Orthocephalus turkmenicus, Namyatova & Konstantinov, 2009

Namyatova, Anna A. & Konstantinov, Fedor V., 2009, Revision of the genus Orthocephalus Fieber, 1858 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae) 2316, Zootaxa 2316, pp. 1-118 : 92-93

Orthocephalus turkmenicus , sp. nov.

Figures 4, 9, 13, 17

DIAGNOSIS: Male recognized by the dark brown to black body, with pale brown or yellowish spot near eye and stripe along posterior margins of eye, pale brown longitudinal stripe along claval suture and evaporatorium (fig. 4), a dorsal vestiture composed of scalelike setae (as in figs. 22 A-C, E, 23 A, D) and long bristlelike setae, and the aedeagus with two short spicules, both distinctly shorter than dorsal wall of the theca (fig. 9). Most easily confused with darker specimens of O. bivittatus in coloration, but differing by the shape of the aedeagal spicules (compare figs. 7 and 9). Females characterized by the same vestiture and similar color pattern to males except for uniformly dark brown hemelytra, and dorsal labiate plate with medial sclerites 2-3× as long as sclerotized ring (fig. 17). Female most similar to darker females of O. saltator and O. bivittatus , but the former recognized by the medial sclerites as long as or somewhat longer than sclerite (fig. 16). Apparently not separable from darker females of O. bivittatus .

DESCRIPTION: Male: Macropterous, length 4.5–4.8. COLORATION (fig. 4): Body uniformly dark brown to black with pale brown, often indistinct spot along inner margin and stripe along posterior margin of each eye, pale brown or yellowish evaporatorium and stripe along claval suture, ranging in size from very narrow to wide; membrane pale brown with darker spots. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Dorsum smooth or somewhat rugose. Dorsum, pleurites and abdomen clothed with dense scalelike setae (as in figs. 22 A-C, E, 23 A, D); head, dorsum, antennal segments II-IV, forecoxa, lateral margin of femur, and entire surface of abdomen clothed with long, black bristlelike setae, these setae on head and anterior angles of pronotum sometimes longer than diameter of eye, distinctly shorter on antennae, apical part of corium and on cuneus; antennal segment I, and legs with fine short simple setae; antennal segment I with two black spines. STRUCTURE AND MEASUREMENTS: Body 3.2–3.6× as long as width of pronotum. Head: Relatively narrow, 1.3× as wide as high, frons convex; mandibular plate long and narrow; depression along posterior margin of vertex weak; eye weakly protruding (as in figs. 20 B, 21 A, G); vertex 2.3–2.4× as wide as eye; eye located at a short distance from anterior pronotal margin; antennal fossa located close to inferior margin of eye; antennal segment I longer than diameter of eye, segment II thin and not incrassate; antennal segment II 0.9–1.1× as long as basal width of pronotum, 1.0–1.3× as long as width of head; labium reaching middle coxa. Thorax: Pronotum 2.0– 2.4× as wide as long and 1.1–1.3× as wide as head, with straight or slightly concave posterior margin, lateral margin not carinate, calli slightly raised, hind femora relatively narrow, approximately 1.5× as wide as middle femora. GENITALIA: Aedeagus with two short spicules, almost equal in length, approximately half as long as dorsal wall of theca, thin, apically tapering, strongly dilated at base, one spicule straight, directed towards mouth of theca, the other somewhat curved, directed towards secondary gonopore (fig. 9); parameres as in fig. 13.

Female: Brachypterous, length 3.7–3.9. COLORATION: Similar to male, but hemelytra uniformly dark brown to black. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: As in male. STRUCTURE AND MEASUREMENTS: Body 2.5–2.7× as long as width of pronotum. Head: 1.3–1.4× as wide as high; vertex 1.2–1.3× as wide as eye; 0.8– 1.0× as long as basal width of pronotum, 0.8–1.0× as long as width of head. Thorax: Pronotum 2.0–2.4× as wide as long and 1.0–1.2× as wide as head; hemelytra reaching middle of abdominal tergum VIII, cuneus of brachypterous specimens slightly delimited, claval commissure as long as inner margin of clavus, posterior and lateral margins of hemelytra rounded or posterior margin sometimes truncate. GENITALIA: Dorsal labiate plate with small, rounded sclerotized rings, medial sclerites almost straight, triangular, gradually tapering apically, twisted at extreme base, twice as long as sclerotized ring, tapering at base and at apex (fig. 17); posterior wall of bursa copulatrix with trapeziform sclerite uniformly sclerotized, incision on the anterior margin narrow and not reaching middle of sclerite, anterior angles of this sclerite somewhat dentate, posterior margin without sclerites (as in fig. 18, bivittatus ); vulva with curved sclerites forming a circle (as in fig. 19, vittipennis ).

DISTRIBUTION: This species is found in Turkmenistan and Iran (Semnan). Also a single specimen was collected from Azerbaijan.

HOST: Unknown.

ETYMOLOGY: This species was named for Turkmenistan, where many specimens were collected.

DISCUSSION: Orthocephalus turkmenicus is similar in appearance to O. bivittatus . The specimens of O. turkmenicus have a similar size and they also have a yellowish stripe along the claval suture. However, the appendages of this new species are uniformly dark brown to black, and only some specimens of O. bivittatus share this character. Moreover, O. turkmenicus has peculiar male genitalia with spicules of almost equal length (fig. 9). More than 1000 specimens of O. bivittatus were studied and we found no specimens that had spicules shorter than in O. bivittatus or longer than in O. turkmenicus .

SPECIMENS EXAMINED: Holotype: TURKMENISTAN: Kopetdag Mts , Chuli [Tshulli], 37.96666 ° N 58.05 ° E, 07 May 1913, A. Hohlbeck, 1♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00238243 ) ( ZISP).

Paratypes: AZERBAIJAN: Fuzuli [Karjagino], Elizavetpol. Distr. , 39.58333 ° N 47.13333 ° E, May 1912, Arzimowicz, 1♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00227383 ) ( ZISP) . IRAN: Khorasan: Shah Kuh [Shachkuh] Mt. , 31.61666 ° N 59.26666 ° E, 20 Jun 1914, A. N. Kiritshenko, 2♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00224498 , AMNH_PBI 00235285), 2♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00221179 , AMNH_PBI 00235127) ( ZISP) . Golestan: Golestan N.P. Almeh , 37.35 ° N 56.11666 ° E, 1700 m, 22 May 2001 - 23 May 2001, Heiss, ♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00313629 ) ( ZISP) . Golestan N.P. Tangegol , 37.36666 ° N 55.93333 ° E, 700 m, 23 May 2001 - 24 May 2001, Heiss, ♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00314452 ), 2♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00311345 , AMNH_PBI 00334239) ( ZISP) . TURKMENISTAN: Gazanjyk [Kazandzik], 39.23333 ° N 55.51666 ° E, 28 Apr 1889, Semenov, 1♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00249894 ) ( ZISP) . Kopetdag Mts, Chuli [Tshulli], 37.96666 ° N 58.05 ° E, 07 May 1913, A. Hohlbeck, 4♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00224496 , AMNH_PBI 00227282, AMNH_PBI 00235299, AMNH_PBI 00240719), 5♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00160004 , AMNH_PBI 00226462, AMNH_PBI 00234764, AMNH_PBI 00235676, AMNH_PBI 00238406) ( ZISP) .