Hoplocampa brevis ( Klug, 1816 )

Liston, Andrew, Prous, Marko & Vårdal, Hege, 2019, A review of West Palaearctic Hoplocampa species, focussing on Sweden (Hymenoptera, Tenthredinidae), Zootaxa 4615 (1), pp. 1-45 : 12-13

Hoplocampa brevis ( Klug, 1816)

Tenthredo (Allantus) brevis Klug, 1816: 53–54 . Syntypes ♀, Berlin, lectotype ♀ here designated, in ZMHUB (GBIF- GISHym2434, images: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.4724758). Type locality: Berlin ( Germany). Paralectotype: 1 ♀ (GBIF-GISHym2435), same data as the lectotype, in ZMHUB.

Tenthredo fallax Serville, 1823: 50 . Lectotype ♀, designated by Lacourt (2000: 97), not examined, in MNHN. Type locality: Soissons ( France). Synonymy with brevis by Lacourt (2000: 106).

Tenthredo fallax Lepeletier, 1823: 108 . Lectotype ♀, designated by Lacourt (2000: 97), not examined, in MNHN. Type locality: Soissons ( France). Primary homonym of Tenthredo fallax Serville, 1823 .

Tenthredo pyri Vallot, 1848: 203 . Syntypes, larvae, by indication on Réaumur (1736: 476), lost. Type locality: France. Listed in synonymy of brevis by Taeger et al. (2010: 407).

Additional description. Body length: 5.0– 5.5mm. Clypeus narrowly and deeply emarginate. Pale body colour orange-brown. Antenna mainly pale, more or less blackened basally and above. Head capsule pale, except for suture between clypeus and supraclypeal area, dorsal tentorial macula, postocellar furrows, postoccipital groove, and more or less narrowly around each ocellus. Wing venation partly pale, particularly M+Cu. Costa and radius of fore wing fuscous, except for bases. Mesoscutum more or less black, with pale posterior parts of median lobe and interior of lateral lobe. Mesoscutellum and appendage more or less pale. Coxae basally black-edged. More northern specimens usually with longitudinal black stripe on metacoxa. Femora and tibiae entirely pale. Tarsi pale to slightly fuscous. Specimens from Denmark and Germany have the entire dorsum of the abdomen black, except more or less for terga 8 and 10. Specimens from further south may have only terga 1–5 medially black. Valvula 3 pale. Lancet: Fig. 81 .

[Male not examined]

Total number of specimens examined: 40.

Similar species. Most closely resembles Hoplocampa testudinea , with which it shares the same hosts. In direct comparison, imagines can be distinguished thus:

- Mesonotum completely black. Postocellar area black. Female valvula 3 black. Lancet ( Fig. 87 ) with very large, horizontally orientated ventralmost ctenidial teeth, on middle annuli reaching back almost to base of adjacent sawtooth; middle and apical sawteeth without serrulae. Male relatively common................................................... testudinea

- Mesonotum partly pale (brown). Postocellar area pale. Female valvula 3 brown. Lancet ( Fig. 81 ) with small, obliquely orientated ventralmost ctenidial teeth, on middle annuli not reaching near to base of adjacent sawtooth; middle and apical sawteeth with numerous serrulae. Male extremely rare........................................................... brevis

Larvae of these species were compared in detail by Velbinger (1939), who concluded that the only reliable character for separating them, is the presence in brevis of a small, triangular, dark marking on the middle of the upper labrum (often therefore obscured by the overlying clypeus). This marking is absent in testudinea . Roberti (1957) described and illustrated differences between these species in the setation and surface sculpture of abdominal tergum 10.

Life history. Host plants: Pyrus communis ( Pschorn-Walcher & Altenhofer 2000) , occasionally Malus domestica ( Velbinger 1939) . Biology: Velbinger (1939), Roberti (1946). Hoplocampa brevis is normally entirely parthenogenic, and the male is said to be very rare ( Velbinger 1939, Masutti & Covassi 1980). In fact, the only original report of the occurrence of males appears to be by Konow (1888: 189–190).

Distribution. Southern and Central Europe, England ( Taeger et al. 2006), north to southern Sweden ( Jensen 2013), North Africa ( Tunisia) ( Wafa & Mars 2008), Caucasus ( Zhelochovtsev & Zinovjev 1995), Jordan ( Al-Qura’n 2008), Iran ( Davoudi 1987), introduced to North America ( Lacourt 1999). In contrast to testudinea , brevis reaches higher levels of abundance in warmer, more southern regions ( Velbinger 1939).

Occurrence in Sweden: published records: Småland ( Thomson 1871). According to Jensen (2013): “not very abundant in zones III and IV” [refers to the classification of cultivation zones, of which these two are represented from southern Sweden north to about Sundsvall ( Svensk Trädgård Riksförbundet 2017)]. Material examined: Småland, Östergötland.

Specimens examined. Bulgaria: Pazardzhik: 1♀ (DEI-GISHym88738), Vinogradets 3 km N, 300 m, 31.03.2018, leg. Liston & Prous ( SDEI) . Burgas: 1♀, Slanchev Bryag 1 km N, 01.04.2018, leg. Liston & Prous ( SDEI) . Cyprus: 20♀, 17.04–20.04 ( SDEI, ZSM) . Germany: 6♀; 17.04–18.05, Baden-Wuerttemberg ( SMNG) ; Mecklenburg-Vorpommern; North Rhine-Westphalia ( SDEI) . Greece: 8♀, Crete (including DEI-GISHym83557), 24.03–25.04 ( SDEI) . Poland: 1♀ ( SDEI) . Sweden: 2♀ Östergötland (NHRS-HEVA000003423, -6526), latter leg. Haglund; Småland 2♀ (NHRS-HEVA000006524–6525) ( NHRM) .

Figures

FIGURES 77–82. Lancets: 77, alpina (DEI-GISHym83575), spurette arrowed. 78, ariae (DEI-GISHym83551). 79, crataegi (DEIGISHym83583). 80, phantoma (DEI-GISHym83552). 81, brevis (DEI-GISHym83557). 82, chamaemespili (DEI- GISHym11128).

FIGURES 83–88. Lancets: 83, flava (DEI-GISHym83558). 84, fulvicornis (DEI-GISHym31788). 85, minuta (DEI- GISHym83545). 86, tadshikistanica (DEI-GISHym31786). 87, testudinea (DEI-GISHym31790). 88, plagiata (DEI- GISHym83555).