Aradus pictellus

Heiss, Ernst & Scudder, Geoffrey G. E., 2019, Aradidae (Heteroptera) new to North America and Canada, with some additional provincial and state records for Canada and the USA, Linzer biologische Beiträge 51 (2), pp. 821-829 : 824

Aradus pictellus KERZHNER, 1972 ( Figs 12-18 )

M a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: BRITISH COLUMBIA: 1♂ 4♀♀. Goldstream , 12.viii.1923 (K.F. Auden) [ UBCZ]; 1♂, id., 15.viii.1923 (K.F. Auden) [ UBCZ] ; 2♂♂, Victoria, 25.ix.1923 (K.F. Auden) [ UBCZ]¸ 1♂[ EHCI] .

Described from Russian Primorsk Territory, however only few records are reported to date from Russia and Korea ( HEISS 2001). The series from Canada was compared with paratypes from Siberia and the habitually very similar Aradus obtectus VASARHELYI, 1988, which was described from Romania in Europe and later reported as transpalaearctic, reaching even Japan ( HEISS 2001, NAGASHIMA & SHONO 2012).

Detailed comparison of the male genitalic structures of Siberian, Canadian and European specimens by senior author did not show any differences, an overlooked fact which confirms now the suspicion, that they all belong to the same widely distributed taxon. As pictellus KERZHNER, 1972 has priority, the following synonymy is proposed:

Aradus pictellus KERZHNER, 1972 = Aradus obtectus VASARHELYI, 1988, nov. syn.

Figures

Figs 12-18. Aradus pictellus. (12) male, dorsal view (BC); (13-18) male genitalic structures; (13) tergite IX, (14) left parandrium, (15-18) left paramere (from paratype). Photos 15-18: V. Vinokurov. Scales: 1mm (12); 0.1mm (13-18).