Abia sericea

Abia sericea, common name Club Horned Sawfly or Scabious Sawfly, is a species of sawflies belonging to the family Cimbicidae.[1]

Abia sericea
Female of Abia sericea feeding on Ferulago campestris
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Hymenoptera
Suborder:
Symphyta
Superfamily:
Tenthredinoidea
Family:
Cimbicidae
Genus:
Abia
Species:
A. sericea
Binomial name
Abia sericea
(Linnaeus 1767)

Distribution and habitat

This species can be found in most of European countries.[2] It mainly occurs in wet meadows and forests, but its narrow habitat is restricted to the range of its host plant.[3][4][5]

Description

Abia sericea can reach a length of 10–12 millimetres (0.39–0.47 in).[3] The adults have a large body with a showy metallic green-golden or bronze abdomen. The thorax is black, with bluish sheen and it is slightly hairy. Wings are transparent, with brown markings in the middle. Antennae are yellow-reddish, while other species in this genus have totally or partially black antennae. Legs are yellow, with black thighs at their base.[6][7]

Larvae of Abia sericea

Biology

Adults can be seen from May to October feeding on nectar of Devil's-bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis), of Ferulago campestris and of the Giant Fennel (Ferula communis).[3]

Larva can reach a length of about 30 millimetres (1.2 in). They have a sandy background colour with black and yellow spots. They are oligophagous, mainly feeding between June and September on Devil's-bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis), Field Scabious (Knautia arvensis), cream scabious (Scabiosa ochroleuca ) and on various Dipsacus species.[8][4][5]

References
  1. Biolib
  2. Fauna Europaea
  3. "Commanster". Archived from the original on 2017-09-28. Retrieved 2014-07-11.
  4. Harizanova V, Stoeva A, Rector B (2012) Host range testing and biology of Abia sericea (Cimbicidae), a candidate for biological control of invasive teasels (Dipsacus spp.) in North America. Journal of Hymenoptera Research 28: 1-11.
  5. Study on the biology of Abia sericea (L.) (Hymenoptera: Cimbicidae) - a candidate for biological control of teasel (Dipsacus spp.).
  6. Nature Spot
  7. Charles Frederick Partington The British Encyclopædia of Natural History
  8. John Grearson Recording some easily-identified sawfly larvae in Wiltshire Archived 2014-07-14 at the Wayback Machine


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