Scolopostethus thomsoni Reuter, 1875

(Figs. 8–11, 33, 34, 51, 52, 67–70, 95, 96, 100, 108, 115, 122, 129)

Scolopostethus thomsoni Reuter, 1875: 562 .

Material examined. KAZAKHSTAN: Koturkul [Katarkol], 18 km SE of Borovoye, L. Zimin leg., 20 VIII 1937, 13♀♀, 3♂♂ ; Mount Aktau 90 km south of Zhana-Arka railway station, Ulytau Region, Kerzhner leg., 9 VII 1960, 1♀, 3♂♂ ; Kaskelen, Vernensky uyezd, Semirechye Oblast [Almaty Region], Shnitnikov leg., VII 1907, 1♀ ; Almaty, 6, 7, 18 VII 1946, Zhenzhurist leg., 1♀, 2♂♂; nr Verny [Almaty], Semirechye Oblast [Almaty Region], Shnitnikov leg., 1907, 2♂♂ ; 26 km east of mountains SW of Koktuma, Dzungarian Alatau, K. Arnoldi leg., 25, 26 VI 1962, 1♀, 3♂♂ ; mountains SW of Koktuma, Dzungarian Alatau, R. Sokolova, 24, 25 VI 1962, 3♀♀, 2♂♂ ; Topolevka east of Sarkand, Dzungarian Alatau, V. Kuznetsov leg., 1, 25 V 1957, 2♂♂ ; Bolshaya Almatinka River, forest cordon, Shnitnikov leg., 25 VIII 1933, 2♀♀, 2♂♂ ; valley of the River Bolshaya Almatinka, forest apiary Zubenko, Shnitnikov leg., 31 VIII 1928, 2♀♀ ; Gorge of the Bolshaya Almatinka River, Shnitnikov leg., 17 VII 1938, 2♀♀, 2♂♂ ; Mount Akshatau [Akshatau mountain Range], NW Ayaguz [Ayagoz], Semipalatinsk Oblast [Abai Region], Arnoldi leg., 17 VII 1962, 1♀ ; TURKMENISTAN: Mount Shah-Shah, Central Kopet Dag, 2400–2800 m, Arnoldi leg., 11 VIII 1935, 1♀ ; TAJIKISTAN: Kichi-Karamuh [Kichi-Karamyk], Kaznakov leg., 1897, 1♀ .

Diagnosis.

Body length 3.9–4.3 mm in female and 3.4–3.6 mm in male. Hemelytron clothed with very short appressed setae which are almost equal to width of hind tibiae or no more than 0.67 times longer than width of hind tibiae (Fig. 100). Basal part of antennal segment I and apical part of antennal segment II somewhat darkened, antennal segments III and IV very dark or black (Figs. 33, 34). Mesosternum without acute tubercle at middle (Figs. 95, 96). Fore femora dark, only apex light (Figs. 51, 52). Lobe on inner margin of dorsal opening of pygophore almost triangular with straight anterior margin (Fig. 115A). Blade of paramere with sharp apex and expanded in its middle in lateral view; ventral process of paramere trapezoidal in ventral view (Fig. 122). Brachypterous to submacropterous (Figs. 8–11).

Measurements given in Appendix 2 (Tables 1–4).

Scolopostethus thomsoni is very similar to S. affinis in the body proportions, coloration, and the short vestiture of dorsum (Figs. 99, 100), often occur in the same biotopes. However, in S. affinis Mesosternum with acute tubercle at middle (Figs. 85, 86), and hemelytron with very short, barely visible, setae adpressed or slightly raised, which 0.33–0.40 times as long as width of hind tibia. (Fig. 99). S. thomsoni also very similar to S. puberulus and could be distinguish from it by feature: in S. puberulus the length of seta on the hemelytron are 1.1–1.3 times as long as width of the hind tibia (Fig. 105), antennal segment II uniformly yellow (Figs. 27, 28, 39, 40), the ventral process of the paramere is rounded in ventral view (Fig. 123).

Distribution. Almost all of Europe, Algeria (?), Azores, Morocco, Cyprus, Russia (European and Asian parts), Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran, Kazakhstan, Japan, Alaska, Canada, Newfoundland, USA (Asanova, 1980; Péricart, 1998, 2001; Vinokurov, 2007). The collection localities from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan are shown in Fig. 137.

Natural History and Bionomics. The biology of this species has been studied by a number of authors (Eyles, 1963, 1964; Putshkov, 1969; Péricart, 1998 etc.). S. thomsoni is a mesophilic, and sometimes hygrophilic, granivorous species. It inhabits open, fairly moist biotopes. Asanova (1980) mentioned forests of different types. S. thomsoni feeds on various plants in Europe ( Urtica dioica, Mentha sp., Spiraea sp., Calluna sp., Tanacetum sp., Digitalis purpurea, etc.) (Putshkov, 1969; Péricart, 1998). The imago overwinters as well as larvae 3 rd –5 th instars. Laying begins in May and continues until the end of August. Eggs develop in 2–3 weeks, larvae in 75–85 days or more if climatic conditions are unfavorable. Apparently, one generation develops per year. There may be distinct populations in the United States whose trophic relationships and phenology differ. For example, one of the «races» is found on Carex sp. in swamps (Péricart, 1998). According to Sweet (1964), the fertility of females is about 100– 250 eggs. One generation per year.