Pamphilius mediterraneus, Liston, 2023

Liston, Andrew, 2023, Taxonomy, distribution and host plants of some southern European and North African Sawflies (Hymenoptera, Symphyta), Contributions to Entomology 73 (1), pp. 9-30 : 9

Pamphilius mediterraneus sp. nov.

Fig. 1

Pamphilius ignymontiensis : Liston et al. 2013, misidentification.

Type locality.

Italy, Sicily, 3 km east of Gratteri, approximately 800 m above sea-level, 37.968°N, 14.001°E [the coordinates on the data label are rounded, whereas these are more precise: uncertainty 150 m. The coordinates on the label locate a spot on the other side of the public road, in an area with significantly less tree cover]. Mixed broadleaved woodland. Collection data: 21.05.2010, by sweeping, A. Liston leg.

Type specimen.

Holotype ♀ (DEI-GISHym11123). Labels: "SICILY: 21.05.2010 Gratteri ca. 3 km NE (ca. 800 m) (37,97°N 14,00°E) leg. A. Liston", “DEI-GISHym11123”, " Pamphilius ignymontiensis Lacourt det. A. Liston 2010", "DEI-GISHym 11123 ii/2013 Pamphilius ignymontiensis BASYM466-11 COI: 658 [0n] BIN:ABA1652" [blue], " Pamphilius mediterraneus sp. n. ♀ det. A. Liston 2023" [red], deposited in SDEI.

Description.

Head black (Fig. 1C, D ): pale are palpi, mandibles, clypeus, gena (partly), most of frons (but divided by a dark vertical stripe medially), a small oblique fleck on rear of postocular area (Fig. 1B, C, E ). Antenna (Fig. 1B-E ): scape pale, pedicel slightly darker, flagellum progressively darkened towards apex. Thorax black (Fig. 1A, B ): pale (whitish) are tegula, mesoscutellum (without appendage), metascutellum, upper edges and lowermost part of pronotum (Fig. 1A, B ). Legs pale yellowish (Fig. 1A, B ) except for black bases of coxae (Fig. 1F ). Veins of forewing pale to about half length of wing from base, apically dark; pterostigma yellow brown, anterior slightly darker (Fig. 1A ). Abdomen (Fig. 1A, F ): tergum 1 mainly black except for very narrow white antero-lateral margin. Terga 2-5 entirely reddish-yellow. Tergum 6 largely black; anteriorly and laterally partly reddish-yellow. Tergum 7 black with small, pale antero-lateral fleck. Tergum 8 black. Tergum 10 basally dark, apically pale. Sterna pale except for 7 with small triangular baso-medial black marking (Fig. 1F ). Cerci (Fig. 1F ) and sawsheath pale, except for dark setae and peg on valvula 3 (Fig. 1G ).

Upper head (Fig. 1C ) largely glabrous; length and density of setae increasing towards the outer orbits; punctures shallow and very widely spaced; frontal crest moderately protruding, in dorsal view subtriangular; facial crests weakly protruding to about half height of frontal crest. Head below transverse sutures (Fig. 1D ) moderately setose with diffuse shallow punctation, except for glabrous and impunctate paraantennal field; longest setae slightly longer than diameter of an ocellus; face below lateral transverse sutures slightly transversely corrugated down to level of lower edge of ocellar basin; clypeus densely punctate; frontoclypeal crest scarcely developed. Antenna (Fig. 1E ): 21 antennomeres, scape 3.8 × as long as apical width, 2.55 × as long as pedicel; flagellomere 1 about 1.1 × as long as scape, 2.3 × as long as flagellomere 2. Fore wing cell C entirely setose. Medial mesoscutal lobe glabrous, without punctation; lateral lobes medially glabrous and impunctate; moderately setose and weakly punctate laterally (Fig. 1A ). Mesepisternum (Fig. 1B ) sparsely and shallowly punctate with adpressed setae about as long as diameter of ocellus; narrow glabrous impunctate stripe on lowest third. Inner tooth of claw slightly shorter than outer. Valvula 3 (Fig. 1G ) with dense apical fringe of dark setae; valvular peg conical, dark like setae, markedly shorter than longest setae. Terga 1-5 sculptured; sculpture less strong towards posterior of abdomen; distal terga nearly unsculptured.

Length: 8.5 mm.

Male. Unknown.

Etymology.

the species name, an adjective, relates to the Mediterranean Sea and its lands.

Host plant.

Unknown. However, one or more Acer species are probably hosts of P. mediterraneus , as for its closest relatives, such as P. ignymontiensis and P. aurantiacus . Both Acer campestre and A. monspessulanum occur at the type locality.

Genetic data.

in BOLD Systems the COI barcode sequence of the P. mediterraneus holotype is the only specimen in BIN BOLD:ABA1652. Three German specimens of P. aurantiacus with identical barcodes comprise BOLD:ABA1650. One German male P. aurantiacus comprises BOLD:ABV8260, and one Swiss male BOLD:ABV8261. The minimum divergence between P. mediterraneus and P. aurantiacus (BINs BOLD:ABA1650 and BOLD:ABV8260) is about 2.4%. Sequences (not in BOLD) of two P. ignymontiensis specimens (DEI-GISHym81330, DEI-GISHym89949) diverge slightly more from P. mediterraneus , by respectively approximately 2.5-2.6%.

Diagnosis.

Pamphilius mediterraneus belongs to the Pamphilius alternans sub-group of the Pamphilius alternans species group, as defined by Shinohara (2002). All members of this species sub-group are West Palaearctic. In the key to species (females) of the sub-group by Shinohara (1991), P. mediterraneus runs to couplet 8, but does not fit either alternative, because whereas its head is largely black, abdominal sternum 6 is mostly pale. In the key to European species (females) by Viitasaari (2002b) it runs to couplet 18 containing P. aurantiacus and P. ignymontiensis but does not fit the combination of characters for either of the species. It is closer to P. aurantiacus in lacking a pale stripe from compound eye to posterior border of head, but differs in its very smooth postocular area (densely and rather deeply punctate in P. aurantiacus ). The nearly entirely pale abdominal sterna of P. mediterraneus separate it from both P. aurantiacus and P. ignymontiensis , with several sterna extensively dark. The single P. mediterraneus specimen is similar in size to P. ignymontiensis females, i.e. smaller than P. aurantiacus. Differences are summarized in the following key.

Figures

Figure 1. Pamphilius mediterraneus sp. nov. holotype ♀ (DEI-GISHym 11123): A, B. Complete; C-E. Head; F. Abdomen ventral; G. Valvula 3 lateral, peg arrowed. Scale bars: 1 mm.