<davidlee_malvern@dont.use.this.bit.hotmail.com> writes
>Malcolm wrote...
>>
>> Can someone kindly put a name to
>>
>> www.indaal.demon.co.uk/pics/sawfly.jpg
>>
>> Sawfly is merely my guess, which could be wildly out.
>>
>> It was just under 2 cm long head to end of ovipositor. The body under the
>> wings was all black. I live in the west of Scotland and the habitat was
>> the windowsill of my study!
>>
>> The only book I have to hand - Chinery's Collins Pocket Guide to Insects -
>> doesn't seem to illustrate it.
>
>Sawfly - Siricid or Xiphydrid.
>
>I think it could be Xiphydria camelus (Alder Woodwasp) - it's described in
>your book as similar to X prolongata but without the red belt around the
>abdomen. I believe the adult size is 20mm. The other possibility would be
>Sirex noctilio (European Woodwasp) - also described in Chinery's book as
>similar to S juvencus. This is generally a larger insect - up to 35mm - but
>I believe that it may be quite variable in size.
>
>The Xiphydriidae are supposed to be distinguisable from the Siricidae by a
>prominent neck but this isn't always apparent in photographs that I've seen
>of X camelus.
>
>If your original photo is clear enough then Siricidae antennae are composed
>of 14-30 segments whereas Xyphydriidae normally have 13 to 19 which could
>either be diagnostic or totally unhelpful depending on how many you count!
>
Thanks for this David.

Looking at Chinery again, I don't think Xihydria camelus is likely if it
really is similar to X prolongata as both antennae and ovipositor look
much too short. Sirex nocilio is possible, but is described as having
the 5th tarsal segment brown, whereas my beastie was all black.

I've blown up my photographs of it, the one I posted and others, but the
segments of the antennae are not distinguishable, partly because the
insect was waving them around! Had I known it was important, of
course........!

--
Malcolm

David Lee

Malcolm wrote...
> Thanks for this David.
>
> Looking at Chinery again, I don't think Xihydria camelus is likely if it
> really is similar to X prolongata as both antennae and ovipositor look
> much too short. Sirex nocilio is possible, but is described as having the
> 5th tarsal segment brown, whereas my beastie was all black.

I think that both antennae and ovipositor are longer in X camelus than
prolongata - compare the images at
http://www.acapixus.dk/galleri/image...KOL8397_uk.htm (camelus) and
http://www.schulmeister.us/images/Xiphydria.jpg (prolongata).


I can't make out the colour of the tarsus from your photo but the rest of
the legs is all brown. However I do think that your specimen was small for
S noctilio. There's an image at
http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/re....asp?Bu_ID=201 -
it's from New Zealand but the beasties were introduced from Europe at the
end of the 19th century.

David

Malcolm

In article <mcGdnbzHRrwAa3XfRVnyjQ@eclipse.net.uk>, David Lee
<davidlee_malvern@dont.use.this.bit.hotmail.com> writes
>Malcolm wrote...
>> Thanks for this David.
>>
>> Looking at Chinery again, I don't think Xihydria camelus is likely if it
>> really is similar to X prolongata as both antennae and ovipositor look
>> much too short. Sirex nocilio is possible, but is described as having the
>> 5th tarsal segment brown, whereas my beastie was all black.
>
>I think that both antennae and ovipositor are longer in X camelus than
>prolongata - compare the images at
>http://www.acapixus.dk/galleri/image...KOL8397_uk.htm (camelus) and
>http://www.schulmeister.us/images/Xiphydria.jpg (prolongata).
>
>
>I can't make out the colour of the tarsus from your photo but the rest of
>the legs is all brown. However I do think that your specimen was small for
>S noctilio. There's an image at
>http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/re...vertebratespro
>g/invertid/bug_details.asp?Bu_ID=201 -
>it's from New Zealand but the beasties were introduced from Europe at the
>end of the 19th century.
>
Thanks David.

I think I'm settling on X.camelus, thanks to your help here and a direct
e-mail with another photo. There is, after all, an alder tree in my
garden!

--
Malcolm