Scolopostethus Fieber, 1860

Neimorovets, Vladimir V., 2024, Review of the genus Scolopostethus Fieber, 1860 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Rhyparochromidae) from Central Asia with description of a new species, Zootaxa 5477 (4), pp. 401-435 : 403

Genus Scolopostethus Fieber, 1860

Scolopostethus Fieber, 1860: 49 ; 1861: 188. Type species: Scolopostethus cognatus Fieber, 1861 (subsequent designation: Distant, 1903: 92).

A detailed description of the characteristic features of the genus Scolopostethus can be found in Péricart (1998) and Putshkov (1969), and is not repeated here.

Diagnosis. Small, body length 2.8–4.5 mm ( Figs. 4–28 ). Antennal segment I extends beyond apex of clypeus not more than half of segment length. Head black, matt, with scarce shallow punctures. Eyes almost touching anterior margin of pronotum. Pronotum with very narrow lateral carina, distinctly widening at transverse furrow ( Figs. 63–84 ). Anterior part of pronotum black to brown, with scarce shallow punctures. The widest part of fore femur more than 4.5 times as wide as fore tibia at middle, with one distinct spine and row of spinules on inner surface ( Figs. 47–62 ). Fore tibia arcuate, with series of minute denticles along inner surface or at least apically. Membrane dirty whitish to pale brown, with dark brown veins. Aedeagus has all the usual parts for Rhyparochrominae ( Figs. 127–133 ). Ventral process of paramere wider than dorsal one ( Figs. 120–126 ).

Scolopostethus is most similar to Eremocoris Fieber, 1860 in many features including the coloration and body proportions, eyes located at a distance of less than ⅓ of their diameter from the anterior margin of pronotum, the narrow lateral carina of pronotum, triangularly widened at the level of transverse pronotal impression (furrow), the fore femur distinctly widened, with one large spine and a row of small spinules on the inner surface, the fore tibia curved in both sexes (more distinctly in male). However, Palearctic Eremocoris species differ from Scolopostethus ones in having a larger body exceeding 5.5 mm, the longer antennal segment I extending beyond the apex of clypeus for more than half of its length, and the dark membrane with two whitish spots.

Figures

FIGURES 4–7. Scolopostethus affinis, dorsal (A) and lateral (B) view: 4—female, brachypter; 5—female, macropter; 6—male, brachypter; 7—male, macropter.

FIGURES 8–13. Scolopostethus thomsoni and S. decoratus, dorsal (A) and lateral (B) view: 8—S. thomsoni, female, macropter; 9—S. thomsoni, female, brachypter; 10—S. thomsoni, male, macropter; 11—S. thomsoni, male, brachypter; 12—S. decoratus, female; 13—S. decoratus, male.

FIGURES 14–19. Scolopostethus lethierryi and S. pilosus, dorsal (A) and lateral (B) view: 14—S. lethierryi, female; 15—S. lethierryi, male; 16—S. pilosus, female, brachypter; 17—S. pilosus, female, macropter; 18—S. pilosus, male, brachypter; 19— S. pilosus, male, macropter.

FIGURES 20–24. Scolopostethus ferganensis sp. n., dorsal (A) and lateral (B) view: 20—male, brachypter, holotype; 21— female, submacropter; 22—male, submacropter; 23—female, macropter; 24—male, macropter; 20C—holotype labels of S. ferganensis sp. n.

FIGURES 25–28. Scolopostethus ferganensis sp. n. and S. puberulus, dorsal (A) and lateral (B) view: 25—female, brachypter; 26—male, brachypter; 27—S. puberulus, female, macropter; 28—S. puberulus, male, submacropter.

FIGURES 63–84. Pronotum of Scolopostethus species: 63—S. affinis, female, macropter; 64—S. affinis, female, brachypter; 65—S. affinis, male, macropter; 66—S. affinis, male, brachypter; 67—S. thomsoni, female, macropter; 68—S. thomsoni, female, brachypter; 69—S. thomsoni, male, macropter; 70—S. thomsoni, male, brachypter; 71—S. decoratus, female; 72—S. decoratus, male; 73—S. lethierryi, female; 74—S. lethierryi, male; 75—S. pilosus, female, macropter; 76—S. pilosus, female, brachypter; 77—S. pilosus, male, macropter; 78—S. pilosus, male, brachypter; 79—S. ferganensis sp. n., female, brachypter; 80—S. ferganensis sp. n., female, submacropter; 81—S. ferganensis sp. n., female, macropter; 82—S. ferganensis sp. n., male, brachypter; 83—S. ferganensis sp. n., male, submacropter; 84—S. ferganensis sp. n., male, macropter.

FIGURES 47–62. Anterior leg of Scolopostethus species: 47—S affinis, male, brachypter; 48—S affinis, female, brachypter; 49—S. decoratus, male; 50—S. decoratus, female; 51—S. thomsoni, male, brachypter; 52—S. thomsoni, female, macropter; 53—S. lethierryi, male; 54—S. lethierryi, female; 55—S. pilosus, male, brachypter; 56—S. pilosus, female, macropter; 57—S. puberulus, male, submacropter; 58—S. puberulus, female, macropter; 59—S. ferganensis sp. n., female, macropter; 60—S. ferganensis sp. n., female, brachypter; 61—S. ferganensis sp. n., male, macropter; 62—S. ferganensis sp. n., male, brachypter.

FIGURES 127–130. Aedeagus of Scolopostethus species, dorsal (A) and lateral (B) view: 127—S. affinis, brachypter; 128—S. decoratus; 129—S. thomsoni, macropter; 130—S. lethierryi.

FIGURES 131–133. Aedeagus of Scolopostethus species, dorsal (A) and lateral (B) view: 131—S. pilosus, brachypter; 132—S. puberulus, brachypter; 133—S. ferganensis sp. n., macropter.

FIGURES 120–126. Left paramere of Scolopostethus species, lateral (A) and ventral (B) view: 120—S. affinis, brachypter; 121—S. decoratus; 122—S. thomsoni, macropter; 123—S. puberulus, submacropter; 124—S. lethierryi; 125—S. pilosus, brachypter; 126—S. ferganensis sp. n., macropter.