5.9. Mesopsallus Wagner, 1970 stat. nov.

Figs 3E, F, 5J-M, 6D-F, 7A, D, E, G, I, 9 F-N, 12A

Mesopsallus Wagner, 1970: 302 (as a subgenus of Psallus)

Type species.

Lygaeus ambiguus ( Fallén, 1807)

Diagnosis.

Recognized by the following combination of characters: dorsum with apically serrate or acuminate silver scales and simple setae (Fig. 6D-F); vesica J-shaped, formed by two straps separated by membrane (Fig. 9F-N); secondary gonopore large, round, and distinctly sculptured, located almost at the apex of the vesica; apical blade of vesica short and straight; dorsal labiate plate with distinctly elongate, apically rounded sclerotized rings (Fig. 12A).

Most similar to many Psallus spp. in the general appearance, body proportions, and vestiture composed of a mixture of whitish scalelike setae and simple setae but differing from that genus in the vesica structure.

Species composition.

Mesopsallus ambiguus ( Fallén, 1807) - broadly distributed in Europe, East to Komi and Bashkortostan republics of Russia, South to Turkey, Transcaucasia, and Northern Iran.

Mesopsallus amygdali (Wagner, 1960) comb. nov. - Iran.

Mesopsallus fagi (Drapolyuk, 1990) comb. nov. - Azerbaijan.

Mesopsallus holomelas (Reuter, 1906) - Sichuan, China.

Mesopsallus mali ( Meyer-Dür, 1843) comb. nov. - Europe, East to Nizhegorod Prov. and Bashkortostan Rep. of Russia, South to Israel, Turkey, Transcaucasia, and Northern Iran.

Mesopsallus pici (Reuter, 1899) comb. nov. - Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia.

Mesopsallus rhodani (Fieber, 1861) comb. nov. - From Germany, France and Italy in the West to Ukraine, Romania and Turkey in the East.

Mesopsallus samdzijonicus (Josifov, 1983) - North Korea.

Mesopsallus tibialis (Reuter, 1894) - Spain.

Mesopsallus validus (Reuter, 1901) comb. nov. - Algeria.