Euura melanocephalus
Creators: name: Prous, Marko
name: Liston, Andrew
name: Monckton, Spencer K.
name: Kramp, Katja
name: Vårdal, Hege
name: Vikberg, Veli
name: Heibo, Erik
name: Mutanen, Marko
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Tenthredinidae
Euura
Euura melanocephalus

description: 173 Euura melanocephalus (Hartig, 1837)
Figs 193, 422
Tenthredo salicis Retzius, 1783: 72. Described by indication on Degeer (1771: pl. 37 figs 12–22). Syntypes ♀ ♂ and larvae [probably lost / destroyed]. Type locality: Sweden. Primary homonym of Tenthredo salicis Linnaeus, 1758 [= Euura salicis (Linnaeus, 1758)].
Nematus melanocephalus Hartig, 1837: 219. Described based on the German translation by Götze (1779) of Degeer (1771). Syntypes ♀ ♂ and larvae [probably lost /destroyed]. Type locality: Sweden.
Nematus perspicillaris Hartig, 1840: 24. Lectotype designated below. Synonymy by Kriechbaumer (1884).
Nematus pyrrhonotus Zaddach, 1883 in Brischke 1883: 130–131. Syntypes ♀♀ (NMW), not examined. Type locality: Austria, Vienna area. Synonymy by Konow (1905b) with Pteronus dimidiatus Konow nec Lepeletier [E. melanocephalus].
Pteronus xanthostomus Rohwer, 1910: 91. Lectotype designated below. Synonymy by Liston et al. (2006).
Pteronidea melanocephala var. mesothoracica Enslin, 1916a: 414. Syntypes ♂♂. Types have not been located. Type locality: not stated. Synonymy by Lacourt (1999).
Diagnosis
Black pterostigma, pale costa, lancet (radix shorter than lamnium, 19–20 serrulae), and colouration of the abdomen (completely yellow) distinguish female E. melanocephalus from the other Euura. Similar is also Nematus umbratus, but it has fewer serrulae (13–16(17?)). If stable, the extensively pale mesepisternum of E. melanocephalus males might distinguish them from the other species in the group.
Mostly pale, pterostigma black, claws bifid, valvula 3 rather broad, hardly tapered, and with small invagination posteriorly.
Type material examined
Lectotype Nematus perspicillaris, here designated
GERMANY • ♀; northern Germany [according to Hartig 1840: 22]; ZSM, DEI-GISHym 3377.
Lectotype Pteronus xanthostomus, here designated
NETHERLANDS – Noord-Brabant • ♀; Gemert; 51.56° N, 5.70° E; USNM, USNMENT00779592, http://n 2t.net/ark:/65665/3eaf2ca2a-e822-48ff-ad47-f5aefe11b4f9.
Notes
Liston et al. (2006) incorrectly wrote that USNMENT00779592 is the holotype. According to archive sources at the USNM, several other sawfly specimens were reared from the same batch of cocoons, but only this single specimen was preserved. However, the information in Rohwer (1915) only allows the assumption that the original description was based on syntypes.
Host plants
Salix fragilis (Urban 1999), Corylus avellana L., Ulmus sp. (based on ex larva reared specimens). Populus and Betula have also been recorded (reviewed in Urban 1999). Larvae reared ex ovo from Salix fragilis did accept Ulmus L., Corylus L. and Populus in the presence of Salix fragilis (although with clearly lower preference), but Betula was accepted only when no other food was available (Urban 1999). Two generations per year in central Europe (Urban 1999).
Genetics
COI
Based on 2 specimens, the maximum within-species distance is 0% and the nearest neighbour, diverging by a minimum of 2.13%, is Euura ferruginea.
Nuclear
Based on 1774 bp of NaK and EF1a F2, only one specimen available. The nearest neighbour, diverging by a minimum of 0.39%, is Euura kangasi.
Distribution and material examined
Palaearctic. Specimens studied are from Austria, Belgium, Finland, and Germany.
description: Published as part of Prous, Marko, Liston, Andrew, Monckton, Spencer K., Kramp, Katja, Vårdal, Hege, Vikberg, Veli, Heibo, Erik & Mutanen, Marko, 2025, West Palaearctic species of Euura Newman, 1837 (Hymenoptera, Tenthredinidae), pp. 1-377 in European Journal of Taxonomy 977 on pages 121-122, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2025.977.2799, http://zenodo.org/record/15019574