Pristiphora subarctica (Forsslund, 1936) Figs 172, 278

Lygaeonematus subarcticus Forsslund, 1936: 14-22. Holotype ♀ was not found in NHRS. Type locality: Tärna and Stensele, Lycksele Lappmark, Sweden.

Pristiphora pseudosaxesenii Lindqvist, 1968a: 138-139. Holotype ♀ (DEI-GISHym31526) in MZH, examined. Type locality: Forssa, Finland.

Similar species.

The most similar species is P. pallida . For females, there might be small differences in basal annuli of the lancet: in P. subarctica, the gap between basal serrulae is larger and setae are less numerous on basal three annuli than in P. pallida . Additional differences mentioned by Forsslund (1939) are even smaller, or do not seem to be reliable. The penis valves are also almost identical, the only difference being possibly the presence ( P. subarctica, Fig. 278) or absence ( P. pallida, Fig. 276) of a depression on the apical part of valvispina. More studies are needed to decide if P. pallida and P. subarctica are distinct species.

Genetic data.

No full COI barcode available, but a 462 bp fragment available in BOLD of one Finnish specimen (FISYM334-15, MHV000166) is closest to BOLD:AAX8150 ( P. pallida) differing by a minimum of 2.44%. No nuclear data are available.

Host plants.

Picea abies (L.) Karsten (Forsslund 1936, Rodeghiero 2006).

Distribution and material examined.

West Palaearctic. Specimens studied are from Finland and Sweden.