Atheroides brevicornis Laing

Wieczorek, Karina, 2011, Descriptions of four hitherto unknown or little-known morphs of Siphini (Hemiptera, Aphidoidea: Chaitophorinae), Zootaxa 2756, pp. 53-60 : 53-54

Atheroides brevicornis Laing

( Fig. 1 )

Atheroides brevicornis Laing, 1920: 41 −42 Atheroides aplangi Pintera, 1965: 283 −284 Material examined. SCOTLAND, Aberdeenshire, Newburgh, x.1927, P. maritima , 2 ovip. fem., leg. G. D. Morison, WALES, Morfa Conwy, 17.x.1973, Festuca rubra , 4 ovip. fem., leg. RNBP; HUNGARY, Lajosmizse, 4.x.1960, 4 ovip. fem., leg. Szalay-Marzso.

Re-description: Oviparous female ( Fig. 1a ; Table 1): colour of live specimens: unknown; pigmentation when mounted: dark brown with tibiae pale. Body elongate, oval 1.89-2.07 mm long and 0.80-0.85 mm wide. Thorax and abdomen with weakly visible marginal sclerites. Cuticular surface with very visible rugose sculpture. Dorsal chaetotaxy: hairs not arranged in visible rows. On margin of thorax and abdominal tergites I-V hairs with flattened apices 0.01-0.025 mm long; on margin of abdominal tergite VII hairs with forked or flattened apices 0.04 mm long. Across dorsal tergites numerous, short, fan-shaped hairs 0.01–0.025 mm long. Abdominal tergite VIII with 11–14 pointed or forked hairs 0.05–0.075 mm long, in the middle, two of them little longer, about 0.10 mm long; between these long ones two very short hairs with flattened apices 0.025 mm long. Head chaetotaxy: four of hairs pointed 0.04–0.05 mm long near frontal margin, all over head numerous fan-shaped hairs 0.025 mm long. Antennae ( Fig. 1 b) short, 5-segmented, (in some specimens 4-segmented), reaching middle of prothorax, 0.12–0.17 times body length. Terminal process (Vb) very short, stumpy, as long as or little shorter base (Va); other antennal ratios: Vb:III 0.42–0.70, V:III 1.01–1.70, V:IV 1.70–3.40. Antennal chaetotaxy: segm. I with 1 hair, segm. II with 0–1 hair, segm. III with 0 hairs, segm. IV with 1 hair, Va with 0–1 hair. Antennal hairs very short. Rostrum short, reaching to middle coxae, with apical segment (ARS) short and blunt, 0.075–0.10 mm long, 1.07–2.00 times antennal segment III and 0.62–1.00 times segment II of hind tarsus (HT II). First tarsal chaetotaxy 4:4:4, empodial hairs pointed. Hind tibiae ( Fig. 1 c) weak swollen with about 4–31 (10–12) 8-shaped pseudosensoria in middle part of tibiae. Siphunculi pore-shaped, placed on anterior margin of abdominal segment V, surface of siphunculi smooth. Tergite VIII semicircular, covering the broadly rounded cauda which is not visible from above.

Measurements of 1 specimen (in mm): ( Wales, Morfa Conwy, 17.x.1973, Festuca rubra , leg. RNBP) body: 2.00, ant.: 0.26, ant. segm. (III–V): 0.05:0.025:(0.05+0.035), ARS: 0.10, HT II: 0.12.

Distribution. European halophilous species common mostly along salty coastal (e.g. the North Sea coast), known also from inland salty biotops ( Wieczorek 2010).

Host plants. Alopecurus sp., Deschampsia caespitosa , Festuca ovina , F. rubra , F. thalossica, Phleum phleoides, Puccinellia distans , P. maritima , Carex distans , Juncus compressus , Luzula sp. ( Wieczorek 2010).

Remark. The short description of oviparous female of this species (as A. aplangi ) was presented by Pintera (1965:284) – “1.8–2. mm. As in apterous female. It differs by a little longer antennal segment III and rather swollen hind tibiae with 4–31 8 -shaped pseudosensoria”. However the specimens from the United Kingdom have fewer pseudosensoria (10–12) and shorter antennae, in some specimens 4-segmented.

Figures

FIGURE 1. A. brevicornis — oviparous female: a. general feature, b. antenna, c. hind tibia and tarsus.