Pristiphora opaca Lindqvist, 1955

Pristiphora opaca Lindqvist, 1955: 42-43. Holotype ♀ (http://id.luomus.fi/GL.5204) in MZH, examined. Type locality: Pihtipudas, Central Finland.

Similar species.

Based on the external morphology, the most similar species are P. albitibia, P. confusa, P. pusilla, P. sootryeni, and P. subopaca . The species is best distinguished through the structure of male penis valve (Figs 95-96). Unfortunately, it is rather difficult to distinguish females from P. subopaca as the differences in the lancets are small (Figs 64 - 69). The best character might be the structure of the tangium: on its basal part, P. opaca appears to have a fold (Figs 64-65) that is absent in other species of the Pristiphora ruficornis group, although this observation is based only on two specimens that had saws intact enough to see this (basal part of both lancets was damaged in the third female available for study, the holotype). There are also slight differences in external morphology between P. opaca and P. subopaca . In P. opaca (Fig. 28), the pterostigma is apically brown and basally dark brown (uniformly yellow in P. subopaca; Fig. 27), antennae are slightly paler ventrally (uniformly black in P. subopaca), and claws seem to have a somewhat smaller subapical tooth (Fig. 31) than in P. subopaca (Fig. 32).

Genetic data.

Based on COI barcode sequences, P. opaca belongs to the same BIN cluster (BOLD:AAG3568) as P. aphantoneura, P. bifida, P. confusa, P. pusilla, P. staudingeri, and P. subopaca (Fig. 1). The nearest neighbour (BOLD:AAQ2302, P . armata and P. leucopus) is 2.76% different. Only one TPI sequence is available, which can be distinguished from other species (Fig. 2).

Host plants.

Unknown.

Distribution and material examined.

Western Palaearctic. Specimens studied are from Finland and Sweden.