| Abia sericea | |
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| Female of Abia sericea feeding on Ferulago galbanifera | |
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| Species: | A. sericea
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| Binomial name | |
| Abia sericea (Linnaeus 1767)
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Abia sericea, common name club horned sawfly or scabious sawfly, is a species of sawflies belonging to the family Cimbicidae.[1]
Distribution and habitat[edit]
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[edit]
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]
Biology[edit]
Adults can be seen from May to October feeding on nectar of Devil's-bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis), of Ferulago galbanifera (syn. F. 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[edit]
- ^ Biolib
- ^ Fauna Europaea
- ^ a b c "Commanster". Archived from the original on 2017-09-28. Retrieved 2014-07-11.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b "Study on the biology of Abia sericea (L.) (Hymenoptera: Cimbicidae) - a candidate for biological control of teasel (Dipsacus spp.)". Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-07-11.
- ^ Nature Spot
- ^ Charles Frederick Partington The British Encyclopædia of Natural History
- ^ John Grearson Recording some easily-identified sawfly larvae in Wiltshire Archived 2014-07-14 at the Wayback Machine
External links[edit]