Orthocephalus proserpinae (Mulsant and Rey)

Namyatova, Anna A. & Konstantinov, Fedor V., 2009, Revision of the genus Orthocephalus Fieber, 1858 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae) 2316, Zootaxa 2316, pp. 1-118 : 64-68

Orthocephalus proserpinae (Mulsant and Rey)

Figures 3, 5, 8, 12, 16, 18, 20 E, 22 H, 24 B

Capsus proserpinae Mulsant and Rey, 1852: 140 .

Orthocephalus coracinus Puton, 1874: 218–219 (syn. by Reuter, 1890: 254).

Orthocephalus proserpinae, 1890: 253 .

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by the uniformly black coloration, dense, dark, simple setae not longer than diameter of eye, flattened setae in males absent on dorsum and located only on thoracic pleurites, aedeagus with single long spicule (fig. 8), sclerotized distal part of ductus seminis narrow and dorsal labiate plate almost as long as wide (fig. 16). Males can be most easily confused in appearance and the structure of the male genitalia with O. styx and O. melas . However, the head of those species is clothed with bristlelike setae longer than diameter of eye. Also similar to O. styx in the aedeagal structure (compare figs. 8 and 9) but differing from that species in the narrow distal part of the ductus seminis.

REDESCRIPTION: Male: Macropterous; length 3.7–5.3. COLORATION (fig. 3): Uniformly dark brown to black; membrane uniformly pale brown. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Dorsum rugose, hemelytra distinctly rugose. Pleurites with scarce, moderately flattened silver setae; entire dorsum, venter and appendages clothed with dense, erect, long, pale brown simple setae (fig. 22 H, 24 B), distinctly shorter than diameter of eye, longer than or as long as width of hind tibia, especially long and darkened on head, anterior margin of pronotum, and bases of hemelytra; antennal segment I with two mesial spines. STRUCTURE AND MEASUREMENTS: Body 2.4–3.1× as long as width of pronotum. Head: Relatively wide, head 1.3–1.4× as wide as high; frons convex, mandibular plate short and broad; depression along hind margin of vertex distinct; eyes somewhat protruding (fig. 20 E); vertex 2.1–2.4× 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, antennal segment I somewhat shorter than diameter of eye; segment II thin, not incrassate, cylindrical; 0.7–1.0× as long as basal width of pronotum, 0.9–1.3× as long as width of head; labium reaching middle coxae. Thorax: Pronotum 2.0–2.4× as wide as long and 1.1–1.4× as wide as head with posterior margin of pronotum concave, lateral margins of pronotum not carinate, calli raised; hind femora relatively narrow, approximately 1.5× as wide as middle femur. GENI- TALIA: Aedeagus with single long spicule, almost straight, gradually tapering, twisted at middle, and longer than dorsal wall of theca; distal part of ductus seminis narrow (fig. 8), parameres as in fig. 12.

Female: Brachypterous, length 4.4–5.9. COLORATION: As in male. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Similar to male, but body often with shallow punctation, entire dorsum and abdomen clothed with flattened silver setae, pale brown simple setae somewhat shorter than in male, erect, as long as width of hind tibia on head, pronotum, and bases of hemelytra, semiadpressed and shorter elsewhere. STRUCTURE AND MEA- SUREMENTS: Body 2.4–3.2× as long as width of pronotum. Head: 1.3–1.4× as wide as high, vertex 2.6– 3.4× as wide as eye; antennal segment II 0.7–0.9× as long as basal width of pronotum, 0.8–1.0× as long as width of head. Thorax: Pronotum 2.0–2.5× as wide as long and 1.0–1.2× as wide as head; length of hemelytra ranging from reaching middle of abdominal tergum IV to reaching abdominal tergum IX, typically reaching basal margin of tergum VII, clavus not delimited, claval suture as long as or somewhat shorter than inner margin of clavus, posterior margin of hemelytra truncate, lateral margin rounded. GENITALIA: Dorsal labiate plate as wide as long, with somewhat dentate medial sclerites and broad pigmented area between rings (fig. 16); sclerotized rings oval; posterior wall of bursa copulatrix with uniformly sclerotized trapeziform sclerite, with thin incision on the anterior margin not reaching middle of sclerite, anterior angles of this sclerite not dentate, posterior margin without sclerites (fig. 18); vulva with straight sclerites not forming a circle (as in fig. 19, styx ).

DISTRIBUTION: Predominantly a Mediterranean species, ranging from Portugal and Morocco in the west to Israel and Turkey in the east; also reported from Czech Republic ( Stehlik, 1945).

HOSTS: The species feeds on plants from the family Asteraceae . It was recorded from Carduus sp. ( Reuter, 1891; Wagner, 1974), Scolymus sp. , and Silybum sp. ( Wagner, 1974) , Scorzonerae villosa Scop. ( Tamanini, 1981), and Scolymus hispanicus L. ( Carapezza, 1997). Some specimens from the collection of ZISP were collected from Silybum marianum (L.) ( Asteraceae ) by Eckerlein.

SPECIMENS EXAMINED: Holotype of Orthocephalus coracinus : FRANCE: Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur: Saint-Tropez, 43.26666 ° N 6.63333 ° E, Puton , 1♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00259356 ) ( MNHN).

Paratypes of Orthocephalus coracinus : FRANCE: Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur: Saint-Tropez, 43.26666 ° N 6.63333 ° E, Puton , 1♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00259356 ) ( MNHN) . ADDITIONAL MATERIAL: ALGERIA: Constantine: El Rhirane, Hammam , 36.58333 ° N 5.63333 ° E, 30 Apr 1913, Pastukhov, 1♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00259270 ) ( ZISP) . Algeria , 36.71666 ° N 3.08333 ° E, Shapotnikov, 1♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00259274 ) ( ZISP) ; 1860, Moravits , 1♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00268023 ), 1♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00159819 ) ( ZISP) ; 08 May 1913, Pastukhov, 1♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00259271 ) ( ZISP) . FRANCE: Languedoc-Roussillon: Pyrénées-Orientales Co.: La Racou , 42.549 ° N 3.012 ° E, 07 Jun 1953, E. Wagner, 1♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00267511 ), 4♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00235682 , AMNH_PBI 00267512 through AMNH_PBI 00267514) ( MHNG) . GREECE: Nomos Achaias: Kalavrita ,

Morea , 38.05 ° N 22.18333 ° E, 800 m, 06 Aug 1919 - 09 Aug 1919, Znolyuzhko, 1♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00259272 ) ( ZISP) . West Greece: Ilia Co. : Glifa, Pthiotida , 37.85 ° N 21.13333 ° E, 03 Jul 1987, A. Matocq, 3♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00227435 ), 2♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00238235 ) ( MATOCQ) 2♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00257224 , AMNH_PBI 00257224), 2♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00240721 , AMNH_PBI 00240721) ( ZISP) . Stratos , 1 km N of Fluss Achaios, 05 Jun 1962, G.Eckerlein, 2♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00235284 , AMNH_PBI 00267502), 3♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00267503 through AMNH_PBI 00267505) ( MHNG) . ITALY: Calabria: Paola , 39.38 ° N 16.03 ° E, 16 May 1977 - 26 May 1977, Seidenstücker, 2♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00267926 ), 1♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00267925 ) ( ZSM) . Sicily: Altofonte, Palermo , 38.05 ° N 13.3 ° E, 14 May 1957 - 18 May 1957, Seidenstücker, 1♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00267923 ) ( ZSM) . Cefalu, Castelbuo - no Statione-Ponte Fiumara , 38.0333 ° N 14.0167 ° E, 198 m, 04 May 1957 - 12 May 1957, Seidenstücker, 7♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00228088 , AMNH_PBI 00257212, AMNH_PBI 00267917 through AMNH_PBI 00267920, AMNH_PBI 00267950), 6♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00234315 , AMNH_PBI 00267921 through AMNH_PBI 00267922, AMNH_PBI 00267952), 1 juvenille ( AMNH _ PBI 00267951 ) ( ZSM) . Palermo, Agrigento, Magazallo , Corleone , 37.81 ° N 13.3 ° E, 18 May 1957, E. Schmidt, 1♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00267924 ) ( ZSM) . Porto Empedocle, between Punta Piccola and Siculiana , 37.3 ° N 13.43333 ° E, 21 Apr 1957 - 02 May 1957, Seidenstücker, 3♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00263750 , AMNH_PBI 00267948), 3♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00267946 through AMNH_PBI 00267947, AMNH_PBI 00267949) ( ZSM) . San Martino de ile Scale ( Palermo ), 38.2 ° N 15.38 ° E, 18 May 1961, Eckerlein, 4♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00267506 through AMNH_PBI 00267509) ( MHNG) . MOROCCO: Wilaya de Casablanca: 10 km NW of Casablanca , 33.604 ° N 7.614 ° W, 06 May 1970, Eckerlein, 2♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00226407 , AMNH_PBI 00237614), 3♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00223141 , AMNH_PBI 00267498 through AMNH_PBI 00267499) ( MHNG) . Bled Tufoudeit S Meknes, 33.9 ° N 5.55 ° W, Apr 1980, Birulya, 1♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00259269 ) ( ZISP) . Sint , 30.05 ° N 8.81666 ° W, 1964, Unknown, 1♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00259273 ) ( ZISP) . TUNISIA: Qulaybiyah [Kelibia], 36.85 ° N 11.09 ° E, 20 May 1976, Eckerlein, Silybium marianum (Asteraceae) , 2♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00152742 , AMNH_PBI 00267501), 3♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00241123 , AMNH_PBI 00257591, AMNH_PBI 00267500) ( MHNG) .