Mesopsallus fagi Drapolyuk, 1990

Çerçi, Barış, Koçak, Özgür & Tezcan, Serdar, 2024, Review of the Heteroptera (Hemiptera) fauna of Turkey: perspectives for future research, European Journal of Taxonomy 937, pp. 1-127 : 33-34

Mesopsallus fagi Drapolyuk, 1990

Fig. 11A

Material examined

TURKEY – Artvin Province • 1 ♂; Borçka, Murgul; 5 Sep. 1971; F. Önder leg.; LEMT .

Comments

The genus Mesopsallus Wagner, 1970 was recently erected to genus level and re-diagnosed by Konstantinov (2023). Several species that previously were placed in three different genera were brought together in this genus by Konstantinov (2023) due to shared J-shaped vesica equipped with a large, round and distinctly sculptured secondary gonopore located almost at the apex of the vesica, and straight apical blade. The genus now contains following ten species: M. ambiguus (Fallén, 1807) , M. tibialis (Reuter, 1894) , M. fagi ( Drapolyuk, 1990) , M. holomelas (Reuter, 1906) , M. samdzijonicus (Josifov, 1983) , all previously in Psallus ; M. amygdali ( Wagner, 1960) , M. mali (Meyer-Dür, 1843) , M. rhodani (Fieber, 1861) , all previously in Atractotomus ; M. pici (Reuter, 1899) and M. validus (Reuter, 1901) , both previously in Heterocapillus ( Konstantinov 2023) . Mesopsallus tibialis is endemic of the Iberian Peninsula and distinguished from other species of Mesopsallus that were previously placed in Psallus , by unicolorous black hemelytra, including cuneus ( Wagner 1975). Both M. ambiguus and M. fagi are variable in coloration, the latter is paler in coloration and has yellowish-brown to yellow-colored legs whereas the legs of the former are brown ( Drapolyuk 1990; Wyniger 2004). More importantly, the apical process of vesica is longer and claw-like in M. ambiguus (see Rizzotti Vlach 2000: figs 1–6) but much shorter and hook-like in M. fagi ( Fig. 11A ). This species was described from Zakatala and Kuba districts of Azerbaijan and has never been recorded in the literature since its original description ( Drapolyuk 1990). It lives on Fagus orientalis and feeds on psyllid larvae ( Drapolyuk 1990).

Figures

Fig. 11. A. Mesopsallus fagi (Drapolyuk, 1990), dorsal and lateral view, with vesica, left and right parameres, ♂ (LEMT). B. Psallus (Psallus) helenae Josifov, 1969, with vesica, ♂ (BCIT). Scale bar: A = 1 mm