Orthocephalus medvedevi Kiritshenko

Namyatova, Anna A. & Konstantinov, Fedor V., 2009, Revision of the genus Orthocephalus Fieber, 1858 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae) 2316, Zootaxa 2316, pp. 1-118 : 58-60

Orthocephalus medvedevi Kiritshenko

Figures 2, 8, 11, 15, 18, 20 D, 21 C, 22 D, 23 B

Orthocephalus medvedevi Kiritshenko, 1951: 185 .

DIAGNOSIS: Most readily recognized by the vestiture composed of dense, erect, contrastingly long, pale simple setae at least twice as long as width of hind tibia, and scarce, hardly recognizable flattened setae (Figs, 22 D, 23 B), pale brown femora with dark minute rounded spots, male genitalia with two apically dentate spicules (fig. 8), and female genitalia with medial sclerites narrow, twin-coned, and slightly longer than sclerotized rings (fig. 11). Pale simple setae do not occur in any other Orthocephalus species except O. scorzonerae , but in the latter species the vestiture is adpressed and at least three times shorter.

REDESCRIPTION: Male: Macropterous; length 3.7–4.9. COLORATION: Head: Dark brown; spots near hind margin of head black, darker than ground color, mandibular and maxillary plates pale brown, paler than head, antennal segment II often brownish, sometimes basal 1/3 pale brown. Thorax: Pronotum, pleurites, and scutellum uniformly dark brown; hind femur dark brown but sometimes brownish with paler apex; femora yellowish with a few series of dark, minute, rounded spots on dorsal and ventral surfaces; tibiae yellowish, apically darkened; tarsi dark brown to black; membrane uniformly pale brown. Abdomen: Dark brown to black. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Head, pronotum, scutellum, and hemelytra smooth or slightly rugose. Entire dorsum, venter and appendages clothed with dense, erect, long pale simple setae, distinctly shorter than diameter of eye but always at least twice as long as width of hind tibia, especially long on anterior margin of pronotum, head, and bases of hemelytra; dorsum also clothed with scarce flattened silver setae (Figs, 22 D, 23 B); antennal segment I with 2 mesial spines. STRUCTURE AND MEASUREMENTS: Body 3.1–3.7× as long as width of pronotum. Head: Relatively broad, 1.3–1.4× as wide as high, frons distinctly convex, mandibular plates long and narrow from anterior view; depression along posterior margin of vertex distinct; eyes relatively small, protruding (figs. 20 D, 21 C); vertex 2.7–3.2× as wide as eye, eye located at a short distance from anterior pronotal margin; antennal fossa located at a distance from inferior margin of eye (fig. 20 D); antennal segment I slightly longer than diameter of eye, segment II thin, not incrassate, cylindrical, 1.0–1.2× as long as basal width of pronotum, 1.2–1.5× as long as width of head; labium reaching middle coxae. Thorax: Pronotum 2.3–2.6× as wide as long and 1.1–1.3× as wide as head with posterior margin or pronotum straight or slightly concave, lateral margin not carinate, calli slightly raised; hind femur relatively narrow, approximately 1.5× as wide as middle femur. GENITALIA: Aedeagus with two weakly sclerotized (fig. 8), short and apically dentate spicules; parameres as in fig. 15.

Female: Brachypterous; length 2.7–3.5. COLORATION: As in male. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: As in male. STRUCTURE AND MEASUREMENTS: Body 2.4–3.1× as long as width of pronotum. Head: 1.2– 1.4× as wide as high; eyes distinctly shorter than in male; vertex 4.0–4.6× as wide as eye; eye in contact with anterior margin of pronotum; antennal segment II 0.7–1.1× as long as basal width of pronotum, 0.7–1.1× as long as width of head. Thorax: Pronotum 1.9–2.5× as wide as long and 0.9–1.1× as wide as head, with posterior margin of pronotum distinctly concave; hemelytra distinctly rugose, length of hemelytra ranging from covering abdominal tergum VI to covering tergum VII, typically covering abdominal tergum VI, cuneus not delimited, posterior margin of hemelytra truncate. GENITALIA: Dorsal labiate plate very small, sclerotized rings trapeziform medial sclerites narrow, twin-coned, apically straight, somewhat twisted at base and as long as or slightly longer than sclerotized rings (fig. 15); posterior wall of bursa copulatrix with trapeziform sclerite uniformly sclerotized, incision on the anterior margin narrow and very small, not reaching middle of sclerite, anterior angles of this sclerite not dentate, posterior margin without sclerites (fig. 18); vulva with straight (not circular) sclerites (as in fig. 19, styx ).

DISTRIBUTION: Known from the steppe zone of southern Russia and Ukraine, in particular from Streletskaya steppe (Kursk Province, Russia), Provalskaya steppe, vicinity of Azov Sea ( Ukraine).

HOSTS: Some specimens from the collection of ZISP were collected from Serratula radiata (Waldst. et Kit.) (as Serratula bracteifolia (Iljin ex Grossh) (Asteraceae) by Putshkov.

SPECIMENS EXAMINED: Holotype: UKRAINE: Provalye , 48.16666 ° N 39.83333 ° E, 21 Jun 1931, S. I. Medvedev, 1♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00260975 ).

Paratypes: RUSSIAN FEDERATION: Kursk Prov.: Streletskaya Steppe , 20 km S Kursk , 51.55 ° N 36.18333 ° E, 03 Jul 1932, S. I. Medvedev, 1♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00235290 ) ( ZISP) . UKRAINE: Provalye , 48.16666 ° N 39.83333 ° E, 18 Jun 1931, S. I. Medvedev, 1♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00260972 ) ( ZISP) ; 22 Jun 1931, S. I. Medvedev, 1♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00260974 ) ( ZISP) ; 17 Jun 1933, Talitskiy, 2♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00234550 ,

AMNH_PBI 00234990) ( ZISP); 20 Jun 1947, S. I. Medvedev, 1♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00224495 ) , 1♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00260973 ) ( ZISP); 21 Jun 1947, S. I. Medvedev, 1♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00260822 ) ( ZISP) .

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL: RUSSIAN FEDERATION: Kursk Prov.: Streletskaya Steppe , 20 km S Kursk, 51.55 ° N 36.18333 ° E, 12 Jun 1952, Unknown, 1♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00151729 ), 1♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00235274 ) ( MHNG) 1♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00237983 ) ( ZISP) . UKRAINE: Khomutovo [Khomutovka] nr Novoazovsk [Budennovka], 47.26666 ° N 38.15 ° E, 23 May 1948, S. I. Medvedev, 2♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00229908 , AMNH_PBI 00238237), 2♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00148174 , AMNH_PBI 00221158) ( ZISP) . Rozovka, Donetskaya Prov. , 48.28 ° N 37.76 ° E, 05 Jun 1962, Putshkov, 2♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00231578 , AMNH_PBI 00254029) Serratula bracteifolia (Asteraceae) , 1♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00239068 ) ( ZSM) .