Hephathus achilleae Mityaev, 1967

Tishechkin, Dmitri Yu., 2015, Contributions to the study of the genus Hephathus Ribaut, 1952 (Homoptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadellidae: Macropsinae) of Russia and adjacent countries, Zootaxa 3999 (4), pp. 537-548 : 541

Hephathus achilleae Mityaev, 1967

Figs. 18–19, 25, 31–34, 69–76, 81–82, 122–131, 134

Distribution ( Fig. 134 ). Eastern Europe northwards to Fennoscandia and Baltic Region ( Söderman et al., 2009), Ukraine, European Russia, North Caucasus, Transcaucasia, steppe zone of Northern and Eastern Kazakhstan.

Species identification. Four paratypes with the labels “Eastern Kazakhstan, env. Katon-Karagai, the foothill plain, milfoil [ Achillea sp.], 28.VII.1961, I.D. Mityaev” deposited in Zoological Museum of M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University were investigated ( Figs. 124, 128 ).

Remark. Apparently, some previous records of H. nanus from Eastern Europe and Russia refer to this species.

One male (holotype, Figs. 77–79) and one female ( Figs. 95–97 ) of H. orientalis Linnavuori, 1953 were investigated. This form was originally described as a variety of H. nanus ( Linnavuori, 1953) and later regarded as separate species ( Linnavuori, 1962). Externally and in the shape of male genitalia, it is indistinguishable from H. freyi , but according to Linnavuori, 1962, it is endemic to Palestine and monophagous on Rubus sanguineus . This may indicate that H. orientalis is a separate biological species. This species is tentatively retained as a valid, but investigation of male calling signals will be necessary to elucidate its status.

Figures

FIGURES 132 – 134. Hephathus spp., distribution maps: 132 ― H. nanus (Herrich-Schäffer); 133 ― H. freyi (Fieber); 134 ― H. achilleae Mityaev.

FIGURES 98 – 131. Hephathus spp., face. 98 – 106 ― H. nanus (Herrich-Schäffer) (100 ― specimen from Bavaria); 107 – 121 ― H. freyi (Fieber) (115 – 121 ― large specimens from Iran and Central Tien-Shan, Kyrgyzstan); 122 – 131 ― H. achilleae Mityaev (124, 128 ― paratypes).

FIGURES 80 – 97. 80 ― Hephathus nanus (Herrich-Schäffer), lateral view, specimen from Bavaria; 81 – 82 ― H. achilleae Mityaev, same (81 ― specimen from North Caucasus, 82 ― specimen from Moscow Area); 83 – 94 ― H. freyi (Fieber), same (83 – 84 ― specimens from Iran, 85 ― specimen from Morocco, 86 ― specimen from West Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan, 87 – 88 ― specimens from Southern European Russia, 89 – 94 ― specimens from Kekemeren River Valley, Central Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan); 95 – 97 ― H. orientalis Linnavuori (95 ― lateral view, 96 ― face, 97 ― labels).