Graphosoma (Graphosoma) lineatum italicum ( O .F. Müller, 1766), O.F. Muller, 1766

Ghahari, Hassan, Moulet, Pierre & Rider, David A., 2014, An annotated catalog of the Iranian Pentatomoidea (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomomorpha), Zootaxa 3837 (1), pp. 1-95 : 65-66

Graphosoma (Graphosoma) lineatum italicum ( O.F. Müller, 1766)

Cimex lineatum O.F. Müller, 1766: 190 ; Graphosoma lineatum var. ochraceum Royer, 1922: 512 ; Graphosoma italicum var. obscurum Štĕpánek, 1926: 111 ; Graphosoma italicum var. soosi Halászfy, 1953: 486 ; Graphosoma italicum var. nigroscutellatum Halászfy, 1955: 367 ; Graphosoma italicum var flavolineata Halászfy, 1955: 367 .

Distribution in Iran. Alborz ( Lindberg 1938), East Azarbaijan ( Modarres Awal 1997b; Sadaghian et al. 2002; Nikdel et al. 2011), Mazandaran ( Safavi 1959; Farahbakhsh 1961; Sakenin et al. 2008), Sistan & Baluchestan ( Modarres Awal 1997b), Tehran ( Safavi 1959; Farahbakhsh 1961; Modarres Awal 1997b).

General distribution. According to Péricart (2010), G. italicum is an Europeran species known in Sweden and probably in Siberia and China, its presence in Turkey and the Near East is not certain.

Host plants. On Apiaceae ( Farahbakhsh 1961; Modarres Awal 1997b) like G. lineatum lineatum , and also on Chenopodium ambrosioides ( Chenopodiaceae ), Rubus hyrcanus , Rubus conglomeratus ( Rosaceae ) (Sakenin et al. 2008).

Comments on Graphosoma lineatum and G. italicum . Workers do not agree upon the taxonomy of these two taxa. Some consider them to be two valid species ( Dusolier & Lupoli 2006), others consider them to be two subspecies ( Péricart 2010), and still others treat them as a single species (i.e. lineatum ) ( Rider 2006; Aukema et al. 2013). Dusolier & Lupoli (2006) believe that the geographic distributions of the two taxa are clear cut and not overlapping (except in the southernmost Italy); other authors believe that there are no morphological differences between the taxa or the differences are so slight that they represent normal variation. Here we follow the last work on the subject ( Péricart 2010). We cite the records according to the original literature sources, but we believe that in some cases, the records have been given more or less arbitrarily, and that distribution of both subspecies in Iran must be revised carefully.