---

Dear all,

on 25th of May this year I found this Hymenoptera near a small channel in the north of Berlin ( Germany ).

Could one of you experts tell me which species it belongs to?

Thanks in advance.

Best regards,
Adrian

---

Tenthredo scrophulariae, the Figwort sawfly

---

Thanks Tony, looks similar! Yet, on the pictures that I find online the yellow pattern on the abdomen forms a series of continuous rings. On my photo clearly the third one of the markings is only a lateral spot and not a whole ring.. Could it be another species?

---

My understanding is that the yellow bands on the abdomen of this species are quite variable - they can be quite thick, or quite thin, so perhaps they can sometimes be broken in the middle as well (though I have yet to find a picture of one like yours). It does look as though it's sitting on a figwort leaf - not an entirely reliable character, but does support it being scrophulariae

---

Looking more closely at your picture, I'm wondering whether this is a teratological specimen. The segment which has the spot appears to narrow off strongly to the right. Perhaps it had a developmental problem, leading to the odd pattern.

---

Dear Tony, thanks for your interesting thoughts on the specimen - I think you might be right and it is a variation. Here I have another picture, does that specimen belong also to this species?