Rhogogaster scalaris

This common sawfly is one of several similar species. The pterostigma (the coloured mark on the front edge of the wing) is uniformly green or yellow in this species and it has a small black line on side of its thorax. Usually there is a black band along the top of the abdomen.

Separating R. viridis and R. chlorosoma can be tricky. Both species have a variable amount of black but R. chlorosoma is generally paler. The best character is the relative length of the pads on the back of the tarsal segments (called pulvilli) - these are about half the length of the following segment in (female) chlorosoma but shorter in viridis. A thin black line in the groove on the side of the thorax is often a good clue for viridis too but not entirely reliable as there is sometimes a trace of a line in chlorosoma too.

This species has a red ID rating and unless identified by a known expert you must provide a satisfactory explanation of how it was identified for the record to be accepted.

Adults visit a range of habitats hunting for small insects on flowers.

It flies from May to August

The larvae eat a range of plant leaves.

Widespread and fairly frequent in Britain.

Common in Leicestershire and Rutland.

https://www.sawflies.org.uk/rhogogaster-viridis/