''Abia sericea'', common name club horned sawfly or scabious sawfly, is a species of sawflies belonging to the family

Cimbicidae Cimbicidae is a family of sawflies in the order Hymenoptera. There are more than 20 genera and 200 described species in Cimbicidae. Larvae are solitary herbivores. The family is distinctive in having antennae with prominent apical clubs or k ...

Distribution and habitat

This species can be found in most of European countries.Fauna Europaea
/ref> It mainly occurs in wet meadows and forests, but its narrow habitat is restricted to the range of its host plant.

Description

''Abia sericea'' can reach a length of . 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. Abia sericea 4

Biology

Adults can be seen from May to October feeding on nectar of Devil's-bit Scabious (''

Succisa pratensis ''Succisa pratensis'', also known as devil's-bit or devil's-bit scabious, is a flowering plant in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae. It differs from other similar species in that it has four-lobed flowers, whereas small scabious and field s ...

''), of ''

Ferulago galbanifera ''Ferulago galbanifera'', synonym ''Ferulago campestris'', is a herb of the family Apiaceae. Description ''Ferulago galbanifera'' can reach a height of about . This perennial herb has a branching stem and repeatedly pinnate leaves. They are ovat ...

'' (syn. ''F. campestris'') and of the giant fennel (''

Ferula communis ''Ferula communis'', the giant fennel, is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family Apiaceae Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus '' Apium'' and commonly known as the ce ...

''). Larva can reach a length of about . 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 (''

''), Field Scabious (''

Knautia arvensis ''Knautia arvensis'', commonly known as field scabious, is a herbaceous perennial species of flowering plant in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae. Description It is a perennial plant that grows between . It prefers grassy places and dry ...

''), cream scabious (''

Scabiosa ochroleuca ''Scabiosa ochroleuca'', commonly called cream pincushions or cream scabious, is a species of scabious ''Scabiosa'' is a genus in the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae) of flowering plants. Many of the species in this genus have common name ...

'') and on various '' Dipsacus'' species.

References

Nature Spot
/ref> Charles Frederick Partingto
The British Encyclopædia of Natural History
/ref> John Grearso
Recording some easily-identified sawfly larvae in Wiltshire
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.
/ref>

External links

Image of larva on Flickriver

Tenthredinoidea Hymenoptera of Europe Insects described in 1767 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Sawfly-stub