Pristiphora cretica Schedl, 1981

Liston, Andrew D., Jacobs, Hans-Joachim & Prous, Marko, 2015, The Sawflies of Crete (Hymenoptera, Symphyta), Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 62 (1), pp. 65-79 : 65

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Tenthredinidae

† Pristiphora cretica Schedl, 1981

Material.

Crete; 7♂♂, Pinakiano, 27.iii.2013. 5♂♂, Mesa Lasithi, 28.iii.2013. 1♀, 8♂♂, Katharo Plateau, Kopraki, 30.iii.2013. 6♀♀, 8♂♂, Omalos, 21.iv.2013. 11♀♀, 19♂♂, Askifou, 23.iv.2013. 7♀♀, 16♂♂, Omalos, 25.iv.2013. 2♀♀, Agia Irini, 26.iv.2013. All specimens swept from Acer sempervirens : because all species of the Pristiphora subbifida group use Acer spp. as hosts ( Liston and Späth 2008), Acer sempervirens (the only Acer sp. occurring in Crete) is probably a host.

Barcode data.

Minimum divergence of three Cretan Periclista cretica (DEIGISHym20657-20659) from two northern Greek Periclista cretica (DEIGISHym11052, 19646) is approximately 1.2%. Interspecific divergence from the next nearest species, Pristiphora schedli (Cyprus: DEIGISHym10980, 10981) is about 3.8%.

In Crete Acer sempervirens displays considerable infraspecific variability in the timing of bud burst. Although Pristiphora cretica occurred at some localities together with Pristiphora tetrica (Zaddach, 1883), it was observed that these species have strongly differing preferences for trees at different stages of leaf and flower development. Periclista cretica is found exclusively on trees whose buds have fully opened and which are already flowering, whereas Pristiphora tetrica is found on trees whose buds have not yet burst, or have just opened. The preference is so strong, that this phenomenon could be observed on trees standing beside each other which were at different stages of flushing (Fig. 14). The difference in habit is also reflected in the temporal distribution of collection data: a larger number of Periclista cretica and higher proportion of females were recorded during the second 2013 visit than during the first, whereas most specimens of Pristiphora tetrica were collected during the first visit.

The Cretan specimens listed above closely resemble the female holotype and male paratype (examined: Liston and Späth 2008), the only specimens previously known from Crete. Variability in the newly collected specimens affects the extent of pale coloration on the pronotum, outer orbits, clypeus and labrum in both sexes, and the extent of pale colour on the abdominal sternites. Specimens from the Vikos area, northern Greece (1♀, 7♂♂, Nom. Ioannina, Aristi, 16.4.2008, leg. Liston, SDEI) are very dark, with pronotum, abdominal sterna and metafemora nearly completely black. In a series (3♀♀, 3♂♂; SDEI) collected by S. M. Blank and C. Kutzscher in the western Peloponnese, the females are much paler than either the Cretan or Vikos specimens: abdomen including terga almost completely pale, in some specimens central part of mesepisternum pale. Colour of the Peleponnesian males falls within the range of variability seen in Cretan specimens. Some of the paler individuals of Periclista cretica could be mistaken for Pristiphora tetrica (Zaddach, 1883). Specimens of these species from the Mediterranean Region can be distinguished as follows: