Rhogogaster viridis Linnaeus 1758

Rhogogaster viridis (Linnaeus, 1758)

(Figs 3 o, p, 4i –k, 5c, m, 6h, n)

Tenthredo viridis Linné, 1758: 557. Lectotype ♀, designated by Malaise & Benson (1934), examined by MV(LSUK, http:// linnean-online.org/16692/). Type locality: “Europa”.

Tenthredo dryas Benson, 1943: 139, 141–142, syn. nov. Holotype ♂, not examined (BMNH). Type locality: Great Britain: England: Herts, Bricket Wood. 1♀ paratype from the type locality examined by AT (SDEI, http://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.861169). Rhogogaster similis Lindqvist, 1959: 68. Holotype ♀, examined by MV (FMHEL, https://kotka.luomus.fi/view?uri=http://id.luomus.fi/GL.2359). Type locality: SW Finland: Föglö. Synonymy by Benson (1963) with R. viridis (auct. = scalaris), synonymy with dryas by Viitasaari (1980).

Discussion. Malaise & Benson (1934) examined the Linnean types of sawflies and selected the lectotype of viridis with the words “1 ♀ Rhogogaster viridis L., auct., labelled 'viridis' agrees with the description and is no doubt the type. 1 ♀ also belongs to this species” (lectotype designation according to ICZN 1999, Art. 74.5). Benson (1943), when describing Tenthredo dryas, and in the course of his revision of Rhogogaster (Benson 1965), obviously did not re-examine the lectotype of viridis. Unfortunately, the viridis type is conspecific with dryas. Its identity is apparent from the photos at http://linnean-online.org/16692 (coloration, sculpture of the mesoscutellar appendage), and was confirmed by the examination of the specimen by MV. Consequently, the rather rare species that during recent decades was usually called R. dryas, now has to be called R. viridis, whereas the common R. viridis auct. needs another name (R. scalaris). We have examined viridis specimens from Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, N Kazakhstan (Shuchinsk), Russia (Irkutsk) and Sweden.