Myrmecophyes armeniacus Drapolyuk, 1989

Konstantinov, Fedor V. & Simov, Nikolay, 2018, Review of the subgenus Plumiger of Myrmecophyes, with description of a new species (Heteroptera, Miridae, Halticini), ZooKeys 796, pp. 215-239 : 225-226

Myrmecophyes armeniacus Drapolyuk, 1989 Figs 5, 8, 14, 16, 22, 23, 25, 26, 30-33, 37, 38, 51, 55, 59, 64

Myrmecophyes (Plumiger) armeniacus Dapolyuk, 1989: 125; figs 51, 55.

Material examined.

Holotype: TURKEY: Kars: Kars, 40.58333°N, 43.06666°E, 04 Jun 1915, Olsufiev, 1♀ (AMNH_PBI 00261681) (ZISP). Paratypes: ARMENIA: Shirak: Gyumri [Leninakan], 40.78333°N, 43.83333°E, 16 Jul 1940, Esterberg, 1♀ (AMNH_PBI 00261680) (ZISP).

Other specimens examined:

ARMENIA: Gegharkunik: N coast of Sevan Lake, Artanish - Shorzha Rd, 40.50109°N, 45.3282°E, 1962 m, 14 Jun 2017, F. Konstantinov & N. Simov, ( Poaceae ), 15♂ (AMNH_PBI 00343264-AMNH_PBI 00343277, AMNH_PBI 00343331), 70♀ (AMNH_PBI 00343249-AMNH_PBI 00343263, AMNH_PBI 00343232-AMNH_PBI 00343248, AMNH_PBI 00343196-AMNH_PBI 00343231, AMNH_PBI 00343330, AMNH_PBI 00343376) (ZISP); 16♂, 49♀ (SOFM). N coast of Sevan Lake, Karmir Pass, 4 km ENE of Aghberk, 40.56328°N, 45.29903°E, 2190 m, 15 Jun 2017, F. Konstantinov & N. Simov, ( Poaceae ), 2♂ (AMNH_PBI 00343351, AMNH_PBI 00343352), 1♀ (AMNH_PBI 00343327) (ZISP); 6♂, 9♀ (SOFM). W coast of Sevan Lake, 2 km ESE of Semyonovka, 40.65074°N, 44.92336°E, 2123 m, 15 Jun 2017, F. Konstantinov & N. Simov, ( Poaceae ), 24♂ (AMNH_PBI 00343278-AMNH_PBI 00343285, AMNH_PBI 00343288-AMNH_PBI 00343301, AMNH_PBI 00343332, AMNH_PBI 00343334), 25♀ (AMNH_PBI 00343302-AMNH_PBI 00343312, AMNH_PBI 00343314-AMNH_PBI 00343325, AMNH_PBI 00343333, AMNH_PBI 00343328) (ZISP); 25♂, 34♀ (SOFM).

Diagnosis.

Size large, clypeus straight, not bulging apically in either sex (Figs 14, 26), head and abdomen not shiny (Figs 5, 8), antennal segment II in male shorter than width of pronotum; shape of the left paramere as in Figs 30-32, lobes of aedeagus membranous (Figure 37), and sclerotized rings of dorsal labiate plate broadly oval (Figs 51, 55).

Remarks.

Males of M. armeniacus are most similar to M. heterocerus in structure of the head and male genitalia, but the latter species can be distinguished by the smaller size, shiny head and abdomen, and structure of the left paramere with the apical process narrowing before the T-shaped blade and equipped with a prominent outgrowth at base (compare Figs 30, 34). Females of M. armeniacus and M. nasutus are roughly similar in size and vestiture, and the surface of the dorsum is not shiny; these species can be separated by their differently shaped sclerotized rings (compare Figs 51, 54).

Redescription.

Male. Total length 3.4-3.7. Coloration: (Figure 5): entirely black, with whitish transverse stripe along apex of wing pad; fore and middle femora usually, hind femur rarely with pale brown apices. Surface and vestiture: Dorsum matt, head and abdomen at most moderately shiny; vestiture as in subgeneric description. Structure: Body 3.9-4.2 × as long as width of pronotum at middle. Head: Clypeus not bulging (Figure 26), flat at base and slightly convex in apical part, with apical margin straight; vertex 1.8-2.0 × as wide as eye; antennal segment I strongly swollen, short, 0.8-0.9 × as long as length of pronotum, segment II slightly curved and widened apically, rather short, 1.4-1.5 × as long as I, 0.8 × as long as width of pronotum at middle, and 0.6 × as long as width of head; segment III more than 2.8-2.9 × as long as II and distinctly longer than I and II combined; segment IV about 1.5 × as long as II. Thorax: Pronotum at middle 1.3 × as wide as long, 0.7-0.8 × as wide as head; hind tibia 3.6-4.0 × as long as width of pronotum at middle. Genitalia: genital capsule comparatively small, about 0.3 of abdomen; left paramere sickle-shaped, thin, apical process of uniform width along entire length, long, somewhat sinuate, flattened, ending with characteristic oblique T-shaped blade; body of paramere with small but distinct rounded outgrowth at base of apical process with long setae (Figs 30-32); right paramere typically flag-shaped, somewhat larger than in M. heterocerus (Figure 33); endosoma of aedeagus voluminous, folded, entirely membranous, with several small, minutely dentate eversible lobes (Figs 37, 38).

Female. Body large, total length 3.9-4.1. Coloration: As in male, but antennal segment I and femora ranging from uniformly rust brown to totally black (Figure 8). Surface and vestiture: As in subgeneric description; dorsum matt, head and abdomen at most moderately shiny; frons and vertex with few erect spinelike setae; antennal segment I with 6-8 similar setae on mesial surface. Structure: Body 4.4-4.6 × as long as width of pronotum at middle. Head: Vertex 1.9-2.1 × as wide as eye; antennal segment I 0.8 × as long as length of pronotum, segment II 1.9-2.1 × as long as I, 1.1-1.2 × as long as width of pronotum at middle, and 0.8-0.9 × as long as width of head; segment III 1.5-1.6 × as long as II; segment IV equal to II in length. Thorax: Pronotum at middle 1.3-1.4 × as wide as long, 0.7-0.8 × as wide as head; hind tibia 3.3-3.5 × as long as width of pronotum at middle. Genitalia: Sclerotized rings of dorsal labiate plate broadly oval (Figs 51, 59), interramal sclerites of posterior wall almost flat, densely covered with minute denticles (Figure 55).

Distribution.

The current distribution of M. armeniacus spans a distance of less than 200 km from northeastern Turkey in the west to northwestern Armenia in the east (Figure 64).