Taxonomy of the species of Eupontania crassipes- and aquilonis-groups (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae: Nematinae)

The earlier lectotype designation for Nematus crassipes Thomson, 1871 by Kopelke (1989) is invalid. A new lectotype for Nematus crassipes is designated from Thomson’s collection; the female was collected by C. G. Thomson at the end of the 1860s in Swedish Lapland. The correct author for Nematus betulinus and for Nematus helicinus is Dahlbom, 1850. Nematus bergmanni Dahlbom, 1835 = Nematus betulinus Dahlbom, 1850, syn. nov. The species of the Eupontania crassipes- and aquilonis-groups and E. reticulatae (Malaise) are redescribed. Lectotypes are designated for Nematus herbaceae Cameron, 1876, Pontania ora Kincaid, 1900, Pontania arctica MacGillivray, 1919, Pontania atrata MacGillivray, 1919, Pontania delicatula MacGillivray, 1919, Pontania lorata MacGillivray, 1919, Pontania lapponica Malaise, 1920, P. polaris Malaise, 1920, P. reticulatae Malaise, 1920, and Pontania aquilonis Benson, 1941. Eupontania crassipes (Thomson, 1871) = E. lapponica (Malaise, 1920), syn. nov., = E. enslini (Zirngiebl, 1937), syn. nov.; E. herbaceae (Cameron, 1876) = E. polaris (Malaise, 1920), syn. nov; Eupontania aquilonis (Benson, 1941) = Eupontania algida (Benson, 1941), syn. nov. Eupontania ora (Kincaid) and E. atrata (MacGillivray) are regarded as valid species, the latter having E. lorata (MacGillivray) as its new synonym, syn. nov. Eupontania borisi sp. n. associated with Salix rhamnifolia Pall. in Buryatskaya Republik, Eastern Siberia, Russia, E. aborigensis sp. n. reared from galls on Salix dshugdshurica Skvortsov in Magadan oblast, NE Russia, and E. alpinae sp. n. reared from galls on Salix alpina Scop. in the Slovak Republic are described. Eupontania herbaceae is reported as new to Finland. Repeated observations and rearings in N. Sweden and N. Finland indicate that both Salix herbacea L. and S. polaris Wahlenb. are the food plants of the larvae of Eupontania aquilonis. E. myrsiniticola (Kopelke, 1991) is included in E. aquilonis-group and its presence in the fauna of Finland is confirmed. An annotated key is presented for the adults of the European species of Eupontania crassipes- and aquilonis-groups together with E. reticulatae