Vetchling Twinhorn (Aprosthema melanurum)

On Thursday 1 May biology student Luc Elshout found a special sawfly on campus, the Vetchling Twinhorn (Aprosthema melanurum). Unfortunately it doesn't have a Dutch common name. Sawflies are the oldest wasps in evolutionary terms. So they are wasps, unlike their name. The larvae look like caterpillars and also eat plants. The adult sawflies don't have a stinger but a saw, with which they can saw the eggs into the plant.

If you look closely, the males are very easy to recognize because their antennae are forked, which is quite special. Females have 3 antennae segments that look like clubs. The orange colour of the abdomen can't be missed.

The species that was found on campus is considered very rare in Europe. In the Netherlands there was only one observation coming from last year near Hoek van Holland. And a week ago, several populations were found near the Rhine in Wageningen. The wasps were found in the Lumen garden, on the hills. These are often nice and dry and if they are facing south they get warm, which this species probably likes.