Euura weiffenbachiella Liston & 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 : 60

Euura weiffenbachiella Liston & Vikberg , nom. nov.

Euura weiffenbachii Ermolenko in Zerova, Dyakonchuk & Ermolenko, 1988: 48 –49. Described: ♀, ♂, gall, recorded host: Salix rosmarinifolia . Syntypes, ♀ and ♂, SIZK [not examined]. Type locality: Ukraine, near Kiev, Romanivka District . Euura weiffenbachiella nom. nov. is proposed for E. weiffenbachii Ermolenko , preoccupied in Euura by Pteronidea weiffenbachi Lindqvist, 1958 [ E. piliserra ( Thomson, 1863) ].

Euura (Euura) weiffenbachii Ermolenko : Kopelke (1996).

Variability. Female: Body length: 4.6–5.5mm. Tegula brown to black. Male: 3.6–6.1mm. Female and male: outer orbits and lateral vertex somewhat brown to completely black. Total number of specimens examined: 19.

Genetic data. COI barcode not distinguishable from those of E. myrtilloides , E. salicislapponicae , and E. salicispurpureae .

Similar species. Its robust and usually large body are helpful in recognising this taxon. Females are otherwise most similar to E. myrtilloides : see key for distinguishing characters.

Bionomics. Host plants: Salix repens , S. rosmarinifolia ( Kopelke 2003a) . Biology: Enslin (1918b; as E. atra on S. repens ), Kopelke (1996), Roininen et al. (1993b: as E. atra on S. rosmarinifolia ), Weiffenbach (1992). Enslin (1918b) and Weiffenbach (1992) both remarked on two different basic shapes of gall caused by this species: either spindle-shaped, with the shoot remaining straight, or very strongly developed on one side of the shoot, and causing it to bend, like a miniature gall of E. amerinae . We assume that the reason for this is a difference in the way oviposition takes place, and that the different-looking galls are caused by the same species.

Distribution. Central and North Europe (Taeger et al. 2006), east to Yakutia ( Popov 2011). Occurrence in Sweden: published records; Skåne (Kullaberg; Benander 1966, as E. atra on Salix repens ), Öland ( Coulianos & Holmåsen 1991, as E. atra on Salix repens ). Material examined: Skåne.