272 Euura ribesicola (Lindqvist, 1949)

Figs 219, 511

Pteronidea ribesicola Lindqvist, 1949: 72–73 . Lectotype ♀ (http://id.luomus.fi/GL.2460, MZH), designated by Viitasaari (1980).

Nematus bey-bienkoi Skorikova, 1952: 107–108 . Synonymy by Viitasaari (1980).

Euura suguri Hara & Iwasaki, 2021: 53–57 . Holotype ♀ (NSMT), not examined. Type locality: Japan, Hokkaido, Eniwa. Syn. nov.

Diagnosis

The black head and thorax, at least dorsally black abdomen, and extensively black metafemur (at least a quarter) and tibia (at least a third) distinguish the species from the others in the group. The darkest specimens of the other species ( E. leucotrocha) still have a completely or nearly completely pale metafemur (rarely slightly black at apex), paler metatibia and ventrally at least slightly pale abdomen.

Recently, Hara & Iwasaki (2021) described E. suguri from Japan.When comparing suguri with ribesicola, Hara & Iwasaki (2021) were misled by photos of a specimen of Nematus lonicerae misidentified as E. ribesicola in ECatSym (Taeger et al. 2018). The lectotype of ribesicola fits well with suguri . Main differences are that the mesoscutellar appendage of the lectotype of ribesicola is about as long as the minor axis of cenchrus (distinctly shorter in suguri) and that the head is moderately projecting posterodorsally in lateral view (head markedly projecting posterodorsally in suguri). We do not consider these differences significant, as these characters vary not only within the ribesii group, but also in other Euura . The mesoscutellar appendage in the ribesii group is in most cases about as long as the minor axis of a cenchrus, but can be shorter or longer. The head is markedly projecting posterodorsally in perhaps about 10% of the specimens. The difference in dark markings on the head mentioned for the larvae by Hara & Iwasaki (2021) might not be reliable either, as this can vary within species as well as between the larval instars (the photos in Hara & Iwasaki 2021 do not seem to be of last instar larvae). The head of the larva of E. ribesicola is the palest in the group: uniformly greenish or yellowish without numerous dark specks (Viitasaari 1980; this study), only with a dark line (Hara & Iwasaki 2021), or dark specks (Hellqvist & Svensson 1991) above the eye, while the head is black ( E. ribesii and E. vastatrix) or its whole upper part is covered with numerous dark specks ( E. gracilidentata, E. leucotrocha, E. quieta, E. similator) in the other species.

Males are not known for certain, but the colouration of DEI-GISHym86112 fits with E. ribesicola (black pterostigma, thorax and abdomen, extensively black metafemur and metatibia apically) and not the other species treated here. Bogacheva (1994) mentions several males of E. ribesicola, but no morphological characterisation was given.

Type material examined

Lectotype Pteronidea ribesicola

FINLAND – Regio aboensis • ♀; Turku; 60.46° N, 22.28° E; 8 Jun. 1933; A.K. Merisuo leg.; reared ex larvae Ribes uva-crispa; MZH, http://id.luomus.fi/GL.2460.

Holotype Nematus bey-bienkoi

RUSSIA – Perm oblast • ♀; Molotov [Perm]; 57.996° N, 65.312° E; 20 May 1943; G. Bey-Bienko leg.; ZIN, DEI-GISHym30236.

Host plants

Preferably Ribes nigrum (Viitasaari 1980), but also R. uva-crispa and R. rubrum (Viitasaari 1980; Hara & Iwasaki 2021).

Genetics

COI

Based on 2 specimens (a female from Finland and a putative male from Primorsky Krai, Russia), maximum within-species distance is 5.32% and the nearest neighbour, diverging by a minimum of 1.22%, is Euura leucotrocha . Three additional secondary variants were detected in the Finnish specimen (ZMUO.037213) with the maximum distance of 1.06% to the primary variant.

Nuclear

Based on 2 specimens, maximum within-species distance is 1.02% (0.06% based on haplotypes of individual females). The nearest neighbour, diverging by a minimum of 0.72%, is Euura quieta .

Distribution and material examined

Palaearctic. Specimens studied are from Finland, and Russia.