Euura freyja (Liston, Taeger & Blank, 2009 )

Liston, Andrew, Vikberg, Veli, Mutanen, Marko, Nyman, Tommi & Prous, Marko, 2023, Palaearctic willow-catkin sawflies: a revision of the amentorum species group of Euura (Hymenoptera, Tenthredinidae), Zootaxa 5323 (3), pp. 349-395 : 367-369

Euura freyja (Liston, Taeger & Blank, 2009)

Figures 6 , 16A–B , 18E–F , Fig. 21F–G

Pontopristia analis Lindqvist, 1961: 75–76 . Described: holotype ♀ (http://id.luomus.fi/GL.9215; originally private collection O. Ranin, incorporated in private collection V. Vikberg, and now deposited in MZH; examined), paratype ♁. Published type locality: Utsjoki [northern Finland]. Secondary homonym in Euura and Amauronematus of Amauronematus analis Konow, 1897 (= Euura stenogaster ( Förster, 1854)) .

Nematus (Pontopristia) analis: Zhelohovcev, 1988

Amauronematus (Pontopristia) analis: Liston, 1995 .

Pontopristia montana Lindqvist, 1961: 76–77 . Described: holotype ♀ (BMNH, examined), paratypes, ♀ ♁. Published type locality: Sweden, Abisko. Secondary homonym in Euura of Nematus montanus Zaddach, 1883 (= Euura montana (Zaddach, 1883)) . New synonym.

Amauronematus (Pontopristia) montana: Liston, 1995 ; misspelling.

Euura oreophila Liston & Prous , in Prous et al. 2014: 53. Replacement name for P. montana .

Amauronematus freyja Liston, Taeger & Blank in Blank et al. 2009: 9–10. Replacement name for P. analis .

Euura freyja: Sundukov, 2017 .

Diagnosis. Female: Readily distinguished from other E. amentorum group females by its more slender body ( Fig. 6A ). Other useful characters are the distally wide valvulae 3 ( Fig. 6D : only similarly wide in E. amentorum ), and the blackish fore wing costa and pterostigma ( Fig. 6A–B ), at least in fresh specimens, which are only similarly dark in E. itelmena and E. pohjola sp. n.

Male ( Figs 6E–F ): Resembles E. microphyes , including penis valve, but valvispina in E. freyja basally broader. If a constant character, the more extensively pale apical abdominal sterna of E. freyja ( Fig. 6F : parts of 6 and 7 as well as 9) might distinguish it from other species (at most sternum 9 pale).

Description. Female ( Fig. 6A–B ). Body length 4.0– 5.5 mm. Black. More or less pale are: labrum and mandibles; femora, tibiae, bases of tarsomeres 1; terga 9, 10, cerci, medial projection of hypopygium. Wing veins dark; fore wing pterostigma usually uniformly dark.

Head. In dorsal view narrowed behind eyes, and length posterior of eye about 0.40 × length of eye. Mostly dull with coriaceous sculpture except for labrum and the nearly smooth and moderately shiny temples and upper inner orbits. Upper head sparsely setose; setae pale, about 0.3 × as long as anterior ocellus diameter. Clypeus slightly emarginate medially. Labrum apically rounded. Antenna 0.95–1.00 × as long as fore wing costa.

Thorax. Pronotum, mesoscutum and tegula densely punctate with small shiny interspaces; vestiture similar to upper head, adpressed. Lateral mesoscutal lobe approximately 2.0 × as long as greatest width. Mesoscutellum as broad as long, without longitudinal median furrow; anterior densely punctate, posterior nearly impunctate. Mesepisternum unsculptured, shiny, with nearly uniform covering of setae, about 0.5 × as long as diameter of anterior ocellus.

Abdomen. Valvulae 3 in lateral view ( Fig. 6C ) clearly orientated upwards; with subtruncate apex. In dorsal view ( Fig. 6D ) strongly widened distally; 1.8–2.0 × as wide as narrowest distal width of metatibia. Cercus clearly reaches back farther than tip of valvulae 3 ( Fig. 6C–D ). Lancet ( Fig. 16A–B ): 19–20 annular sutures; moderately strongly curved (lower edge concave); lamnium approximately 2 × as long as radix; distal marginal serrulae clearly lobed; proximal serrulae quite flat; basal annular sutures without ctenidial teeth. Tangium with a large, broad basal lobe.

Male [based on 200137_WCD and ZMUO.058316] ( Fig. 6E–F ). Body length 3.9–4.3 mm. As female, except: Antenna 1.10–1.35 × as long as fore wing costa. Pale are: Abdominal sternum 9, more or less sterna 6 and 7, and cerci ( Fig. 6E–F ). Penis valve ( Fig. 18E–F ): Valvispina short and basally broad.

Variability. [Female] Interior of fore wing pterostigma sometimes paler than margins. Tergum 9 from extensively pale (brown-red) to nearly completely dark. Tergum 10 more or less pale (whitish). Tegula usually completely black, but in one specimen narrowly pale on exterior margins. [Male] A lobe below the valvispina may be well-developed ( Fig. 18E ) or barely visible ( Fig. 18F ).

Figures

FIGURE 6. Euura freyja. A–D) ♀ DEI-GISHym31506. E–F) ♁ 200137_WCD. Scale bars 1 mm.

FIGURE 16. Lancets.A–B Euura freyja: A) DEI-GISHym31215. B) Pontopristia analis holotype http://id.luomus.fi/GL.9215. C–D Euura pohjola n. sp. C) holotype ZMUO.030866. D) paratype ZMUO.033762. E–F Euura itelmena E) Pontopristia itelmena lectotype NHRS-HEVA000006352. F) PR.517VV.

FIGURE 18. Penis valves. A) Euura amentorum http://id.luomus.fi/GP.110189. B) E. pohjola n. sp. paratype ZMUO.030821, valvispina (upper) and lobe on paravalva (lower) arrowed. C) E. dahlbomi http://id.luomus.fi/GP.110188. D) E. microphyes 00244_KTP. E) E. freyja, 200693_BSP. F) E. freyja ZMUO.058316.

FIGURE 21. Euura amentorum group.A–C E. amentorum DEI-GISHym84386 last instar larva, in ethanol:A) head and thorax. B) abdominal segments 3–5, seg. 4 dorsal annulets arrowed. C) tip of abdomen. D) E. itelmena 210010_NBH ovipositing in S. lanata catkin. E) unidentified species, larva boring in catkin axis of S. lapponum, Norway, Svanvik, 9.7.2019. F) E.? freyja larva, S. lanata, Norway, Skallelv, 16.7.2019. G) E.? freyja prepupa, S. myrsinifolia, Norway, Båtsfjord, 9.7.2021.