Yellow-spotted Macrophya
Males and females of this sawfly barely look alike: females carry yellow spotted abdomens and legs, while males are almost entirely black with only pale leg tips.
| Where | Forest edges, thickets and hedgerows |
|---|---|
| Size | 9 to 11 mm body length |
| When | May to July |
It is a sturdy sawfly with strong differences between the sexes: females have yellow markings on the abdomen and hind legs, while males have pale yellow front legs, mostly black hind legs, and a solid black abdomen with only the leg tips showing white.
Adults visit flowers such as hogweed for pollen and nectar and also feed on honeydew and small insects, while the larvae develop on the leaves of brambles and other Rubus plants.
Traits
Habitat
Woodland
Colour
Black, Yellow
Active
Day
To people
Harmless
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Its common name refers to a dozen pale spots along the abdomen, a distinctly different pattern from the yellow-marked abdomen of female Macrophya montana.
Questions
Is the Yellow-spotted Macrophya dangerous to people?
The Yellow-spotted Macrophya is harmless to people.
When can you see the Yellow-spotted Macrophya?
The Yellow-spotted Macrophya can be seen from May to July, by day.
Plate retouched from a photo by Kim Abel, BioFokus, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons Licence
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Bees, wasps and ants›Common sawflies›Macrophya
Last updated 2026-09-26. Every entry is checked against published sources.