Pristiphora, Smith, 2011

Smith, David R., 2011, Nematinae (Hymenoptera, Tenthredinidae) of Thailand, with notes on some other southeastern Asian nematines, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 22, pp. 1-27 : 10-11

Pristiphora Latreille

Discussion.

This is a large Holarctic genus with well over 100 species ( Taeger et al. 2010). All species treated here, except Pristiphora chalybeata , differ from the others described from southeastern Asia, and I have found nothing in the Palearctic fauna that agree with these species. I have checked descriptions and available specimens of species treated by Benson (1958), ( Wong (1960, 1977), Saini (2006), ( Haris (2006, 2007), and in the literature covering species from China. Taeger et al. (2010) separated several subgenera of Pristiphora but the species from southeastern Asia were not assigned to subgenus. So far as I can tell, all species examined and for which the original descriptions were checked would belong to the subgenus Pristiphora .

( Wong (1960, 1977) proposed several species complexes. The species he treated in 1977 were placed in the chlorea complex and the pallidiventris complex, with one species, Pristiphora sinensis Wong, not assigned to a complex but placed near Pristiphora geniculata (Hartig).

The pallidiventris complex of Wong (1977) includes the largest number of species, characterized by the lack of hairs or spines on the annuli of the lancet (as in Fig. 25 ), the annuli on the lancet becoming progressively more slanted towards the apex, a short scopa on the sawsheath, pale venter of the abdomen, antenna pale beneath, and penis valve of male with a valvispina located vertically near the center of the apically tapered paravalva. None of the species described here fall into this complex. The following species from southeastern Asia were checked, and all lack hairs or spines on the annuli and appear to belong to the pallidiventris complex: Pristiphora alta Saini and Chambal, 1996 (India: West Bengal); Pristiphora basidentata Wei, 1998 (in Wei and Nie 1998) (China: Zhejiang); Pristiphora caiwanzhii Wei, 1998 (in Nie and Wei 1998) (China: Henan); Pristiphora chonganica Wei, 2003 (in Wei and Nie 2003) (China: Fujian); Pristiphora ecarinata Saini and Chambal, 1996 (India: Himachal Pradesh, Uttarauchal); Pristiphora formosanus Rohwer, 1916 (Taiwan) ( Fig. 25 ); Pristiphora lii Wei, 1998 (in Nie and Wei 1998) (China: Henan); Pristiphora longitangia Wei, 1998 (in Wei and Nie 1998) (China: Zhejiang); Pristiphora melanopygiolia Wei, 1999 (in Wei et al. 1999) (China: Henan); Pristiphora nigrotarsalina Wei, 2003 (in Wei et al. 2003 a) (China: Guangxi); P. obliqualis Wei, 2003 (in Wei and Nie 2003) (China: Fujian); Pristiphora sauteri Rohwer, 1916 (Taiwan); Pristiphora tuberculatina Wei, 2003 (in Wei and Nie 2003) (China: Fujian); Pristiphora zhongi Wei, 2002 (China: Henan).

The chlorea complex of Wong (1977) includes those species with the tarsal claw with a prominent inner tooth, the lancet with stout annular spines or hairs, concave basal annuli, and median annuli not reaching the dorsal margin, the lance with a carina on the radix, and males with a hooklike valvispina. Wong (1977) included Pristiphora borneensis Forsius, 1933 (Malaysia: Sabah) and Pristiphora nankingensis Wong, 1977 (China: Nanking) in this complex, and, according to descriptions, Pristiphora chalybeata Benson, 1963 (Myanmar), Pristiphora lineogenata Wei, 2002 (in Wei and Nie 2002) (China: Guizhou), Pristiphora rufocincta Benson, 1963 (Myanmar), Pristiphora nigrescenta Saini and Chambal, 1996 (India: Uttaranchal), and Pristiphora zhejiangensis Wei, 1995 (China: Zhejiang) may fall into this complex. The species described here may also belong to this complex, but none have the lancet structure similar to the above and the males, where known, do not have a hooklike valvispina. Thus, these new species appear to be closest to those included in the geniculata group of ( Wong (1960, 1977). Also, the male of Pristiphora borneensis , described below, was unknown to Wong (1977), and it does not have the hooklike valvispina typical for this complex ( Fig. 27 ).

Pristiphora oligalucina Wei, 2002a (China: Henan), is said to have no annular hairs ( Wei 2002a), which would place it in the pallidiventris complex, but the species is stated to be near Pristiphora geniculata , which might place it near Pristiphora sinensis (China: Fujian, Nanking). I am unable to place Pristiphora beijingensis Zhou and Zhang, 1993 (in Zhou et al. 1995), but this occurs farther north in the Beijing area, is associated with Populus sp., and is unlikely to occur in Thailand. Pristiphora lamdongensis Haris, 2007, cannot be placed because the lancet was not illustrated. It differs from all species described here by the very minute inner tooth of the tarsal claws. The species described here have a long inner tooth half or more the length of the outer tooth. Haris (2007) also noted that the elongated maxillary palpus and brown rounded spot in the first cubital cell in the forewing are unique.

Both Pristiphora chalybeata Benson and Pristiphora rufocincta Benson have the abdomen red or yellow; the former has the third abdominal segment red in the female but the male recorded below has identical male genitalia as Benson (1963) illustrated though it is mostly black. All species described here have the abdomen black or mostly black above and white below.

Figures

Figures 21 - 25. Pristiphora lancets 21 Pristiphora ettera 22 Pristiphora inthanoni 23 Pristiphora annetna 24 Pristiphora phahompoki 25 Pristiphora borneensis.

Figures 26 - 33. Male genitalia. Genital capsule ventral view; penis valve lateral view 26 Genital capsule, Pristiphora borneensis 27 Penis valve, Pristiphora borneensis 28 Genital capsule, Pristiphora chalybeata 29 Penis valve, Pristiphora chalybeata 30 Genital capsule, Pristiphora annetna 31 Penis valve, Pristiphora annetna 32 Genital capsule, Pristiphora ettera 33 Penis valve, Pristiphora ettera.