S. M. BLANK, S. SCHMIDT & A. TAEGER (eds) 2006 Recent Sawfly Research: Synthesis and Prospects Goecke & Evers, Keltern — ISBN 3-937783-19-9 © The authors and editors. Taxonomy and Evolution of Tenthredo (Elinora) Species Similar to T. dahlii and T. koehleri (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae) STEPHAN M. BLANK & ANDREAS TAEGER Introduction Currently 52 Tenthredo (Elinora) species are regarded as valid (Taeger & Blank 2005; Elinora is a lineage of Tenthredo which exhib- present work). Benson (1968) has provided the its its greatest diversity in the Mediterranean only identification keys to all species known at Basin. Tenthredo dominiquei (Konow, 1894) that time classifying them under Cuneala aand and T. flaveolaa Gmelin, 1790 occur northwards Elinora. Lacourt (1991) revised and keyed the to the coast of the Baltic Sea (Liston 1995, Blank et al. 2001). The most eastern represen- western Mediterranean species and published a tatives occur in Central Asia, i.e. Tenthredo dis- number of shorter works (Lacourt 2000, 2001; siduaa (Konow, 1899), Tenthredo fulveola (Zhe- for additional references see Lacourt 1999 and lochovtsev, 1961), Tenthredo longipes (Konow, Taeger & Blank 2005). 1886), and Tenthredo pallidipes (Dalla Torre, The taxa revised and keyed in the present work 1894) [= Allantus pallipes Freymuth, 1870 nec have been treated under Cunealaa by Benson Fallén, 1808] (Zhelochovtsev 1976). The vast (1968). Zhelochovtsev (1976) was the first to majority of Elinora species prefer steppe-like place Cunealaa as a junior synonym of Elinora, habitats and some occur even in semi-desert treating the latter as a subgenus of Tenthredo. areas (Lacourt 1991; personal observation). As Lacourt (1998) has named a group comprising far as the larval host plants are known, these of Elinora koehlerii and Elinora radoszkowskii as are all members of the Brassicaceae (Taeger Blankia (= Cunealaauct. partim), but we regard et al. 1998, Lacourt 1999). Furthermore, the this generic name as a junior subjective synonym adults can frequently be found on brassicacean of Elinora. Lacourt combined the other species leaves and flowers, sometimes in large numbers. of Cuneala sensu Benson with his E. limbalis- Exceptions are Tenthredo koehlerii Klug, 1817 dahliii group (Lacourt 1997). Here we explain, and Tenthredo radoszkowskii (André, 1881), why we include Blankia in Elinora. We describe which occur in the submontane to subalpine three additional species from Syria and Turkey, zone and whose adults usually visit Geranium which are similar to those species treated under flowers for feeding and resting (Lacourt 1997; Cuneala by Benson and under Blankia and the present data). E. limbalis-dahliii group by Lacourt. 200 Blank & Taeger: Taxonomy and Evolution of Tenthredo (Elinora) Species Material and methods MZLU Museum of Zoology, Lund Univer- sity, Lund / Sweden Morphological terminology generally follows NHM Natural History Museum, London / Goulet (1992) and Goulet & Huber (1993). Great Britain Terminology for the external genitalia is after Smith (1968: postcalcar and cypsella of the NHMW Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, ovipositor) and Gibson (1980: valviceps of the Vienna / Austria penis valve), and that of surface microsculp- NHRS Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet, Stock- ture is after Harris (1979). The acronym "PD" holm / Sweden means point distance, i.e. the relation of the OÖLLL Oberösterreichisches Landesmuseum, distances between the margins of two points : Linz / Austria the diameter of the points. SMBC S. M. Blank, Eberswalde / Germany For light microscopic imaging stacks of SMNS Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde, digital photos were taken with the KYF-F75U Stuttgart / Germany camera (JVC) attached to an Olympus stereo ZIP Zoological Institute of the Russian microscope SZX12 (images of whole speci- Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg / mens; lighting was from cold light sources Russia attached to ring light and to double light guides ZSM Zoologische Staatssammlung, ending close to plastic plates diffusing the light) Munich / Germany. or to an Olympus compound microscope BX51 (images of ovipositors and penis valves). Monophyly and ecological Focussed images were computed using the soft- evolution of Tenthredo (Elinora) ware Auto Montage 5.01. Type labels are cited strictly verbatim, addi- Opinions upon the taxonomic treatment of Elinoraa are largely divergent. Lacourt (1988, tional explanations are given in brackets. Geo- 1997, 1998) has split the group into Blankia, graphical names, which are originally written in Elinora and Murciana. Goulet (1996) consid- Cyrillic letters, are listed according to the Times ered Elinora aand Murcianaa as junior synonyms Atlas. Distribution data listed here are primary of Tenthredo (Blankiaa had not yet been described except where stated otherwise. The distribution at that time). Among the taxa included in Ten- maps were prepared using the CFF 1.2 program thredo s.l. (in the sense of Goulet 1996), Elinora by Y. Barbier & P. Rasmont (Mons / Belgium, can be identified by the combination of the fol- 1996 and 1997), to which the borders of several lowing characters: countries were added. 1 ventral arms of propleura meeting medially; The following abbreviations have been used 2 occipital carina absent on postocellar area for collections, where material studied is depos- and more or less absent along dorsal portion ited: of gena; ATC A. Taeger, Müncheberg / Germany 3 usually several terga with yellow distal edges, CUDB Cumhuriyet University, Faculty of which are wider laterally and ventrally than Science and Literature, Department dorso-medially, often terga 3—5 more or less of Biology, Sivas / Turkey red; DEI Deutsches Entomologisches Institut 4 distal edge of labrum often more or less am Zentrum für Agrarlandschafts- truncated or notched; forschung, Müncheberg / Germany 5 labio-maxillary complex and malar space more or less elongated; JLC J. Lacourt, Le Pâty, Igé / France 6 apical portion of the anterior fore tibial spurs MKC M. Kraus, Nürnberg / Germany more or less abruptly bent in axillary view. MNB Museum für Naturkunde, Institut Unequivocal morphological apomorphies, für Systematische Zoologie, Haupt- which support the monophyly of Elinora, are abteilung Entomologie, Berlin / unknown. Goulet (1996) has demonstrated the Germany characters 1—3 above to be ground plan states Recent Sawfly Research: Synthesis and Prospects - Taxonomy 201 of Tenthredo and accordingly plesiomorphies of a large number of Athaliaa Leach, 1817 species Elinora. Both the shape of the labrum (charac- but by no means all (Benson 1962). These form ter 4) and the length of the mouthparts (charac- a distantly related lineage of Tenthredinidae ter 5) are liable to a wide interspecific variation (Lacourt 1999) or possibly are the basal lineage (Taeger 1991). The shape of the labrum is not of non-blasticotomid Tenthredinoidea (Blank, explicable at the moment but it occurs homo- unpubl. results). Also the diet of some polypha- plasticallyin Sciapteryxx Stephens, 1835, acloselygous Tenthredininae may include Brassicaceae related lineage of Tenthredinini (Goulet 1996). (e.g. Tenthredo atraa Linné, 1758; Taeger et al. In a comparative study Jervis & Vilhelmsen 1998). But for neither of the Tenthredinini lin- (2000) identified the mouthparts of Cuneala as eages is a specialization on Brassicaceae as the the type 1 of various types of concealed-nectar exclusive larval diet known. extraction apparatus occurring in sawflies. The Brassicaceae contain secondary plant metab- length of the mouthparts appears to be related olites which may be sequestered by sawfly to adult feeding on nectar and pollen, which is larvae feeding on them. Larvae of Athalia rosae concealed in more or less narrow flower corol- (Linné, 1758) store glucosinolates and suppos- las. We suppose that the gradual variation of the edly additional compounds of the host plant in mouthpart length reflects the specific feeding their haemolymph. They use them as an effec- preference rather than phylogenetic relation- tive deterrent against invertebrate and verte- ships at a higher level. The length of the malar brate predators (e.g. Müller et al. 2002, Müller space appears to be correlated with the length of & Brakefield 2003, Vlieger et al. 2004, Boevé the mouthparts. Most Elinoraa species have the& Müller 2005). Elinora species have not yet anterior fore tibial spur clearly bent (char. 6), been studied in this respect (C. Müller and J.-L. but also this character exhibits wide variation Boevé, pers. comm.). But it appears conceivable within Elinora. The inflection is less distinct that the adaptation to Brassicaceae is also here or the spur is almost straight e.g. in Tenthredo coupled with the sequestration of plant com- koehleri, T. longipes, T. parvula, T. radoszkowskiipounds to protect the exophytic larvae in a cor- and T. sabariensis. In Elinopsis, Paratenthredo,responding way. Rhogogaster and Tenthredo s.str. the spurs are Brassicacean species are very diverse in regions mostly straight or only shallowly bent. with low precipitation and may provide a signif- We score the larval oligophagy on Brassica- icant portion of biomass there. They are paricu- ceae as an apomorphy of Elinora, although the larly species rich in the Mediterranean Basin larvae are known only for few species. All of (Hammer 2000). Owing to the adaptation to these are strictly associated with Brassicaceae as and exploitation of Brassicaceae, Elinora was their host plants (Lorenz & Kraus 1957, Wei- enabled to spread into steppes and semi-desert