Elasmostethus brevis Lindberg, 1934

Jung, Sunghoon, 2017, Review of the genus Elasmostethus (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Acanthosomatidae) from the Korean Peninsula, Zootaxa 4320 (2), pp. 351-365 : 352-353

Elasmostethus brevis Lindberg, 1934

Figs. 1, 2, 5, 6, 29, 30, 41, 48, 54

Elasmostethus brevis Lindberg, 1934: 5 (original description). Type locality: Russia: Primorsk Territory , Suchan [= Partizansk ] and Tigrovaja [= Tigrovyi].

Elasmostethus brevis: Josifov & Kerzhner (1978: 165) (record from North Korea), Kwon et al. (2001: 374) (bibliography, distribution), Yamamoto (2003: 53, 57) (in key, redescription, figures, records, distribution, host plants), Göllner- Scheiding (2006: 172) (catalogue, distribution), Aukema et al. (2013: 431) (catalogue, distribution).

Diagnosis. Recognized by abdominal mediotergites V–VII being entirely dark; the presence of two pairs of setal tufts (a shorter, comb-like upper, and a longer lower) on the ventral margin of the pygophore submedially and a pair of conspicuous, heavily sclerotized and pigmented denticles situated far from these setal tufts, almost in the middle of the lateral margins (Figs. 29, 41); and the posterior margins of the eighth laterotergites of the female enclosing an obtuse angle, weakly protruding posteriad in the middle (Fig. 30).

Measurements. ♂ / ♀. Body length 9.39–9.91/10.88–11.01; head width across eyes 1.80–1.81/1.95–1.98; lengths of antennal segments: scape 0.83–0.88/0.77–0.96, basipedicellite 1.42–1.55/1.28–1.38, distipedicellite 0.94–1.03/0.85–1.03, basiflagellum 1.38–1.43/1.32–1.60, distiflagellum 1.29–1.30/1.13–1.31; humeral width of pronotum 4.53–4.80/5.21–5.41; basal width of scutellum 2.48–2.53/2.83–2.95; length of scutellum 2.78–3.15; lengths of profemur and protibia 2.08–2.10/2.10–2.11, 1.86–2.13/1.95–2.10; lengths of mesofemur and mesotibia 2.38–2.50/2.35–2.41, 2.20/2.38–2.40; lengths of metafemur and metatibia 2.51–2.80/2.77–2.85, 2.92–2.95/3.02– 3.17.

Material examined. SOUTH KOREA: Gangwon-do : Dongsan-ri , Jinbu-myeon , Pyeongchang-gun, on herbs, 23.v.2015, WG. Kim (2 ♂♂ 1 ♀ CNU) ; Dongsan-ri , Jinbu-myeon , Pyeongchang-gun, at light, 29.v.2015, WG. Kim (5 ♂♂ 4 ♀♀ CNU) .

Distribution. Europe; Korea, China, Japan, Mongolia, Russia (Far East Territory), Kazakhstan (Asian part).

Bionomics. This species was found on herbs ( Fig. 54 ), but most specimens were collected at light. Yamamoto (2003) recorded it from different species of Populus (Salicaceae) in Japan.

Remarks. This species is recorded from South Korea for the first time. Although several earlier authors ( Lindberg 1934, Hsiao & Liu 1977, Yamamoto 2003) indicated that this species is characterized by the abdominal spiracles being narrowly surrounded by black, in fact dark spots were present only on some of the segments, or they were entirely lacking in several specimens from Korea and China examined during the present study (Figs. 5, 6).

Figures

FIGURES 54 – 59. Living specimens of Elasmostethus spp. 54. E. brevis; 55. E. interstinctus (on Betula pendula); 56. E. humeralis; 57. E. yunnanus (on Aralia cordata); 58. E. nubilus (on Aralia cordata); 59. E. rotundus.