Macroscytus fraterculus Horváth, 1919

Zhu, Geng-Ping, Liu, Guo-Qing & Lis, Jerzy A., 2010, A study on the genus Macroscytus Fieber, 1860 from China (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Cydnidae), Zootaxa 2400, pp. 1-15 : 6-7

Macroscytus fraterculus Horváth, 1919

( Fig. 4 )

Macroscytus japonensis [part]: auct.

Macroscytus fraterculus Horváth, 1919: 241 ; Wu 1935: 269; Josifov and Kerzhner 1978: 189 (erroneously syn. with M. japonensis ); Lis 2000: 412 (as distinct species).

Macroscytus subaeneus: Hsiao et al. 1979: 46 [part].

Macroscytus confusus J.A. Lis, 1995: 163 (syn. by Lis 2000: 412).

Diagnostic characters: Body length: 7.10–9.22 mm, body width: 4.26–5.20 mm. General body colour from castaneous to almost black. Head dorsally impunctate or almost impunctate; clypeus without subapical hairlike setae; each paraclypeus with a single preocular submarginal setigerous puncture ( Fig. 4 a); 3rd antennal segment 1.15–1.24 times longer than the 2nd; ocular index 2.70–3.20; interocellar index 5.1–7.3. Pronotum without transverse discal impression behind calli; lateral pronotal margins with 5–7 submarginal setigerous punctures. Propleural depression punctured. Mesocorial disc densely punctate; exocorium with weaker puncturation; costa narrow, slightly convex, separated from exocorium almost over its entire length; costal margin with 2 setigerous punctures. Male hind femora with almost indistinct subbasal tooth on dorsal margin ( Fig. 4 b); male hind tibia with very small subbasal tubercle ( Fig. 4 b). Abdominal sterna laterally wrinkled, punctures present only behind and sometimes lateral to spiracles. Dorsal view of the male genital capsule as in Fig. 4 d, margins of its anterior opening completely sclerotized; paramere as in Fig. 4 c; aedeagus as in Fig. 4 e, apical part of the 2nd conjunctival appendages slightly curled laterally.

Material examined: CHINA: Beijing (39°55'N, 116°24'E), 9 males, 26 females, 1.v.1991, Chuan-ren Li leg.. 2 females, 11.ix.1988, Shu-zhi Ren leg.; Henan Province: Hebi county (35°54'N, 114°11'E), 1male, x.2007, Qiang Xie leg.; Jigong mountain (31°48'N, 114°02'E), 2 females, 9–10.vii.1990. Hebei Province: Chengde county (40°46'N, 118°09'E), 1 female, 30.vii.1997. Hubei Province: Hankou (30°35'N, 114°16'E), 1 male, 24.x.1953; Wuchang (30°32'N, 114°17'E), 3 males, 3 females, 11.viii.1957, 1 male, 1 female, 13.viii.1957, 1 female, 23.viii.1957, Song-he Ying leg.; Honghu county (29°50'N, 113°20'E), 1 female, 28.v.1986; Yichang county (30°46'N, 111°19'E), 1 female, 11.v.1981. Hainan Province: Maoyang Town (18°94'N, 109°52'E), 2 males, 1 female 18.iv.2009, light-trapped, Yi-ran Mu leg., 1 male, 1 female 18.iv.2009, light-trapped, Geng-ping Zhu leg. Jiangshu Province: Nanjing (32°03'N, 118°46'E), 1 male, 5.vii.1955, 1 female. Liaoning Province: Mt. Baiyu (38°82'N, 121°26'E), alt. 10–100m, 1 male, 14.viii.2008, Ying Zhao, Yi-ran Mu leg., 1 male, 4.viii.2008, Ying Cui leg. Zhejiang Province: Tianmu mountain (30°26'N, 119°34'E), 2 males, 2 females, 7–9.viii.2007, Geng-ping Zhu leg., 1 male, 6.iv.1964, Wen-hua Li leg. Shandong Province: Changdao county (37°56'N, 120°43'E), 1 female, 3.viii.2007, Cui-qing Gao leg., 1 male, 3.viii.2007, Qiang Xie leg., 1 male, 1 female, 5.viii.2007, Ke-long Jiao leg., 2 females, 23.vii.2007, 1 male, 5.viii.2007, Yao Han leg.; Yantai (37°32'N, 121°24'E), 5 males, 7 females, 21.vi.1973, 2 males, 4 females, 26.vi.1973; Taian (36°11'N, 117°08'E), 2 females, vii.1956. Shanghai (31°14'N, 121°29'E), 1 male, 1 female, 29.vii.1965, 1 female, 29.vii.1957, Ting-zong Ding leg.

Distribution: China (Beijing, Fujian, Hainan, Henan, Hebei, Hubei, Jiangsu, Liaoning, Shandong, Shanghai, Zhejiang), Japan.

Notes: M. fraterculus was described by Horváth (1919) from Beijing; then, the species was listed from China by Wu (1935). Afterward, Josifov and Kerzhner (1978) treated M. fraterculus as a synonym of M. japonensis Scott ; subsequently ( Lis 1995), the latter was proven to be a composite species consisting of M. japonensis and the newly described M. confusus . Recently ( Lis 2000), M. fraterculus (with M. confusus as its junior synonym), was established as a good species clearly separable from M. japonensis (see the characters given in the key). Both species are very common in China, and therefore we regard a part of the former records of M. japonensis as pertaining actually to M. fraterculus .

Figures

FIGURE 4. Macroscytus fraterculus from China. (a) body outline; (b) male hind leg, dorsal view; (c) left paramere; (d) male genital capsule, dorsal view; (e) aedeagus scale. Scale bar = 0.25 mm.