Euura aquilonis (Benson, 1941) Liston & Heibo & Prous & Vårdal & Nyman & Vikberg, 2017

Liston, Andrew D., Heibo, Erik, Prous, Marko, Vårdal, Hege, Nyman, Tommi & Vikberg, Veli, 2017, North European gall-inducing Euura sawflies (Hymenoptera, Tenthredinidae, Nematinae), Zootaxa 4302 (1), pp. 1-115 : 87

aquilonis subgroup

Other European taxa occur in the Carpathian Mountains and the Alps ( Vikberg 2003), but only a single species is known in northern Europe. E. myrsiniticola , although it resembles aquilonis in adult morphology and was included by Vikberg (2003) in his aquilonis group, belongs to the viminalis subgroup according to genetic data.

Euura aquilonis ( Benson, 1941) comb. nov.

Pontania aquilonis Benson, 1941 . Published as a "new name" for Pontania herbaceae sensu Malaise, 1921a . Lectotype, ♀, designated by Vikberg (2003), BMNH [examined]. Type locality: Sweden, Torne Träsk area.

Eupontania aquilonis ( Benson, 1941) : Vikberg (2003).

Pontania algida Benson, 1941: 134 –136. Described: ♀. Holotype, ♀, BMNH [examined]. Type locality: Scotland, Perthshire , Breadalbane Mountains near Killin. Synonymy by Vikberg (2003).

Pontania polaris: Kopelke (1989b) ; misidentification.

Pontania (Eupontania) polaris: Zinovjev (1993b) ; misidentification.

Variability. Female: Body length: 3.4–5.3mm. Supraclypeal area, outer orbits, upper inner orbits and lateral vertex brown, to completely black. Femora mainly pale, to mainly black. Male: 3.3–4.9mm. No significant colour variability in specimens examined. Total number of specimens examined: 34.

Genetic data. Nyman et al. (2000) already published a tree that shows aquilonis placed outside the crassipes and viminalis subgroups. COI barcoding permits unequivocal identification of E. aquilonis , with the nearest neighbouring sequences (about 4% different) being those of the E. crassipes subgroup.

Bionomics. Host plants: Salix herbacea , S. polaris , and their hybrid ( Vikberg 2003). Biology: Hakkarainen et al. (2005), Kopelke (1989b), Roininen et al. (2002), Vikberg (2003).

Distribution. North Europe ( Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Finland), Central Europe ( Slovakia, Tatra Mts) ( Vikberg 2003). Occurrence in Sweden: published records; Torne Lappmark ( Malaise 1921a, Vikberg 2003). Material examined: Torne Lappmark (galls and reared adults).