Orthocephalus putshkovi, Namyatova & Konstantinov, 2009

Namyatova, Anna A. & Konstantinov, Fedor V., 2009, Revision of the genus Orthocephalus Fieber, 1858 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae) 2316, Zootaxa 2316, pp. 1-118 : 68-69

Orthocephalus putshkovi , nomen nov.

Figures 3, 8, 12, 16

Piezocranum medvedevi Putshkov, 1961: 28–29 .

Orthocephalus medvedevi NEW COMBINATION, JUNIOR SECONDARY HOMONYM of O. medvedevi Kiritshenko, 1951 .

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by the vestiture composed of short, pale, simple setae and flattened setae distinctly visible on pleurites. This species is also distinguished by the following characters: orange antennal segment I, basal half of segment II, and legs (fig. 3); aedeagus with two spicules, long spicule as long as dorsal wall of theca, short spicule comma-shaped (fig. 8); bursa copulatrix without medial sclerites (fig. 16). Possibly confused with O. modarresi in coloration but that species easily distinguished by the long, erect, bristlelike black setae and silver scalelike setae on dorsum. General appearance most similar to females of O. scorzonerae but that species differing from O. putshkovi in the presence of three spicules in the aedeagus (fig. 8) and medial sclerites on the ventral labiate plate (fig. 16). Females are similar to O. solidus but that species differs in the absence of flattened silver setae.

REDESCRIPTION: Male: Macropterous, length 3.9. COLORATION (fig. 3): Head: Dark brown, spot near inner margin of eye indistinct; antennal segment I yellow, darkened at extreme base, segment II yellow, darkened at apex, segments III and IV dark brown, labium dark brown. Thorax: Pronotum dark brown, evaporatorium with pale brown posterior margin; scutellum dark brown; coxa dark brown, femora dark brown, yellowish at apex; tibia, tarsal segments I and II yellowish, tarsal segment III dark brown; hemelytra brown, paler than head, pronotum, and scutellum. Abdomen: Dark brown to black. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Dorsum slightly rugose. Body with pale simple setae distinctly shorter than diameter of eye; pleurites with flattened silver setae; antennal segments II-IV with erect dark setae; antennal segments I with 2 mesial spines. STRUCTURE AND MESUREMENTS: Head: Wide, distinctly wider than high; frons convex; mandibular plates short and not tapering; depression along hind margin of eye indistinct; eye small, not protruding, in contact with anterior pronotal margin (as in fig. 20 F); vertex 2.8× as wide as eye; antennal fossa located at a distance from inferior margin of eye; antennal segment I shorter than diameter of eye, segment II thin, not incrassate, cylindrical, 0.6× as long as basal width of pronotum, 0.8× as long as width of head; labium reaching middle coxa. Thorax: Pronotum 2.4× as wide as long and 1.4× as wide as head with straight posterior margin and distinctly carinate lateral margins, calli weakly delimited; femora relatively short and broad, hind femur approximately as wide as middle one. GENITALIA: Aedeagus with single, short, blade-like spicule (fig. 8); parameres as in fig. 12.

Female: Brachypterous, length 2.7–3.7. COLORATION: Similar to male, dorsum darker, almost black, coloration of antennal segments I and II and legs brighter than in male, yellowish or orange, evaporatorium black, same color as pleurites. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: As in male, flattened silver setae on pleurites and at bases of hemelytra. STRUCTURE AND MEASUREMENTS: Body 1.8–2.3× as long as width of pronotum. Head: 1.6–1.7× as wide as high; vertex 3.5–3.9× as wide as eye, antennal segment II 0.5× as long as basal width of pronotum, 0.6× as long as width of head. Thorax: Pronotum 2.4–2.6× as wide as long and 1.1– 1.2× as wide as head; hemelytra reaching abdominal segment IX, clavus and cuneus not delimited, inner margins in contact with each other almost along entire length, posterior margin of hemelytra rounded. GENITA- LIA: Dorsal labiate plate with comparatively rounded sclerotized rings, medial sclerites absent (fig. 16); posterior wall of bursa copulatrix with trapeziform sclerite uniformly sclerotized, incision on anterior margin broad and not reaching middle of sclerite, anterior angles of this sclerite not dentate, posterior margin without sclerites (as in fig. 18, solidus ); vulva with straight sclerites not forming a circle (as in fig. 19, O. styx ).

DISTRIBUTION: The species is described from Ukraine, and known also from Kazakhstan (Dzhungar Alatau Mts).

HOST: Unknown.

ETYMOLOGY: This species was named after V.G. Putshkov, the author of the taxon.

DISCUSSION: Putshkov (1961) described this species as Piezocranum medvedevi . According to Putshkov, P. medvedevi shares the following features with other species of Piezocranum : transverse head, straight and cylindrical tibiae, somewhat swollen femora and base of pronotum wider than head. Nevertheless, all these characters are not diagnostic for Piezocranum and also occur in Orthocephalus species. Our investigation shows that P.medvedevi differs from other species of Piezocranum , including the type species, by the impunctate dorsum and presence of flattened silver setae, whereas P. simulans , P. corvinum , and P. seminulum are strongly punctate and clothed only with simple setae. The structure of apical portion of the ductus seminis in P. medvedevi is also typical of Orthocephalus spp. (see diagnosis). Hence, we transfer P. medvedevi to Orthocephalus on the basis of genitalic structure and external characters. In order to replace the junior secondary homonym of O. medvedevi Kiritshenko, 1951 we are proposing the new name Orthocephalus putskovi nom nov. for Orthocephalus medvedevi ( Putshkov, 1961) . Refer to O. solidus for additional discussion on O. putshkovi .

SPECIMENS EXAMINED: KAZAKHSTAN: Almaty Prov.: S of Koktuma, on Alakol Lake, Dzhungarskiy Alatau , 46.34 ° N 81.96 ° E, 25 Jun 1962, I. M. Kerzhner, 1♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00313570 ), 3♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00313507 , AMNH_PBI 00313919, AMNH_PBI 00314238) ( ZISP) .