Common sawfly

<em>Pontania proxima</em>, the willow bean-gall sawfly, is a tenthredinid sawfly in the family Tenthredinidae, widely distributed across temperate regions of Europe and North America, with records from Belgium, Norway, Sweden, and the United States. The species is notable for inducing distinctive red or greenish bean-shaped galls on the leaves of white willow (<em>Salix alba</em>) and related willow species. Female sawflies inject secretions during oviposition that stimulate the leaf tissue to form a protective gall, within which the larva feeds and develops in a sheltered, nutrient-rich environment. Each gall typically contains a single larva and is clearly visible as an oval swelling on the leaf surface, often turning bright red in late summer. The species is currently listed as Not Evaluated on the IUCN Red List, reflecting limited formal global assessment. Heavy infestations of galls can be aesthetically significant in ornamental willows but generally cause limited long-term harm to host trees. The galls also provide microhabitat and feeding opportunities for parasitoid wasps and inquiline insects. Adults are small, wasp-like insects. Biological traits such as average lifespan, adult body measurements, and dietary data beyond larval gall feeding remain poorly documented in standardized ecological databases.