Konowia betulae

Konowia betulae (Enslin, 1911)

(Figs 1A, B, G, 2 A–F, 3A, B, D, E, 4A–J, 5A, D, 6A, D, 7, 9D–F)

Pseudoxiphydria betulae Enslin, 1911: 178; Enslin, 1918: 709; Gussakovskij, 1935: 45; Sinadsky, 1967: 1069; Shinohara, 2019a: 4.

Xiphydriola amurensis Semenov-Tian-Shanskij, 1921: 82; Gussakovskij, 1935: 44; Semenov Tian-Shanskij & Gussakovskij, 1935: 122; Maa, 1949: 63; Taeger et al., 2010: 121; Smith et al., 2011: 67; Sundukov, 2011: 378; Sundukov & Lelej, 2012: 115; Sundukov, 2019: 10. N. syn.

Pseudoxiphydria markewitschi Ermolenko, 1960: 205; Zhelochovtsev & Zinovjev, 1996: 376 (synonym of P. betulae); Lelej & Taeger, 2007: 960 (synonym of K. betulae); Taeger et al., 2010: 119 (synonym of P. betulae); Sundukov & Lelej, 2012: 114 (synonym of X. betulae); Shinohara, 2019a: 4.

Konowia guntionensis Zombori, 1969: 249; Jansen, 1987: 11 (synonym of P. betulae); Sundukov & Lelej, 2012: 114 (synonym of X. betulae); Shinohara, 2019a: 4.

Konowia (Pseudoxiphydria) betulae: Verzhutskij, 1973: 55; Verzhutskij, 1981: 54.

Konowia betulae: Smith, 1978: 107; Jansen, 1987: 1; Mol, 1994: 188; Taeger et al., 1998: 90; Lelej & Taeger, 2007: 960; Shcherbakov, 2008: 210 (synonym of K. megapolitana).

Konowia markewitschi: Smith, 1978: 108.

Platyxiphydria nishijimai Togashi, 1998: 45; Taeger et al., 2010: 117. N. syn.

Xiphydria betulae: Taeger et al., 2006: 470; Taeger et al., 2010: 117; Sundukov & Lelej, 2012: 114; Taeger et al., 2018.

Xiphydriola nishijimai: Smith et al., 2011: 67; Sundukov, 2019: 11; Shinohara, 2019c: 24; Shinohara, 2020a: 473.

See Smith (1978) for more references.

Summary of taxonomic characters (Tables 1, 2) (data partly taken from Jansen 1987; Mol 1994; Sundukov 2011, 2019). Female (Figs 1A, B, 2 A–F): Length without ovipositor 9.0–12.0 mm. Head black. Mouth parts blackish brown to black; ligula mostly whitish and mandible largely brownish gray. Antenna black, basal antennomeres sometimes marked with dark brown. Thorax black. Legs black; tibiae partly and tarsi except apices dark brownish. Wings weakly uniformly darkened; veins and stigma blackish brown. Abdomen black; last tergum and ovipositor sheath each with very narrow apex pale brown. Vertex covered with distinct coarse surface microsculpture, except for narrow smooth areas in posterior part (Figs 2 D–F, 3A, B, D, E). Antenna with 12 or 13 antennomeres (n=20); flagellomere 2 about 1.5 (fig. 5, Sundukov 2011), 1.6 (fig. 5, Sundukov 2019)–1.9 (fig. 3, Mol 1994)× longer than broad (Fig. 4 A–I). Mesoscutellum with distinct microsculpture, mat all over (Fig. 5A, D). Hind tarsomere 1 about 1.1–1.3× length of tarsomeres 2–4 combined. Forewing (Fig. 6A) with crossvein 2r-m basal to crossvein 2m-cu on vein M and vein 1A usually shortly fused with vein 2A+3A; hindwing (Fig. 6A) with crossvein 2r-m absent. Valvula 3 (apical sheath) about 1.0–1.1× length of valvifer 2 (basal sheath) (Fig. 7) (n=7).

Male (Fig. 1G): Length 6.0– 10.5 mm. Similar to female, except as follows: Mandible largely dark yellow; basal three or four antennomeres and tegula largely brownish. Antenna with 13 or 14 antennomeres (n=4), flagellomere 2 about 2.6 (fig. 3, Jansen 1987)–2.8× longer than broad (Fig. 4J). Mid and hind tibiae mostly pale brown (Fig. 6D); hind tarsomere 1 about 1.2× length of tarsomeres 2–4 combined. Abdominal tergum 9 flattened, without median longitudinal keel, broadly rounded at apex; sternum 9 with posterior margin nearly truncate. Genitalia as in Fig. 9 D–F; valviceps robust, apical projection short.

Distribution. Europe, West to East Siberia, Russian Far East (Lelej & Taeger 2007), Northeast China (Sundukov 2011), Korea (Smith et al. 2011), Japan (Hokkaido, Kunashiri Is.) (Togashi 1998; Sundukov 2019).

Material examined. GERMANY: 1♀, “ Thür., ex L., 9 km NNW Altenburg, 0.7 km NO Gröba, 18.03.2012, NN170, leg. Rolf Buchbach ” “MTB 4940/1/ 41°51’48.50’’N 12°22’33.38’’E, Imago 11.04.2012 aus Ästen von vor 1 Jahrgefällter Birken, 1–3 cm ɸ ” “ Xiphydria megapolitana Brauns, 1884, leg. R. Buchbach, det. M. Jänicke, 2012” “ Xiphydria betulae (Ensl.), Det. A. Liston, 2016” (NSMT). KOREA: Gangwondo: 1♀, Mirugam (Puktaesa), 1300 m, Mt. Odaesan, 28. V. 1998, A. Shinohara (NSMT, cited as Xiphydriola amurensis by Smith et al., 2011). JAPAN: HOKKAIDO: 1♀, Nukabira-ko, right coast, 5-no-sawa, Kamishihoro, 30. VI. 2007, K. Haga (NSMT); 1♀, Horoshika-toge, 1100 m, Kamishihoro, 27–28. VI. 1999, H. Hara (NSMT); 1♀, Nissho-toge, 1105 m. 42°58’15.90’’N 142°45’7.81’’E, Hidaka, 26. VI. 2019, H. Hara (NSMT); 1♂, Memuro-dake, Nakamine–Nishimine, 810 m, Hidaka Mts., Shimizu, 20. VII. 1999, K. Haga (NSMT); 1♀ (paratype of Platyxiphydria nishijimai), Izumisawa, Chitose, 17. VI. 1993, Y. Nishijima (NSMT); 1♀ (holotype of Platyxiphydria nishijimai), Akaigawa, Mori-cho, 1. VII.1992, Y. Nishijima (NSMT).

Host plant. Betula sp. (Enslin 1911; Sinadsky 1967).

Remarks. Konowia betulae is characterized by the mostly coarsely microsculptured vertex and mesoscutellum and the thick antenna (see the key for more details). The most closely resembling K. yasumatsui has a posterolaterally smooth mesoscutellum. The male specimen from Memuro-dake was identified as K. betulae following Jansen’s (1987) interpretation. It differs from the five male specimens of K. kojimai in the thickness of the antennae, position of the crossveins 2m-cu and 2r-m in the forewing, fusion of the anal veins in the forewing and relative lengths of the hind tarsomeres. In K. betulae, the flagellomere 2 is about 2.6–2.8× longer than broad, the crossvein 2m-cu is situated distal to the crossvein 2r-m, the vein 1A is only shortly fused with vein 2A+3A, and the hind tarsomere 1 is about 1.2× as long as the tarsomeres 2–4 combined. In K. kojimai, the flagellomere 2 is about 2.9–3.5× longer than broad, the crossvein 2m-cu is interstitial with the crossvein 2r-m, the vein 1A is fused with vein 2A+3A for some distance, and the hind tarsomere 1 is about 1.1× as long as the tarsomeres 2–4 combined.

We have examined seven female and one male specimens including a German specimen of K. betulae (determined by M. Jänicke and A. Liston), a Korean specimen of X. amurensis (determined by D. R. Smith, see Smith et al. 2011) and the holotype and a paratype of P. nishijimai from Hokkaido, Japan (Togashi 1998). We found no conspicuous differences in our material, and we treat Xiphydriola amurensis Semenov-Tian-Shanskij, 1921, and Platyxiphydria nishijimai Togashi, 1998, as synonyms of Pseudoxiphydria betulae Enslin, 1911. A comparison of the original descriptions of the three taxa (Enslin 1911; Semenov-Tian-Shanskij 1921; Togashi 1998) supported our conclusion.

Sundukov (2019) gave differences between Togashi’s (1998) original description of X. nishijimai and a specimen from Kunashiri Island and presented a key to X. amurensis and X. nishijimai. Sundukov’s interpretation of X. amurensis was based on the study of the holotype and one specimen from Primorskij Kraj and that of X. nishijimai based on the study of one specimen from Kunashiri Island, besides the original descriptions of the two taxa. After examining seven specimens from Germany, Korea and Japan, including the holotype and a paratype of X. nishijimai, we found all the differences given by Sundukov (2019) are intraspecific individual variations and we believe he was actually treating only one species.