ENTOMOLOGIST’S MONTHLY MAGAZINE 189

NEW HOSTPLANT RECORDS FOR EUROPEAN SAWFLIES

(HYMENOPTERA, TENTHREDINIDAE)
BY A.D. LISTON

ABSTRACT

The correct host of Phyllocolpa rolleri is Salix silesiaca. Euura hastatae is removed
from the recorded fauna of Slovakia. New hostplant records are: Heterarthrus
microcephalus (Salix starkeana), H. vagans (Alnus subcordata), Mesoneura opaca
(Quercus pubescens, Q. rubra), Nematus tibialis (Robinia viscosa), Pachyprotasis
antennata (Hypericum sp.), P. variegata (Valeriana officinalis), Periclista lineolata
(Quercus rubra), Pristiphora pallidiventris (Rubus chamaemorus), Pristiphora rufipes
(Aquilegia atrata, A. olympica), Tenthredo scrophulariae (Buddleja alternifolia).
P. pallidiventris is the first named sawfly species reared from cloudberry. A host of
Eutomostethus gagathinus is possibly Carex paniculata.
No single publication adequately summarises hostplant information for
all European sawflies. Information is to be found scattered through a very
large body of literature. Lorenz & Kraus (1957), although in many
respects obsolete, remains the standard work on larvae of European
sawflies. Liston (1995), Taeger et al. (1998) and Lacourt (1999) made
more recent attempts to collate data on hostplant associations. For a
variety of reasons, assessment of published hostplant records is often
highly problematic, especially when these originate only from a single,
uncorroborated source. Much remains to be done to improve our
knowledge of sawfly hostplants.
The purpose of the present paper is to summarise new observations on
larval hostplants of ten sawfly species and to correct mistakes arising from
my misidentification of the host of two gall-making Nematinae species.
Previously recorded host species are usually not listed here, unless
particularly pertinent, because the number of necessary references would
be unduly long. Access to such data can in part be made through the
collations of host records cited above.
Acronyms used for institutional collections are: DEI (Senckenberg
Deutsches Entomologisches Institut, Müncheberg); RSME (National
Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh); ZSM (Zoologische Staatssammlung,
Munich). Sawfly taxa are dealt with in alphabetical order. Nomenclature,
omitting subgenera, follows Taeger et al. (2010).
Eutomostethus gagathinus (Klug, 1816)
Scotland: Edinburgh, Balerno, Threipmuir Reservoir, Bavelaw Marsh, 5YY, 15.vi.2010
and 6XX, 14YY, 26.vi.2010, leg. A. Liston (DEI, RSME). Only found in a restricted
area of ca 25x15m, all swept from Carex paniculata L.
Lacourt (1999) stated that the hostplant of E. gagathinus is Juncus. Liston (2009), in
reporting on the single specimen previously known from Scotland (Stow, Midlothian,
7.vii.1962), has already commented on Lacourt’s statement, made without supporting
observations or any indication of the source of his information. E. gagathinus was
recorded by Benson (1952) as ‘Scarce in South and East England; known from [8
counties listed]’. Probably it has never so far been found in Britain in such large

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numbers as in 2010 at Bavelaw. Juncus species are abundant and widespread around the
stand of Carex paniculata where E. gagathinus occurs, so Juncus can not be ruled out
as a possible host. The sawflies might have been visiting the male flowers of C.
paniculata to feed on pollen, but none was observed doing so. Furthermore, on the
second visit the male C. paniculata inflorescences were withering and the females had
well-developed seed, yet the sawfly was apparently even more abundant than on the
previous visit, again only on C. paniculata. In view of these observations, it is suggested
that E. gagathinus might be attached to C. paniculata as a larval hostplant, rather than
Juncus. If this is so, then other Carex spp. are probably also hosts, because C. paniculata
does not occur at some German E. gagathinus localities.
Heterarthrus microcephalus (Klug, 1818)
Germany: Berlin, Dahlem, Botanic Garden, 3 leaf-mines with larvae in Salix starkeana
Willd., 30.viii.2009, leg. A. Liston.
Heterarthrus vagans (Fallén, 1808)
Germany: Berlin, Dahlem, Botanic Garden, 2 leaf-mines with larvae in Alnus
subcordata Meyer, 30.viii.2009, leg. A. Liston.
Buhr (1941) records leaf-mines of Fenusa dohrnii (Tischbein, 1846) from A.
subcordata at ‘Dahlem’ [Berlin Botanic Garden], but not Heterarthrus vagans.
Mesoneura opaca (Fabricius, 1775)
France: Bernac, Lot-et-Garonne, 2XX reared from larvae collected 15.v.1996 on
Quercus pubescens Willd., emerged 14/24.iv.1997, leg. M.R. Shaw (RSME).
Germany: Lower Bavaria, Dingolfing-Landau, Wildthurn, 1 larva beaten from Quercus
rubra, v.2007, leg. M. Gossner.
Both oak species are here recorded as hosts of Mesoneura opaca larvae for the first
time; previously only Q. robur was recorded (Pschorn-Walcher & Altenhofer, 2000).
The records of larvae of M. opaca and Periclista lineolata (below) on North American
red oak (Q. rubra L.) are noteworthy, because they suggest an acceptance of this
introduced tree species as a host by European sawflies, that has generally not been
recognised (e.g. Gossner et al., 2007).
Nematus tibialis Newman, 1837
Germany: Brandenburg, Eberswalde, Forstbotanischer Garten, 2 larvae on Robinia
viscosa Vent., 29.viii.2009, leg. A. Liston.
In Europe Nematus tibialis is mainly associated with Robinia pseudacacia L., but in
North America it has also been recorded from R. hispida L. (Darling & Smith 1985) and
Gleditsia triacanthos L. (Raizenne, 1957).
Pachyprotasis antennata (Fallén, 1808)
Germany: Lower Saxony, Hildesheim, 1X, reared from larvae on Hypericum sp.,
collected 18.ix.1954, leg. R. Hinz (ZSM).
This and the following Pachyprotasis species are thought to be polyphagous on a
very wide spectrum of vascular plants belonging to many families. Each new record
represents an additional genus and family of hosts.
Pachyprotasis variegata (Fallén, 1808)
Germany: Baden-Württemberg, Bad Mergentheim, 1X, 1Y, reared from larvae on
Valeriana officinalis L., collected 8.vii.1956, leg. R. Hinz (ZSM).
Periclista lineolata (Klug, 1816)
Germany: Lower Bavaria, Dingolfing-Landau, Wildthurn, 2 larvae beaten from Quercus
rubra, v.2007, leg. M. Gossner.
Nägeli (1931) had already recorded this hostplant for Periclista lineolata, which the
above record seems to substantiate.
 ENTOMOLOGIST’S MONTHLY MAGAZINE 191
Phyllocolpa rolleri Liston, 2005
The hostplant recorded for Phyllocolpa rolleri by Liston (2005) and Liston in Roller
et al. (2006), cited by Kopelke (2007), was misidentified. It is Salix silesiaca Willd., not
S. hastata L. as previously stated. This is important, because European gall-making
nematine sawflies (comprising Eupontania, Euura, Pontania and Phyllocolpa) are
thought to be strictly monophagous on single Salix species or at most narrowly
oligophagous on related species of Salix (Kopelke, 1999, 2007). Probably Phyllocolpa
rolleri was recorded by Beneš (1968) as P. coriacea (Benson, 1953) from S. silesiaca in
the High Tatra Mountains of Slovakia. The specimens identified as Euura hastatae
Malaise, 1920 by Liston in Roller et al. (2006), collected from the same bushes of S.
silesiaca as the type series of P. rolleri, are morphologically not distinguishable from
Euura nigritarsis (Cameron, 1885) reared from Salix caprea L. Whether they really
belong to E. nigritarsis is unclear. However, they definitely are not E. hastatae, which
must therefore be removed from the list of sawflies recorded in Slovakia.
Pristiphora pallidiventris (Fallén, 1808)
Scotland: Dumfriesshire, Loch Skene to lower slope of White Coomb, 3 larvae feeding
on leaf-edges of Rubus chamaemorus, 19.vi.2010, leg. A. Liston; 2 made cocoons
27.vi.2010 between withered leaves of the host and 1X emerged 10.vii.2010 (DEI); 1
smaller remaining larva offered Rubus idaeus L. agg. leaves, but did not eat these and
died 29.vi.2010. Angus, Glendoll, Corrie Fee NNR, Corrie Sharroch, 1 larva on
R. chamaemorus leaf-edge (died in captivity, although supplied with R. fruticosus L.
agg. leaves), 23.vi.2010, leg. A. Liston.
Surprisingly, in view of the large number of European sawfly species that feed on
rosaceous plants and the widespread occurrence of cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus L.)
in northern Europe, Pristiphora pallidiventris is the first identified sawfly species
recorded using it as a host. Previously recorded hosts of P. pallidiventris include several
genera of herbaceous Rosaceae (Taeger et al., 1998), as well as Rubus idaeus L. (Lorenz
& Kraus, 1957). The adult reared from cloudberry is not morphologically
distinguishable from other Scottish specimens of P. pallidiventris. The larvae on
cloudberry were very cryptically coloured, with entirely green bodies, except for a pair
of white dorsal stripes. The brown warts stated by Lorenz & Kraus (1957) to
characterize the larva of P. pallidiventris could not be detected. Colouration of the head
also differed from their description: only a narrow black marking was visible along the
epicranial suture in the cloudberry larvae. Finally, they describe the larva as eating holes
in the leaf, whereas the larvae on cloudberry were leaf-edge feeders. These apparent
discrepancies need further investigation. To put abundance of P. pallidiventris larvae on
cloudberry in some sort of perspective: I searched 3 stands of plants near Loch Skene
for a total of about two hours and 1 stand in Corrie Sharroch for half an hour. At both
sites, larvae of Lepidoptera (Geometridae) seemed to be very much more abundant (or
perhaps only more conspicuous) than those of P. pallidiventris. Searches earlier in the
year should be made. Unfortunately I did not record the sexes of the plants which were
searched. Ågren (1987) found that sex of cloudberry interacts significantly with leaf
consumption by insect herbivores.
Pristiphora rufipes Serville, 1823
Germany: Lower Bavaria, Dingolfing-Landau, Rosenau Nature Reserve, 3 larvae on
Aquilegia atrata Koch, 03.vi.1991, leg. A. Liston.
Germany: Berlin, Dahlem, Botanischer Garten, 4 larvae on Aquilegia olympica Boiss.,
30.viii.2009, leg. A. Liston.
Tenthredo scrophulariae Linnaeus, 1758
Germany: Brandenburg, Müncheberg, garden, 28.viii.2009, 1 large larva and 3 cast
skins, Buddleja alternifolia Maxim., leg. A. Liston. Signs of larval feeding were
evident.
Muche (1962) recorded Buddleja davidii Franch. as a host of T. scrophulariae.
192 ENTOMOLOGIST’S MONTHLY MAGAZINE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I particularly want to thank Prof. Gregor Aas and Dr Alex Kehl
(Bayreuth, Germany), Dr Tommi Nyman (Joensuu, Finland) and Dr
Ladislav Roller (Bratislava, Slovakia), for their help with the
identification of Salix silesiaca. Dr Stephan Blank (Müncheberg,
Germany), Dr Martin Gossner (Jena, Germany), Mr Christian Kutzscher
(Müncheberg), Dr Stefan Schmidt (Munich, Germany) and Dr Mark R.
Shaw (Edinburgh, U.K.) kindly made sawfly specimens available for
examination. Stephan Blank suggested many improvements to the
manuscript.

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Senckenberg Deutsches Entomologisches Institut, Eberswalder Str. 90, 15374 Müncheberg,

Germany.
September 7th, 2010.