''Rhogogaster viridis'', common name green sawfly, is a species of common sawfly in the family Tenthredinidae.

Subspecies

Subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

include: *''Rhogogaster viridis subsp. montana'' (Betrem, 1933) *''Rhogogaster viridis subsp. viridis''

Distribution and habitat

This species is present in most of Europe ( Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Central

European Russia European Russia (russian: Европейская Россия, russian: европейская часть России, label=none) is the western and most populated part of Russia. It is geographically situated in Europe, as opposed to the cou ...

, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy,

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania,

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, Netherlands, and former Yugoslavia) and in the

Nearctic realm The Nearctic realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting the Earth's land surface. The Nearctic realm covers most of North America, including Greenland, Central Florida, and the highlands of Mexico. The parts of North America t ...

. These rather common sawflies can be found mainly in grassy environment, gardens and parks rich in green leaves.

Description

''Rhogogaster viridis'' can reach a body length of about . Les insectes
/ref> These wasps have light green head and body. The head shows a black drawing in the form of the Greek letter omega, The wings are transparent, with a

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 ...

uniformly green or yellow. On the sides of the thorax is present a small black line. On the back of the abdomen of the females there is a black band. The female have a saw-like ovipositor. This species is rather similar to '' Tenthredo olivacea'' Klug, 1814 and to '' Rhogogaster chlorosoma'' (Benson, 1943).

Biology

Adults can be found from April to August. They mainly feed on pollen and nectar but, on sunny summer days, they hunt for insects and suck out their body fluids, feeding especially on Colorado Potato Beetle (''

Leptinotarsa decemlineata The Colorado potato beetle (''Leptinotarsa decemlineata''), also known as the Colorado beetle, the ten-striped spearman, the ten-lined potato beetle, or the potato bug, is a major pest of potato crops. It is about long, with a bright yellow/o ...

''). The larvae are similar to caterpillars, but they have six true legs and several abdominal prolegs. They are phytophagous and feed on a wide range of plant leaves ( Quercus (

Fagaceae The Fagaceae are a family of flowering plants that includes beeches, chestnuts and oaks, and comprises eight genera with about 927 species. Fagaceae in temperate regions are mostly deciduous, whereas in the tropics, many species occur as evergre ...

Stellaria ''Stellaria'' is a genus of about 190 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, with a cosmopolitan distribution. Common names include starwort, stitchwort and chickweed. Description ''Stellaria'' species are relatively small ...

( Caryophyllaceae), Filipendula (

Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a medium-sized family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus ''Rosa''. Among the most species-rich genera are ''Alchemilla'' (270), ''Sorbus ...

Circaea The ''Circaea'', or enchanter's nightshades, are a genus of flowering plants in the evening primrose family Onagraceae. About two dozen taxa have been described, including eight species. Plants of the genus occur throughout the temperate and bor ...

( Onagraceae), Alnus ( Betulaceae), Rubus (

), '' Salix viminalis'' ( Salicaceae), '' Chamaenerion angustifolium'' ( Onagraceae), Salix and

Populus ''Populus'' is a genus of 25–30 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar (), aspen, and cottonwood. The we ...

( Salicaceae). Database of Insects and their Food Plants

External links

Bibliography

* Ross H. Arnett, Jr
American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico, Second Edition
CRC Press * Krombein, Karl V
Catalog of hymenoptera in America north of Mexico
Smithsonian Institution Press *Zhelokhovtsev A.N., Tobias V.I., Kozlov M.A. 1993. -. Vol. 3. Hymenoptera. Part 6.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1468889 Tenthredinidae Sawflies described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus