Maps updated: April 2008

Synanthedon tipuliformis (Clerck, 1759)

Description: Wingspan 18-22mm. Adults are small and wasp-like in appearance with 3 or 4 narrow yellow bands on a black abdomen. Like the other species in this family the wings have a transparent window with dark-coloured wing tips. They fly during the day in sunshine.

Sets:

Flight Period: (Skinner 1984) gives the flight period as June and July.

Status: There is an old record for this species dating back to the early part of the 19th century from Londonderry. There have been no other reports or sightings documented. There are a few records from southern Ireland mainly from gardens in the Dublin area. Its secretive habits make it difficult to detect and therefore its current status in N. Ireland is at present unknown.

Ecology: An elusive species found mainly in suburban gardens and allotments where old established blackcurrant bushes occur. It may be worth examining the stems of mature plants for exit holes. The larvae feed on currants and gooseberries and live in the stems of the plant.

Caterpillar: