Anisops debilis socotrensis Brown, 1956

Kment, Petr & Carapezza, Attilio, 2022, Heteroptera (Hemiptera) of the Socotra Archipelago I: Introduction, Nepomorpha, Gerromorpha and Leptopodomorpha, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Pragae) 62 (2), pp. 475-519 : 484-485

Anisops debilis socotrensis Brown, 1956

( Fig. 10 )

Anisops socotrensis Brown, 1956: 142–144 , figs 3a–f, 4a–e (original description). Holotype: ♂, Socotra, Hadibo [= Hadiboh] (BMNH).

Anisops debilis socotrensis : LANSBURY (1964): 100 (downgraded to subspecies of A. debilis Gerstaecker, 1873 ).

Published records. BROWN (1956): Hadibo [= Hadiboh], pool in stream; Moa bbadh [= Maabad] plain, 20 miles E of Hadibo; WRANIK (1999): Socotra (no exact locality); WRANIK (2003): Socotra (no exact records).

Material examined. SOCOTRA: Diksam [= Dixam, ca. 500–1000 m a.s.l.], xi.1997, 1 spec., 21.ii.2000, 1 spec., W. Wranik lgt. ( WWRG → NMPC); Diksam Teich [= Dixam, pond], ix.1998, 2 spec., W. Wranik lgt. ( WWRG → NMPC); Dixam plateau, wadi Zerig (12°29′36ʺN 53°59′30ʺE), pool at road bridge, Juncus marsh, 655 m a.s.l., 13.–14. vi.2012, 2 ♂♂ 27 spec., Socotra expedition 2012: J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula, P. Kment, I. Malenovský, J. Niedobová & L. Purchart lgt. ( NMPC, MMBC, NHMW); Dixam plateau, Firmihin, small brook under Firmihin (12°28′36ʺN 54°01′06ʺE), 490 m a.s.l., 14.–15.vi.2012, 1 spec., Socotra expedition 2012: J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula, P. Kment, I. Malenovský, J. Niedobová & L. Purchart lgt. ( NMPC); Dixam plateau, wadi Zerig (12°29′36ʺN 53°59′30ʺE), 18.i.2014, 19 ♂♂ 16 ♀♀ 1 L, A. Carapezza lgt. ( ACPI); Dixam plateau, wadi Zerig, beginning of track for Skand Mt. (12°29′15ʺN 53°59′20ʺE), 20.i.2014, 9 ♂♂ 16 ♀♀, A. Carapezza lgt. ( ACPI); Firmihin, [ca. 390–760 m a.s.l.], ii.1999, 1 spec., iii.1999, 1 spec., W.Wranik lgt. ( WWRG → NMPC); Hadibo [= Hadiboh, 10–20 m a.s.l.], 15.ii.2000, 3 spec., W. Wranik lgt. ( WWRG → NMPC); Hagher Mts., wadi Madar (12°33′12ʺN 54°00′24ʺE), brook in montane shrubland, 1170 m a.s.l., 18.vi.2012, 1 spec., Socotra expedition 2012: J. Bezděk, J. Hájek,V.Hula, P.Kment, I. Malenovský, J. Niedobová & L. Purchart lgt. ( NMPC); Halla area,Arher (12°33′00ʺN 54°27′36ʺE), freshwater spring in sand dune, 5 m a.s.l., 9.–10.vi.2012, 1 spec., Socotra expedition 2012: J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula, P. Kment, I. Malenovský, J. Niedobová & L. Purchart lgt. ( NMPC); Homhil, [ca. 300–600 m a.s.l.], ix.1998, 1 spec., W.Wranik lgt.( WWRG → NMPC); Homhil protected area (12°34′27″N 54°18′32″E), 364 m a.s.l., 28.–29.xi.2003, 1 ♀, J. Farkač lgt., 1 ♀, D. Král lgt., Yemen – Socotra 2003 Expedition:Jan Farkač, Petr Kabátek & David Král ( JFPC, NMPC); Homhil Wadi, 600 m a.s.l., 5.vi.2008, 2♂♂, A. Carapezza lgt. ( ACPI); Noged plain, Qaareh waterfall (12°20′10″N 53°37′56″E), 57 m a.s.l., 5.–6.xii.2003, 1 spec., Yemen – Socotra 2003 Expedition: Jan Farkač, Petr Kabátek & David Král ( MMBC); Qadub, coastal salt-marsh at road (12°38′18″N 53°57′18″E), 8 m a.s.l., 14.vi.2012, 1 spec., Socotra expedition 2012: J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula, P. Kment, I. Malenovský, J. Niedobová & L. Purchart lgt. ( NMPC); Wadi Kilisan, [365 m a.s.l.], ix.1998, 1 ♂ 5 spec., W. Wranik lgt., R. Linnavuori det., P. Kment revid. ( WWRG → NMPC).

Identification. BROWN (1956) (description, figures); LANSBURY (1964) (measurements, figures); WRANIK (2003) 439 (habitus photo).

Habitat. Part of the type series was collected in a pool in a stream ( BROWN 1956). During the recent collecting effort, a large population was found in a large pool with sparse littoral vegetation in a drying wadi ( Fig. 53 ). Additional specimens were collected in small brooks from coastal (5 m a.s.l., Fig. 49 ) up to montane zone in Hagher Mts. (1170 m a.s.l., Fig. 50 ) as well as at light.

Distribution. Palaearctic Region: Socotra ( BROWN 1956).

There are four additional valid subspecies of A. debilis (see LANSBURY 1964, LINNAVUORI 1971, J. T. POLHEMUS 1995): A. debilis debilis Gerstaecker, 1873 is widely distributed in the continental Subsaharan Africa from Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, Sudan and Ethiopia to South Africa ( HUTCHINSON 1929, 1930a; POISSON 1936, 1937, 1939, 1949a, 1950a, 1951c, 1952b, 1954a, 1955b, 1957 a, 1960b, 1961, 1963, 1965 a, 1968a,b; BROOKS 1951; LANSBURY 1961a,b, 1964; WEIR 1966; POISSON & SALLIER DUPIN 1970; LINNAVUORI 1971, 1975, 1981), in North Africa: Algeria ( POISSON 1953) and Arabian Peninsula: Saudi Arabia (J. T. POLHEMUS 1995), United Arab Emirates ( BROWN 1950, as Oman; LINNAVUORI et al. 2011), and Yemen ( LANSBURY 1966).

Anisops debilis canariensis Noualhier, 1893 occurs in Macaronesia: Canary Islands ( LINDBERG 1953, NIESER & MONTES 1984, BAENA & BÁEZ 1990, ROCA- CUSACHS et al. 2020), Cape Verde Islands ( LINDBERG 1959, POISSON 1966), Madeira ( POISSON 1966, HOBERLANDT 1967, NIESER & MONTES 1984), as well as in Morocco ( LANSBURY 1961b), and Mauritania ( POISSON 1939). The record from Ghana ( POISSON 1966) is apparently erroneous, as it referes to LINDBERG’ s (1922) record of A. canariensis from the Greek island of Corfu, which actually belongs to A. crinitus Brooks, 1951 ( CIANFERONI 2019).

Anisops debilis perplexus Poisson, 1929 occurs in SW Europe: Portugal ( NIESER & MONTES 1984), Spain ( NIESER & MONTES 1984), Italy (Sicily) ( CARAPEZZA 1988); Macaronesia: Cape Verde Islands ( LANSBURY 1964), Madeira ( LANSBURY 1964); North Africa: Algeria ( POISSON 1929, 1948b; BROOKS 1951), Egypt ( LINNAVUORI 1964, ECKERLEIN & WAGNER 1970), Libya ( POISSON 1948b, BROOKS 1951, LANSBURY 1964, ECKERLEIN & WAGNER 1970), Morocco ( LANSBURY 1964; GHEIT 1994, 1995; TAYBI et al. 2018), Tunisia ( CARAPEZZA 1997, SLIMANI et al. 2015); Near East: Iran ( LANSBURY 1964, GHAHARI et al. 2013), Iraq ( LINNAVUORI 1994b), Israel ( LARSEN & BLAUSTEIN 2005), Jordan ( KATBEH et al. 2000), Saudi Arabia (LINNAVUORI 1986a),? Turkey (Asian Part) (see FENT et al. 2011), Yemen ( LINNAVUORI 1989b; LINNAVUORI & VAN HARTEN 1997 , 2002a); Afrotropical Region: Senegal (J. T. POLHEMUS 1995), Djibouti ( BROOKS 1951, as A. coutieri ), Niger ( LINNAVUORI 1981), and Sudan ( LINNAVUORI 1971).

Anisops debilis sudanica Lansbury, 1964 is confined to Sudan and South Sudan ( LANSBURY 1964, LINNAVUORI 1971). As there is a considerable overlap in distribution of the individual ‘subspecies’, it is evident that this complex of taxa requires a modern revision.

Figures

Figs 10–11. 10 – Anisops debilis socotrensis Brown, 1956, Arher (body length 6.67 mm); 11 – Anisops varius Fieber, 1851, Di Hashus (7.55 mm). (Orig. P. Kment).

Figs 49–53.49 –Arher,a spring near the sea coast (5 m a.s.l.), habitat of Ochterus papaceki Kment & Carapezza,2020,Anisops debilis socotrensis Brown, 1956, Mesovelia vittigera Horváth,1895,Hebrus kanyukovae sp.nov.,Microvelia macani Brown,1953,Rhagovelia infernalis socotrensis Brown,1956 and Micracanthia ornatula (Reuter,1881).50– Wadi Madar (1,170 ma.s.l.), habitat of Anisops d.socotrensis, A.varius Fieber,1851,Mesovelia vittigera, Microvelia macani, and Rhagovelia i. socotrensis. 51 –Skand Mt.,helocreneunder the top (1,450 ma.s.l.), habitatof Microvelia gracillima Reuter,1882 andSaldula niveolimbata (Reuter, 1900). 52 – Tudhen, helocrene (1,135 m a.s.l.), habitat of Mesovelia vittigera, Hebrus sp., and Microvelia gracillima Reuter, 1882. 53 –Wadi Zerig with a large pool (655 m a.s.l.), habitat of Micronecta eupompe Hutchinson, 1930, Sigara hoggarica Poisson,1929,Anisops d.socotrensis, A.varius, Hebrus kanyukovae sp.nov.,Limnogonus cereiventris (Signoret,1862), andMicracanthia ornatula. (Orig.P.Kment:Figs 49–52;J.Hájek:Fig.53).