Figwort sawfly

Tenthredo scrophulariae · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Tenthredinidae

Damages trees, gardens or crops. The larvae feed on leaves of figwort and related garden plants, causing damage.

Source: Wikipedia

Figwort sawfly
Photo: Richard Avery, CC BY-SA 3.0

Adult figwort sawflies are about 11 to 15 mm long and look like wasps without a thin waist, with black heads, yellow-black thorax and orange-red wing edges. Larvae are large, up to 30 mm, have 22 legs and eat the leaves of figwort, Buddleja and black mullein in late summer. Adults fly from May to August, while larvae feed in August-September and hibernate in October.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Looks wasp-like but lacks a narrow waist; head is short and black with rectangular corners; thorax mostly black with yellow pronotum and scutellum; abdomen black with yellow bands; forewing edge bright orange-red, rest of wing pale yellowish-gray; front legs yellow with black femur tops; middle and rear legs orange, rear femurs black.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

Adults measure about 11 to 15 mm in length. Larvae grow to roughly 30 mm and have 22 legs.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

Found in European meadows where figwort grows.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

Larvae feed on figwort leaves and also on older leaves of Buddleja and black mullein. Adults eat small insects and visit umbellifers for nectar and pollen.

Source: Wikipedia

Life cycle

Larvae feed in August-September, then hibernate from October.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

Adults are on the wing from May through August.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Native to Europe, Turkey and the Transcaucasian region.

Source: Wikipedia

Lookalikes

Unlike most Tenthredo species, this one is orange-colored rather than black, and its antenna flagellum is short and not narrowed at the tip.

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Figwort sawfly photo 3
Photo: Hectonichus, CC BY-SA
Figwort sawfly photo 4
Photo: gailhampshire from Cradley, Malvern, U.K, CC BY 2.0
Figwort sawfly photo 5
Photo: Kim Abel, BioFokus, CC BY 3.0
Figwort sawfly photo 6
Photo: gailhampshire from Cradley, Malvern, U.K, CC BY 2.0

Questions people ask

What do the larvae eat?

They feed on figwort leaves and also on older leaves of Buddleja and black mullein.

Source: Wikipedia

How can I recognise a figwort sawfly?

It looks like a wasp without a thin waist, has a short black head, a mostly black thorax with yellow pronotum and scutellum, a black abdomen with yellow bands, and bright orange-red leading wing edges.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Tenthredinidae)

Willow Apple Gall SawflyWillow Apple Gall SawflyEuura californicaTurnip SawflyTurnip SawflyAthalia rosaeNuisance, not dangerousWillow Redgall SawflyWillow Redgall SawflyEuura proximaYellow-spotted MacrophyaYellow-spotted MacrophyaMacrophya montanaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSaddleback Grass-cutterSaddleback Grass-cutterEutomostethus ephippiumDamages trees, gardens or cropsCherry Slug SawflyCherry Slug SawflyCaliroa cerasi

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenthredo_scrophulariae

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

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