Xiphydria camelus

Xiphydria camelus (Linné, 1758)

(Figs 2A, B; 3A, B; 4A, F)

Ichneumon camelus Linné, 1758: 560.

Xiphydria camelus: Takeuchi, 1936: 54 (part); Takeuchi, 1938: 181 (part); Maa 1949: 49; Takeuchi, 1950: 1331, fig. 3826 (part); Watanabe, 1956: 8 (part);? Okutani, 1959: 553 (part); Okutani, 1965: 464 (part); Okutani, 1967: 44 (part); Taeger et al. 2006: 470; Taeger et al., 2010: 119 (part); Smith et al., 2011: 68.

Summary of taxonomic characters. Length 12.5–19.5 mm in female and 9.5–17.5 mm in male. Clypeus, lower frons and malar space entirely black (Figs 3A, B; 4A); gena black, lower part often with creamy white spot (not extending anteriorly to malar space) (Fig. 4A, F); no whitish spot above each torulus (Fig. 3A, B). Frons coarsely, rather finely sculptured, mat, without any distinct carinae or smooth surface. Antenna with 15–19 antennomeres (n=33) in female and 15–19 antennomeres (n=16) in male. Pronotum usually with very narrow whitish area along posterior margin. Legs with femora, tibiae and bases of tarsi pale reddish brown (Figs 2A, B; 4A, F). Female: creamy white lateral spots usually on abdominal segments 4–6 and 8, rarely also on segments 3 and 7. Male: creamy white lateral spots on abdomen usually small and only on segments 4, 5 or 6. Sawsheath length about 1.0–1.3× basal plate length (n=18).

Material examined. 25♀ 9♂ (8♀ 1♂ from Europe, 1♂ from Sakhalin, 1♂ from Korea, 9♀ 5♂ from Hokkaido and 8♀ 1♂ from Honshu). See Appendix for collection data.

Distribution. Europe, Russia (Sakhalin), Korea, Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu).

Host plants. In Europe and Siberia, Acer, Alnus, Betula, Ostrya, Populus, Prunus, Quercus and Ulmus are recorded as host plants of this species (Taeger et al. 1998). Several specimens collected on Mt. Irumukeppu were obtained by “branch trapping” (see Appendix) but the host has not been specified.

Remarks. This species is well characterized by the almost entirely pale reddish brown legs and very dark color pattern of the head. All the European specimens examined have a whitish patch on the lower gena, which does not extend to the malar space anteriorly. No Japanese specimens of X. camelus were found in Takeuchi’s collection. The specimens from Teshio identified with X. camelus s. str. (Takeuchi 1938, p. 182) actually belong to X. albopicta. One specimen from Poland and one specimen from Sapporo examined were referred to by Watanabe (1956) as his “reddish brown type ” (light form) of X. camelus. Togashi (1972) and Abe & Togashi (1989) recorded “ Xiphydria camelus ” from Kyushu but Togashi (1991) did not include it in the distribution of the same species. Togashi’s (1972) material of “ Xiphydria camelus ” has not been available for study but it is most probably referable to X. eborata.