''Tenthredo arcuata'' is a sawfly species of the family

Tenthredinidae Tenthredinidae is the largest family of sawflies, with well over 7,500 species worldwide, divided into 430 genera. Larvae are herbivores and typically feed on the foliage of trees and shrubs, with occasional exceptions that are leaf miners, stem ...

(common sawflies).

Description

''Tenthredo arcuata'' can reach a length of about . These sawflies have a yellow to apple green body with black head and thorax . The upperside of the abdomen shows greeny-yellow and black bands. Wings have a pale brown color with a long brown

pterostigma The pterostigma (plural: pterostigmata) is a group of specialized cells in the outer insect wing, wings of insects, which are often thickened or coloured, and thus stand out from other cells. It is particularly noticeable in dragonfly, dragonfli ...

.Nature Spot
/ref>

Biology

The adults can be encountered from April through July feeding on small insects and on nectar and pollen of flowers (especially on

Apiaceae Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus ''Apium'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering plants ...

species, on ''

Polygonum bistorta ''Bistorta officinalis'' ( synonym ''Persicaria bistorta''), known as bistort, common bistort, European bistort or meadow bistort, is a species of flowering plant in the dock family Polygonaceae native to Europe and northern and western Asia. Ot ...

'', ''

Tanacetum vulgare Tansy (''Tanacetum vulgare'') is a perennial, herbaceous flowering plant in the genus ''Tanacetum'' in the aster family, native to temperate Europe and Asia. It has been introduced to other parts of the world, including North America, and in ...

'' and ''

Viburnum opulus ''Viburnum opulus'', the guelder-rose or guelder rose () is a species of flowering plant in the family (biology), family Adoxaceae (formerly Caprifoliaceae) native plant, native to Europe, northern Africa and central Asia. Description ''Viburn ...

''). The larvae feed at night on leaves of ''

Trifolium repens ''Trifolium repens'', the white clover, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the bean family Fabaceae (otherwise known as Leguminosae). It is native to Europe, including the British Isles,Clapham, A.R., Tutin, T.G. and Warburg., E.F. 1968. ''Excursio ...

'' and ''

Lotus corniculatus ''Lotus corniculatus'' is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae, native to grasslands in temperate Eurasia and North Africa. Common names include common bird's-foot trefoil, eggs and bacon, birdsfoot deervetch, and just bird's-foot trefoi ...

''.

Distribution and habitat

This species can be found in most of Europe.Fauna Europaea
/ref> These sawflies prefer flower rich meadows.

Gallery

File: Tenthredo.arcuata.-.lindsey.jpg , ''T. arcuata'' File: Tenthredo.arcuata9.-.lindsey.jpg , Wing of ''T. arcuata''

References

Tenthredinidae Insects described in 1771 Taxa named by Georg Forster {{sawfly-stub