Nesidiocoris tenuis ( Reuter, 1895 )

Konstantinov, Fedor V. & Neimorovets, Vladimir V., 2021, Bryocorinae Baerensprung, 1860 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae) of European Russia and the Caucasus: synopsis and key to species, Zootaxa 4920 (3), pp. 301-338 : 326-329

Nesidiocoris tenuis ( Reuter, 1895)

Figures 6 , 8 , 9

Cyrtopeltis tenuis Reuter, 1895: 139

Material examined. ARMENIA: Armavir Prov., Etchmiadzin [Vagharshapat], Merdzavan , 9♀ 2♂, 14 IX 1976, Manukyan . EGYPT: 1♀ Mendi 28 V 1930, H. Priesner . MOROCCO: Taroudannt , 1♂ 30 VII 1959, Eckerlein . RUSSIA: Amur Prov.: Tambovka distr., 30 km W of Blagoveshchensk, 1♀ 7 IX 1931, V. Vereshchagin. Primorsky Terr .: Vladivostok , greenhouse, on Cucumis sp., 8♂ 1♀, 29 IV 1991 . SAUDI ARABIA: El Riyadh, 1♀, IV 1958, E. Diehl . SPAIN: Gran Canarias, Maspalomas, 1♀ 8–13 X 1957, 1♂ 5 XII 1958, Pinker. Tenerife, Guimar , 1♂ 1♀, Lindberg .

Diagnosis. Total body length 2.7–3.4; dorsum yellowish green with dark brown clypeus, bases of tibiae, narrowly darkened apices of corium, clavus, and usually scutellum; antennal segment I dark brown with whitish base and apex, segment II with dark brown basal third, yellow middle and brown to pale brown apical third ( Fig. 6 ); genital capsule strongly excavate posteriorly, posterior aperture with gradually tapering dorsal lobe and two slightly asymmetric ventral lobes ( Fig. 8 ); right paramere strongly reduced, vestigial, left paramere thin, L-shaped, abruptly bent close to midpoint, with weakly produced sensory lobe ( Fig. 9 ).

This species is similar to N. nozakianus Yasunaga, 2017 recently described from Japan ( Yasunaga 2017) but the latter species differs from N. tenuis in having white antennal segment I, a brown medial stripe on scutellum, and noticeably elongate apical process of the left paramere ( Yasunaga 2017: figs 1–4, 62, 66).

Distribution. The native range of N. tenuis most probably includes the Mediterranean Region of Palearctic, although this species is currently known from tropical Africa and Asia north to Russian Far East and Korea, North America and northern South America, Australia and Pacific Islands ( Wheeler & Henry 1992; Kerzhner & Josifov 1999). This species is currently unknown from European Russia. Within the Caucasus it is a common species in Armenia ( Manukyan & Terlemezyan, 1984) and may be found in neighboring regions.

Hosts. Nesidiocoris tenuis is a zoophytophagous bug widely used for biological control and known to feed on whiteflies, thrips, aphids, leafminers, small lepidopterans, spider mites, and other pests ( Wheeler 2001; Pazyuk et al. 2013). Manukyan and Terlemezyan (1984) reported N. tenuis in Armenia as a common species on cultivated Solanaceae (tobacco and tomato fields) apparently feeding on Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood, 1856) , commonly known as the glasshouse or greenhouse whitefly.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Dorsal habitus images and head in lateral view of Macrolophus and Nesidiocoris spp. Macrolophus costalis Fieber, 1858, Macrolophus epilobii Putshkov, l978, Macrolophus glaucescens Fieber, 1858, Macrolophus pygmaeus Rambur, 1839, Macrolophus rubi Woodroffe, 1957, and Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter, 1895).

FIGURE 8. Images of genital capsule and aedeagus of Dicyphus and Nesidiocoris spp. Dicyphus (B.) albonasutus Wagner, 1951, Dicyphus (B.) geniculatus (Fieber, 1858), Dicyphus (B.) globulifer (Fallén, 1829), Dicyphus (B.) digitalidis Josifov, 1958, Dicyphus (B.) montandoni Reuter, 1888, Dicyphus (D.) epilobii Reuter, 1883, and Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter, 1895).

FIGURE 9. Images of parameres. Bryocoris pteridis (Fallén, 1807), Monalocoris filicis (Linnaeus, 1758) Macrolophus costalis Fieber, 1858, Macrolophus epilobii Putshkov, l978, Macrolophus pygmaeus Rambur, 1839, Macrolophus rubi Woodroffe, 1957, and Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter, 1895).