Pristiphora sp.

Liston, Andrew D., Jacobs, Hans-Joachim & Prous, Marko, 2015, The Sawflies of Crete (Hymenoptera, Symphyta), Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 62 (1), pp. 65-79 : 65

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Tenthredinidae

† Pristiphora sp. [subbifida group]

Material.

Crete; 1♂, Omalos, 21.iv.2013. Swept from Acer sempervirens , which is probably a host plant, because this is the only Acer sp. occurring in Crete and all species of the Pristiphora subbifida group use Acer spp. as hosts ( Liston and Späth 2008).

Barcode data: the sequence of this specimen (DEIGISHym20661) diverges by about 4.8% from its nearest neighbour, Pristiphora tetrica (Zaddach, 1883) from Sicily (DEIGISHym10972). Divergence from two Cretan Pristiphora tetrica (see below) is approximately 5.3% and from Pristiphora schedli Liston and Späth, 2008 (Cyprus) approx. 8.6%.

Externally, the specimen differs from Cretan Pristiphora tetrica males only in the apex of the metatibia and most of metabasitarsomere being pale: Fig. 15 (largely black in Pristiphora tetrica : Fig. 19) and its slightly larger body length of 4.5 mm ( Pristiphora tetrica : 3.5-4.0 mm). However, the penis valve of the unidentified species (Fig. 16) differs substantially from Pristiphora tetrica (Fig. 17), and resembles that of Pristiphora schedli : valvispina medially thickened and not strongly upcurved (in other subbifida group species not medially thickened, but strongly upcurved), apex of paravalva at base of valvispina not strongly expanded (other species: strongly expanded). On the other hand, the coloration of the head and thorax is much darker in Pristiphora sp. than in Pristiphora schedli , while the legs of the former are paler. Despite its morphological similarity to Pristiphora schedli , the very large barcode divergence of the single Cretan specimen suggests that it probably represents a previously unrecognized species. Possibly one of the two unidentified female Pristiphora specimens mentioned by Schedl (2011) belongs here. Further material should be obtained so that its status can be evaluated.