Macrophya albipuncta

Body length excluding appendages 6 to 8 mm.  This is a black sawfly with pale cream bands on the legs.

Grassland where Crane’s-bill species occur.

Summer to early autumn.

Believed to favour Wood Crane’s-bill (Geranium sylvaticum) in northern England, but probably Meadow Crane’s-bill (Geranium pratense) further south.

This is a very scarce species. It was once thought to be confined to a few Scottish meadows and later odd records came in from northern England. More recently a couple of records have come from counties in the south of England, so it may be spreading its range.

Rare in Leicestershire and Rutland where the specimen taken at Fosse Meadows, Sharnford on 21st May 2014 is the first recorded in VC55.