Strongylogaster multifasciata (Geoffroy, 1785)

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

† Strongylogaster multifasciata (Geoffroy, 1785)

Material.

Crete; 6♂♂, Marathos, 24.iii.2013. 2♀♀, 4♂♂, Armeni, 25.iii.2013. 1♂, Lakki, 21.iv.2013. 3♂♂, 1♀, Sempronas, 21.iv.2013. 1♀, 13♂♂, Thériso-Drakona, 22.iv.2013. 2♀♀, 3♂♂, Drakona, 22.iv.2013. 9♀♀, 6♂♂, Strovles, 24.iv.2013. 3♀♀, 2♂♂, Agia Irini, 26.iv.2013. 3♀♀, 2♂♂, Agia Irini, 28.iv.2013. 1♂, Topolia, 29.iv.2013. 1♂, Agia, 29.iv.2013. All swept from, or netted near Pteridium aquilinum , which is the only known host in Crete: Schedl 1981, 1993, 2011.

Barcode data.

The barcodes of three sequenced Cretan specimens (DEIGISHym20648-20650) are identical and diverge by a minimum of 3.2% from 24 specimens of Strongylogaster multifasciata collected throughout Europe (from Scotland to the Peloponnese) and Iran (infraspecific variability about 0.5%).

The Cretan specimens all belong to the form described as Strongylogaster cretensis Konow, 1887, which was regarded as an allopatric local population of Strongylogaster multifasciata by Naito (1996) and Blank (2002). Alternatively, Schedl (2011) treated Strongylogaster cretensis as a distinct species. The Cretan specimens differ from mainland ones in a number of characters:

Further studies, including sequencing of nuclear genes, are required to clarify the status of the Cretan taxon.