Hemelytroblatta livida (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1865)

Seropian, Armen, Arsenashvili, Eka, Bulbulashvili, Natalia, Japaridze, Lasha-Giorgi, Zukakishvili, Aleqsandre, Japarashvili, Shota, Memishishi, Aleksi & Mumladze, Levan, 2023, The first DNA-assisted record of Hemelytroblatta livida (Blattodea: Corydiidae) from Georgia with notes on Corydiinae species composition in the Caucasus, Caucasiana 2, pp. 71-75 : 71

Hemelytroblatta livida (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1865)

Materials exemined.

GEORGIA • 1♂; Dighomi village (8 km E of Tbilisi); N41.7807°, E44.7021°; 734 m a.s.l.; heathland, xerothermic slope, on Rhamnus pallasii at night; leg: A Seropian and L-G Japaridze; 10 Sep 2020 ; CaBOL- ID 1009797 (Fig. 1A,B ). • 1♂; same locality; on Pyrus salicifolia at night; leg. A Seropian and L-G Japaridze; 11 Sep 2020 . • 1♂; Didgori (10 km E of Tbilisi); N41.7855°, E44.6764°; 801 m a.s.l.; deciduous forest, slope with loose soil; leg: A Seropian and L-G Japaridze; 20 Sep 2020 . • 1♂; Tbilisi; N41.7300°, E44.7048°; 710 m a.s.l.; heathland, xerothermic slope, on vegetation at night; leg: L-G Japaridze; 02 Nov 2020 . • 1♀; Kumisi ; N41.6259°, E44.8111°; 657 m a.s.l.; steppe, under rock; leg: S Japarashvili; 25 Sep 2021 ; CaBOL-ID 1013031. • 1♀; Kvernaki ridge ( Gori ); N41.9848°, E44.1389°; 696 m a.s.l.; heathland, under rock; leg: N Bulbulashvili; 24 Oct 2021 ; CaBOL-ID 1020260 ( Fig. 1C,D ) .

Genetics.

We obtained a single barcode from the specimen with CaBOL-ID 1020260 (BOLD: AEP4515). Neither the species nor its congeners are present in BOLD as we provide the first COI sequence.

Remarks.

The records of H. livida in the Caucasus region are known from Julfa and Ordubad (Azerbaijan) ( Bey-Bienko 1950), and our records from Georgia extend its known distribution range by almost 680 km to the north-east. Originally described from Cyprus ( Brunner von Wattenwyl 1865), the species is also known to occur in Greece ( Chopard 1929), Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey ( Bey-Bienko 1950; Caesar et al. 2015). Due to the hidden lifestyle of H. livida , little is known about its phenology, and there is no information on its reproductive biology, which is likely somewhat similar to that of other congeners. The general appearance of males and females as well as the somatic characteristics correspond well to the descriptions and drawings by Chopard (1929) and Bey-Bienko (1950). Bey-Bienko also mentions the small differences in coloration between specimens from Parnassus (Greece) and Azerbaijan compared to the conspecifics originating from Asia Minor and Central Asia, with the first ones sometimes being more brightly colored with almost no dark spots on elytra. The juveniles strongly resemble the adult females, but with more prominent ornamentation.

Figures

Figure 1. A-D: Hemelytroblatta livida. A-B: Male, dorsal and ventral view. C-D: Female, dorsal and ventral view. E-H: Polyphaga aegyptiaca. E-F: Male and female, dorsal view. G-H: Nymph, dorsal and ventral view. Scale bars = 2 mm.