Dolerus germanicus (Fabricius, 1775)

Liston, Andrew, Mutanen, Marko, Heidemaa, Mikk, Blank, Stephan M., Kiljunen, Niina, Taeger, Andreas, Viitasaari, Matti, Vikberg, Veli, Wutke, Saskia & Prous, Marko, 2022, Taxonomy and nomenclature of some Fennoscandian Sawflies, with descriptions of two new species (Hymenoptera, Symphyta), Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 69 (2), pp. 151-218 : 151

Dolerus germanicus (Fabricius, 1775)

Tenthredo germanica Fabricius, 1775: 321. ♀. Syntypes (assumed). Type locality: Germany ("Habitat in Germania."). Lectotype designated below.

Dolerus arcticus Thomson, 1871: 284-285. ♀, ♂. Syntypes. Type locality: "Lapland, Dalarna, Ångermanland”. Type locality: Lapland. Lectotype designated below.

Dolerus cothurnatus Serville, 1823: 60. ♂. Syntypes. Type locality: Paris. Lectotype designated below. syn. nov.

Dosytheus fuscipennis Stephens, 1835: 85. Sex not given. Syntypes (assumed). Type locality: south of Scotland. Lectotype ♀ designated by Kirby (1882).

Dosytheus hyalinalis Stephens, 1835: 83. ♀, ♂. Syntypes. Type locality: Hertford (UK). Lectotype designated below. syn. nov.

Dosytheus xanthopus Stephens, 1835: 83-84. Sex not given. Syntypes (assumed). Type locality: Hertford (UK).

Type material examined and taxonomic notes.

Tenthredo germanica Fabricius, 1775. Lectotype ♀ hereby designated, labelled: " Tenthredo germanica ", "LECTOTYPE Tenthredo germanica Fabricius, 1775 des. SMBlank 2008", [red, printed], " ZMUC-GISHym 1050", " Dolerus germanicus (F.) [handwritten] det. S.M.Blank 2008 ✓" [printed], " Dolerus germanicus (Fabricius) M.Heidemaa det." [printed], " ZMUC-GISHym 1043". Left flagellum, right fore tarsus, some additional distal tarsomeres missing. ZMUC.

Two specimens are present in the ZMUC collection under the name Tenthredo germanica . Klug (1819) referred to one of them, which has black legs and an infuscated tip of the abdomen ("Das vorhandene Exemplar hatte schwarze Beine und einen an der Spitze schwärzlichen Hinterleib, [...]"). This specimen is selected as the lectotype. It corresponds with the current concept of Dolerus germanicus , e.g. in the shape of the sawsheath (valvula 3) setation. The species needs a thorough revision, because DNA barcoding divides the specimens into two BINs (BOLD:AAI9736 and BOLD:ABV8027) separated by a minimum of over 5% divergence, indicating the possible presence of two distinct species. The two BINs are associated with color differences, of which some appear stable within the cluster and others are variable. Based on about 80 barcoded specimens from Finland, specimens of BOLD:ABV8027 consistently have entirely black hind legs, while those of BOLD:AAI9736 usually have largely orange hind femora and tibiae, although sometimes they are completely black. Additionally, females with a red mesoscutellum always fall in BOLD:AAI9736 and always have red tegulae, pronotum and mesoscutum, whereas in BOLD:ABV8027 the mesoscutellum is always entirely or mostly black, but the tegulae, pronotum and mesoscutum vary from black to red. It is also worth mentioning that the division of specimens into two groups was not reflected in two nuclear genes (POL2 and NaK). Likewise, no useful structural characters have yet been found, but a more detailed systematic study of the male genitalia might be helpful.

Dolerus arcticus Thomson, 1871. Lectotype ♀ hereby designated, labelled: “Lapp” [Lapland] [printed], " Dolerus arcticus m[mihi]" [ Thomson’s handwriting], " MZLU 2013 421" [green, printed loan label], " Lectotypus [printed] ♀ 2014 Dolerus arcticus Thomson, 1871 [handwritten in block letters] M.Heidemaa des. [printed]" [red], " Dolerus germanicus (Fabricius) M.Heidemaa det." [printed]. Ovipositor dissected, glued on a piece of paper pinned below the specimen. Paralectotypes: 3♀ [MZLU 422, 424, 425], and 1♂ [MZLU 423]. All in MZLU.

Dolerus cothurnatus Serville, 1823. Lectotype ♂ hereby designated, labelled: [green, round, without text], “Lectotype” [red, printed in block letters], " D. cothurnatus LEP. Det.: A.Haris", "Lectotype D. cothurnatus LEP. Det.: A.Haris", " Lectotypus [printed] ♀[handwritten], 2014 Dolerus cothurnatus Serville, 1823 [handwritten in block letters] M.Heidemaa des. [printed]" [red label], " Dolerus germanicus (Fabricius, 1775) M.Heidemaa det." [printed]. Two paralectotype males were also examined: one of them is D. germanicus , the other is D. aericeps . All in MNHN.

A study of the penis valves of the three syntypes of D. cothurnatus revealed that two of them belong to D. germanicus , including the specimen here designated as the lectotype, and one to D. aericeps . These old specimens all have rather pale wings, but probably they have faded: D. germanicus and D. junci [= Dolerus cothurnatus auct.] typically have darker wings. The specimen labelled by Haris as lectotype is designated here as a lectotype for D. cothurnatus Serville and D. cothurnatus is regarded as a synonym of D. germanicus (see above, under Dolerus cothurnatus auct. nec Serville, 1823).

Dosytheus fuscipennis Stephens, 1835. Lectotype ♀. Labelled: "Type H.T. [holotype]" [round with a red margin, printed], "B.M. TYPE HYM. [printed] 1.578.", "B.M. TYPE HYM. [printed] Dosytheus fuscipennis Stephens 1835.", " fuscipennis.", " Dolerus pratensis , L." [printed], "Stephens Coll. 53-46" [printed], " Dolerus germanicus (Fabricius) M.Heidemaa det." [printed]. Condition good, legs partly destroyed. BMNH.

The number of specimens was not given by Stephens. The species description should therefore be assumed to have been based on syntypes. However, Kirby (1882) referred to the "♀. (Type of D. fuscipennis .) S. Scotland. J. F. Stephens", and according to the labels and the collection catalogue this was the only specimen from the Stephens collection in the BMNH. The specimen fits the original description, and Kirby’s statement qualifies as a valid lectotype designation, because there is no evidence in the original description that more than one type specimen existed ( ICZN 1999 Article 74.6.).

Dosytheus hyalinalis Stephens, 1835. Lectotype ♀ hereby designated, labelled: "B.M. TYPE HYM [printed] 1.577.", "B.M. TYPE HYM [printed] Dosytheus hyalinalis . ( Stephens 1835)", " Dosytheus hyalinalis Steph", "42 1b" [round], " Dolerus pratensis , L." [printed], " Dolerus germanicus (F.) M.Heidemaa det." [printed]. BMNH.

In the original description Stephens indicates that he had more than one specimen, because he gives color characters for both sexes. Kirby’s statement "♀ Type of D. hyalinalis " ( Kirby 1882) refers to the only syntype from the Stephens collection that was present in the BMNH, but cannot be accepted as a lectotype designation, because it is clear that Stephens based his description on more than one specimen ( ICZN 1999 Article 74.5.). The synonymy with D. pratensis , based on a misidentification, was adopted for example by de Dalla Torre (1894) and most other subsequent works.

Dosytheus xanthopus Stephens, 1835. The only specimen found in the collection (BMNH) labelled as " Dosytheus xanthopus " and "B.M. TYPE 1.257." belongs to D. germanicus . It cannot be a syntype of D. xanthopus , because the specimen disagrees with the original description: its mesoscutellum is orange, not black as described, and the locality label ("Kent, Darenth, J. F. Stephens BM 1853 - 42", probably added by Benson) does not match the locality given by Stephens. Interestingly, it was labelled by Benson (handwritten): " Dolerus etruscus ?".