Abia Leach, 1817

Vilhelmsen, Lars & Shinohara, Akihiko, 2020, Review of the genus classification of Abiinae (Cimbicidae, Hymenoptera), European Journal of Taxonomy 608, pp. 1-23 : 7-8

Abia Leach, 1817

Zaraea Leach, 1817: 113 .

Abia (Parabia) Semenov, 1891: 174 .

Orientabia Malaise, 1934: 36 .

Allabia Semenov & Gussakovskij, 1937: 5 , syn. nov.

Abia (Aenoabia) Kangas, 1946: 88 .

Zaraea (Auroabia) Kangas, 1946: 89 .

† Procimbex Hong, 1984: 7 .

Type species

Tenthredo sericea Linné, 1767 .

Revised species

Abia infernalis Semenov, 1896 comb. rev.

Abia malaisei ( Semenov & Gussakovskij, 1937) comb. nov.

Redescription (female; male structures only mentioned when differing from females)

Medium-sized to large sawflies, body length from around 1 cm to just below 2 cm. Body coloration ranges from green (e.g., Fig. 2D ) or blue metallic ( Fig. 2A ) to more coppery, violet ( Figs 1E , 3F ) or even blackish-brown with little or no metallic tinge ( Figs 1B , 7 A–B). Color usually uniform, but a few species (e.g., A. fasciata ) with a creamy-white abdominal tergum 1 forming a bright band across the anterior part of the abdomen ( Fig. 1B ) or even with repeated pale transverse bands ( A. kennicotti , Fig. 1F; A . marginata) along parts of the abdomen. Body often hairy, especially head and thorax. Wings mostly hyaline, fore wing often with infuscated transverse band ( Fig. 1B ) or spot, rarely with anterior part of fore wing completely infuscated (e.g., A. iridescens ; Fig. 1E ).

HEAD. Eyes converging dorsally, reaching above posterior ocelli; in male eyes close together dorsally, being separated at most by distance slightly above diameter of anterior ocellus ( Fig. 6B, D ), sometimes almost abutting ( Fig. 6E ). Toruli in middle of face, approx. halfway between median ocellus and ventral margin of clypeus; intertorular groove present or absent. Epistomal sulcus usually well developed (weakly developed in A. relativa ). Ventral margin of clypeus variable, usually straight but sometimes deeply incurved (e.g., A. relativa ; Fig. 5F ). Genal width variable. Malar space variable, from less than half to about equal to height of clypeus. Occipital carina absent. Sclerotization between occipital and oral foramina absent. Antenna with six or seven antennomeres; antennomere 1 less than 2× as long as wide, antennomere 2 shorter than wide, antennomere 3 at least 1.5× as long as antennomere 4, antennomeres 5–6/7 expanded into distinct club. Labrum slightly convex, at least as wide as high, except in A. relativa . Mandibles in both sexes usually shorter than 0.5× height of head capsule, sometimes longer (e.g., A. relativa ; Fig. 5F ); left mandible with three teeth, sometimes with serrations (e.g., A. iridescens ). Maxilla with stipes usually tapering distally, palp with six palpomeres, inserts close to labial palp. Labial palp with four palpomeres. Postmentum narrow, at least 3× as long as wide.

THORAX. Pronotum comparatively high medially, without any conspicuous grooves; pronotum fused with anterior margin of mesopleuron from just below anterior thoracic spiracle to ventral corner. Dorsal cervical sclerite absent. Propleuron without lateral projection, propleural sulcus absent, medioventral margins widely separated, posteriorly extended into narrow points. Prosternum laterally extended, fused with propleura at lateral procoxal articulation points, forming narrow bridge; katepisterna absent as independent sclerites. Anterior fore tibial spur straight, simple, not much longer than posterior spur, spurs with blunt membraneous pads apically. Mesonotum with distinct median sulcus and deep notauli; laterophragmal apodeme elongate, extending towards mesofurca; postscutellum absent. No indication of prepectus. Horizontal carina absent laterally on mesopleuron (faint swelling present in A. imperialis ); posterior thoracic spiracle visible in lateral view, situated in incurvation in dorsal margin of mesopleuron. Median midcoxal articulations adjacent, only separated by small wedge of cuticle. Mesofurca with mesospina (absent in A. sericea ) and elongate anterior and lateral arms. Insertion of mesonoto-metanotal muscle medially on metanotum on small ring-like structure; cenchri at least 3× as broad as long. Anapleural cleft present, small (absent in A. iridescens ). Metapleuron fused with abdominal tergum 1 along dorsal margin; posteroventral metapleural apodeme absent; paracoxal sulcus curving anteriorly, terminating in metapleural sulcus close to anterior margin of metapleuron; metacoxal foramina open dorsally, with slight metapleural inflection laterally. Metafurca with anterior arms variable in length, lateral arms elongate. Hind coxa less than twice as long as wide, median carina or spine absent. Hind femoral ventral spur absent. Hind tibial apical spurs shorter than apical width of tibia. Hind tarsomere 1 shorter than tarsomeres 2–4, tarsal claws variable, inner tooth absent, short or as large as outer (most common condition when present).

WINGS. Male pterostigma not expanded anteriorly. Vein M joins Sc+R some distance from Rs+M; vein 2r-m posteriorly inserts on cell 2M distally to anterior end of 2m-cu; vein 1m-cu inserts on Rs+M some distance from posterior insertion of 2r-m (distance 1m-cu–2r-m at least ⅓ distance M–1m-cu on Rs+M); posterior anal vein present proximally and distally but discontinuous in the middle. Hind wing cell R1 closed; vein M continuous, separating cells Rs and M, cell M not reaching vein Rs; cross vein 2a absent.

ABDOMEN. Tergum 1 not subdivided medially, median carina present, lateral swelling present, posterior margin more or less straight. Metaphragma continuous medially, of approx. equal height throughout, median foramen present. Lateroterga around abdominal spiracles separated from median terga as demarcated by conspicuous fold. In males of many species (e.g., A. gribodoi , A. relativa , A. sericea ), abdominal terga 4–6 or 4–7 with medial depression accommodating hairy patch ( Fig. 2 A–D). Female cercus usually at least twice as long as wide (shorter in, e.g., A. pulcherrima ). Ovipositor apparatus with 1 st valvula having longitudinal line, sawteeth symmetric, serrulae present; tip of 1 st and 2 nd valvulae distinctly curving dorsally ( Fig. 3D ); ventral margin with tufts of setae along its length, tufts on lobes.

Figures

Fig. 2. Habitus dorsal, males. A. Abia lewisii Cameron, 1887 (NSMT). B. Abia metallica Mocsáry, 1909 (NSMT). C. Abia nitens (Linnaeus, 1758) (NHMD). D. Abia sericea (Linné, 1767) (NHMD). E. Abia triangularis (Takeuchi, 1931) (NSMT). Yellow arrows = depressions with hairy patches on abdominal terga.

Fig. 1. Habitus dorsal, females. A. Abia coreana Takeuchi, 1927 (NSMT). B. Abia fasciata (Linnaeus, 1758) (NHMD). C. Abia formosa Takeuchi, 1927 (NRMS). D. Abia imperialis Kirby, 1882 (NHMD). E. Abia iridescens Marlatt, 1898 (NSMT). F. Abia kennicotti Norton, 1867 (NHMUK).

Fig. 3. Habitus lateral, females, except D, which shows ovipositor (upside down). A. Abia akebii (Takeuchi, 1931) (NSMT). B. Abia berezowskii Semenov, 1896 (NRMS). C–D. Abia candens (Konow, 1887) (NHMD). E. Abia metallica Mocsáry, 1909 (NSMT). F. Abia pulcherrima Mallach, 1930 (NRMS). G. Abia niui Wei & Deng, 1999 (NMNH). H. Abia relativa Rohwer, 1910 (NSMT).

Fig. 7. Abia infernalis Semenov, 1896 comb. rev.. Holotype, male (ZIN). A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Habitus, lateral view. C. Head, anterior view. D. Right antenna. E. Labels.

Fig. 6. Head, anterior view, males. A. Abia americana (Cresson, 1880) (NMNH). B. Abia berezowskii Semenov, 1896 (NRMS). C. Abia fulgens Zaddach, 1863 (NHMD). D. Abia melanocera Cameron, 1899 (NRMS). E. Abia sachalinensis Takeuchi, 1931 (NSMT). F. Abia sericea (Linné, 1767) (NSMT). Red arrows = antennomeres in club.

Fig. 5. Head, anterior view, females. A. Abia aurulenta Sichel, 1856 (NRMS). B. Abia coreana Takeuchi, 1927 (NSMT). C. Abia fasciata (Linnaeus, 1758) (NHMD). D. Abia imperialis Kirby, 1882 (NHMD). E. Abia niui Wei & Deng, 1999 (NMNH). F. Abia relativa Rohwer, 1910 (NSMT). Red arrows = antennomeres in club; blue arrows = intertorular groove.