Swedish sawflies in the group Nematinae (Tenthredinidae)

Summary

The project focus on the systematics of the Nematinae, which belongs to the largest family of sawflies, the Tenthredinidae. The project is supported by the Swedish Taxonomy Initiative (STI), and thus the area of focus is northern Europe and particularly Sweden. The nematines are particularly rich in this region and the Fennoscandian fauna includes more than 75% of the European Nematinae species and more than 300 species can be found in Sweden. The nematinae larvae are more of less host specific, and a large proportion of the species feed or induce galls on willows (Salix). The classification and nomenclature have been chaotic and the first aim of the project was to develop a new generic classification based on a molecular phylogeny and an illustrated key to genera was produced.

Several of the Nematinae genera are currently being revised. Molecular techniques are needed to help solve many of the difficult taxonomic problems in the group and fresh material for molecular phylogenetic analyses is being collected particularly in northern Sweden where willows are abundant as are the nematinae that feed on them. In the course of the project at least 45 species of sawflies have been recorded for the first time in Sweden.

This research is funded by the Swedish Taxonomy Initiative as well as Senckenberg Deutsches Entomologisches Institut (Germany).

Projekt Participants at NRM

Hege Vårdal (researcher, curator)

External Projekt Participants

Andreas Taeger (project leader, researcher), Senckenberg Deutsches Entomologisches Institut (SDEI), Müncheberg, Germany

Marko Prous (principal investigator) SDEI

Andrew Liston (researcher) SDEI

Katja Kramp (researcher, molecular laboratory staff) SDEI

Stefan Blank (researcher) SDEI

Erik Heibo (researcher) Lier, Norway

Veli Vikberg (researcher) Turenki, Finland

Matti Viiasaari (researcher) Helsinki, Finland

Tommi Nyman (researcher) University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland