Macrophya timida Smith, 1874

Kumar, Deepthi S & Sankar, Manimuthu M, 2023, Taxonomic Notes and New Distribution and Host Plant Records for Sawflies and Woodwasps (Hymenoptera, Symphyta) of Japan VIII, Bulletin of the National Museum of Nature and Science. Series A, Zoology 49 (2), pp. 57-74 : 61

Macrophya timida Smith, 1874

Japanese name: Ko-kuro-habachi

( Fig. 4)

Larva. Late instar ( Fig. 4A, C above): Head gray, with obscure dark area dorsally and later- ally; trunk whitish, covered with whitish wax powder. Mature larva ( Fig. 4C below): Head greenish white; trunk vivid pale green, shiny.

Material examined. HONSHU: Tochigi Pref.: 1 Ə, Nakagawa, Bato , 36°44′N 140°10′E, coll. larva on Ligustrum lucidum , 26. V. 2021 , mat. 3. VI., em. 3. IV. 2022 , S. Ibuki; 2 $, same data except mat. 4. VI., em. 4. IV. 2022 .

Host plants. Oleaceae : Ligustrum obtusifolium Sieb. et Zucc. , L. japonicum Thunb. , Syringa vulgaris L. ( Okutani, 1954). Ligustrum lucidum Aiton (new record).

Life history. On May 26, 2021, Ibuki found three larvae of this species feeding on Ligustrum lucidum in Nakagawa, Tochigi Prefecture. The larvae were solitary leaf feeders, coiled at rest. They matured on June 3 and 4 and one male and two females emerged on April 3 and 4 next year. This species is regarded as univoltine .

Remarks. Okutani (1954, 1959) recorded host plants of this species and described the larva. Okutani (1954) also gave a key to the lmature larvaez of sawflies feeding on Ligustrum , but his lmature larvaez should actually be the larvae of the last feeding instar. The mature larva in our sense (prepupa or eonymph) is after the last molt at the end of the last feeding instar and ready for entering the soil. In this stage, the known larvae of Macrophya are almost entirely pale vivid greenish and shiny and show no clear specific differences (e.g., Figs. 2E, 3E, 4C below).