Atheroides persianus Wieczorek

Wieczorek, Karina, 2011, Descriptions of four hitherto unknown or little-known morphs of Siphini (Hemiptera, Aphidoidea: Chaitophorinae), Zootaxa 2756, pp. 53-60 : 56-57

Atheroides persianus Wieczorek

( Fig. 2 )

Atheroides persianus Wieczorek, 2009: 702 −703.

Material examined: IRAN, 20 km west of Karaj, 8.v.1968, 1 al. viv. fem., leg. v. d. Bosch.

Description: Alate viviparous female: colour of live specimens: unknown; pigmentation when mounted: yellowish, head, thorax, antennal segments I, II, IV, V, coxae, femora and dorsal sclerites dusky. Body elongate, slen- der, about 1.68 mm long and 0.57 mm wide. Cuticular surface with very visible, rugose sculpture. Abdominal tergites I–VI with large, oval marginal sclerites and fused pleural and spinal sclerites, among them small, intersegmental plates; tergites VII–VIII with fused marginal and spino-pleural sclerites ( Fig. 2a ). Dorsal chaetotaxy: hairs numerous, not arranged in visible rows. On abdominal tergites I–V hairs with fan-shaped and flattened apices 0.01–0.02 mm long; on margin of abdominal tergites VI–VII hairs with flattened or forked apices about 0.05 mm long. Abdominal tergite VIII with about 8–12 pointed hairs 0.075–0.15 mm long ( Fig. 2 d). Head chaetotaxy: about six pointed hairs 0.075–0.10 mm long near frontal margin; numerous fan-shaped hairs 0.02–0.03 mm long all over head ( Fig. 2 b). Antennae ( Fig. 2 c) reaching to anterior margin of mesothorax, about 0.30 times body length. Vb as long as Va; other antennal ratios: Vb:III 0.42, V:III 0.85, V:IV 1.87. Antennal chaetotaxy: segm. I with 1 blunt, erected hair, segm. II with 1 hair, segm. III with 1 hair, segm. IV with 1 hair, Va with 1 hair. Segment III with 5 oval rhinaria lying in row in inner margin of this segment, segment IV with 0 rhinaria. Rostrum short, reaching to middle coxae, ARS short and blunt, about 0.10 mm long, 0.57 times antennal segment III and 0.74 times HT II. First tarsal chaetotaxy 4:4:4, empodial hairs pointed. Fore wings typical, with normal venation, media with 3 branches, pterostigma weak pigmented. Siphunculi pore-shaped, placed on anterior margin of abdominal segment V, surface of siphunculi smooth. Cauda broadly rounded, covered by semicircular tergite VIII.

Measurements of 1 specimen (in mm): ( Iran, 20 km west of Karaj, 8.v.1968, leg. v. d. Bosch) body: 1.68, ant.: 0.52, ant. segm. (III–V): 0.175:0.08:(0.075+0.075), ARS: 0.10, HT II: 0.135.

Distribution. Local species known only from few localities in Iran and Turkey ( Wieczorek 2010). Host plants. Apterous females were collected by sweeping from Cyperaceae ( Wieczorek 2010) ; alata was collected from a non-host plant ( Artemisia ).

Figures

FIGURE 2. A. persianus — alate viviparous female: a. abdomen, b. head, c. antenna, d. abdominal tergite VIII.