Empicoris tabellarius Ribes & Putshkov, 1992

Simov, Nikolay, Gradinarov, Denis, ., Leonidas-Romanos Davranoglou, .,., . & .,. E., 2017, Three new assassin bug records (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae) for the Balkan Peninsula, Ecologica Montenegrina 13, pp. 25-29 : 25-27

Empicoris tabellarius Ribes & Putshkov, 1992

Material examined: Bulgaria: Black Sea Coast , State Hunting Area ―Ropotamo‖, 42.331067°N, 027.716983°E, 23 m a.s.l., sparse longose forest with Fraxinus angustifolia , 02 September 2015, B. Zlatkov, O. Sivilov leg.; light trapping with both MBFT 160 W and UV 8 W lamps, 2 males, 4 females, N. Simov & D. Gradinarov det. (1 male and 3 females in SOFM, 1 male and 1 female in BFUS) .

Our specimens are characterized by long and slender profemora, ventral spines on the profemora, which are small and hidden by pubescence ( Fig. 1 A ), and the hemelytral pterostigma exceeding the apex of the discal cell and decorated with only one brown spot, which is subdivided transversely ( Fig. 1 B ), and the first and second antennal segments are subequal. The above-mentioned characters fit in the diagnosis of E. discalis species group of Empicoris Wolff, 1811 ( Putshkov et al. 1999; Ishikawa, 2008). Based on additional characters such as the apophysis of the pygophore being broadly notched apically and the simple paramere being very long and crook-ended ( Fig. 1 C, D ), our specimens are determined as E. tabellarius . Our specimens are similar in general habitus, coloration and shape of profemora and protibia, as well as shape and coloration of pterostigma to E. maeharai Ishikawa, 2008 and also in the coloration of the hemelytra and shape of its discal cell to E. okinawanus Ishikawa, 2008, both from E. discalis group of Empicoris ( Ishikawa 2008). Bulgarian specimens of E. tabellarius can be easily distinguished from the latter by the different shape of the paramere – strongly hooked with curved apical part longer and truncate apex ( Figs. 1 C, D ) and shape of the lateral carina of the posterior pronotal lobe ( Fig. 1 A ), and shape and size of the eyes. The two species ( E. maeharai and E. okinawanus ) could be classified as the closest relatives of E. tabellarius .

Distribution. The thread-legged bug Empicoris tabellarius Ribes & Putshkov, 1992 was described from a few localities in the southern parts of France and Spain and more than ten years later was considered endemic to the region ( Putshkov & Putshkov 1996; Putshkov et al. 1999). When this species was recorded in Hungary in 2000, Rédei (2004) commented on the peculiarity of such a finding. The record of this species from the Balkan Peninsula is also curious. The true bug fauna of Bulgaria and especially of the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast is very well studied ( Josifov 1974; Hubenov 2008) and it is unlikely that a thread-legged bug has been overlooked for nearly a century until our study. Perhaps it is spreading and the last two European records could be considered as a result of invasion. On the other hand, several alien true bugs were described from invaded areas and later discovered in their native range (e.g. Tupiocoris rhododendri (Dolling, 1972) , Stephanitis rhododendri Horváth, 1895 ) ( Rabitsch 2008). Empicoris tabellarius belongs to E. discalis species group of the genus Empicoris Wolff, 1811 . All the species of this group except E. tabellarius , are distributed in tropical, subtropical and southern parts of temperate regions of the Old World, excluding Europe ( Rédei 2004). The probable closest relatives of E. tabelllarius are from East Asia ( Japan). It is thus possible that E. tabellarius is an extra-European species which is now spreading. If this is the case, then E. tabellarius , should be registered as an alien species, as was the case with E. rubromaculatus (Blackburn, 1889) . Our record of the species is the first for Bulgaria and the Balkan Peninsula, respectively.

Figures

Figure 1. Empicoris tabellarius from Bulgaria: A — head and pronotum; B — hemelytron; C, D — end of male abdomen - ventral and dorsal view. Scale bares: A, B = 1 mm; C, D = 300 μm.