Acrosternum millierei (Mulsant & Rey, 1866)

Ghahari, Hassan, Moulet, Pierre & Rider, David A., 2014, An annotated catalog of the Iranian Pentatomoidea (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomomorpha), Zootaxa 3837 (1), pp. 1-95 : 42-43

Acrosternum millierei (Mulsant & Rey, 1866)

Nezara millierei Mulsant & Rey, 1866: 290 ; Aethemenes forbesi Distant, 1884: 460; Nezara millieri var. putoni Vidal, 1949: 173 ; Acrosternum millierei var. vidali Stichel, 1961: 645 .

Distribution in Iran. Alborz, Bushehr, Fars, Isfahan, Kermanshah, Khuzestan, Lorestan, Tehran ( Hoberlandt 1997), East Azarbaijan ( Sadaghian et al. 2002; Havaskary et al. 2012), Golestan ( Heiss 2002), Hormozgan ( Hoberlandt 1997; Linnavuori 2004), Kerman ( Kiritshenko 1949, 1966; Seidenstücker 1958; Hoberlandt 1997; Zeinoddini Memand et al. 2012, 2013), Khorasan ( Modarres Awal 1996a; Hoberlandt 1997; Linnavuori 2008), Mazandaran (Sakenin et al. 2008), Qom ( Wagner 1961), Semnan ( Kiritshenko 1949), Sistan & Baluchestan ( Hoberlandt 1955, 1997; Seidenstücker 1957; Safavi 1959; Miyamoto 1963; Kiritshenko 1966), West Azarbaijan (Nateq Golestan 2004; Nateq Golestan et al. 2004, 2010a, b, c, 2011), Yazd ( Miyamoto 1963), Iran (no locality cited) ( Hoberlandt 1961; Rider 2006; Ribes & Pagola Carte 2013). According to Modarres Awal (1997b), A. millieri is widely distributed in Iran.

General distribution. Mediterranean basin (Canary Archipelago), Near East, Central Asia ( Iran, Iraq, Kuwait), Arabian Peninsula extending to tropical Africa.

Host plants. On Astragalus sp. ( Fabaceae ) ( Miyamoto 1963), Populus sp. ( Salicaceae ) ( Modarres Awal 1996a), bean caper, harmel, pistachio, poplar, saltwort, Seidlitzia sp. ( Amaranthaceae ) ( Modarres Awal 1997b), Indigofera (Fabaceae) ( Linnavuori 2004), Sinapis arvensis (Brassicaceae) , Beta vulgaris var. altissima (Chenopodiaceae) (Sakenin et al. 2008), Crataegus sp. ( Malaceae ) ( Nateq Golestan et al. 2011), in pistachio garden ( Zeinoddini Memand et al. 2012, 2013), and also on Alhagi pseudalhagi (Fabaceae) , Peganum harmala (Zygophyllaceae) ( Zeinoddini Memand et al. 2013). According to Ribes & Pagola Carte (2013) A. millieri lives on or under a great number of plants belonging to Pinaceae , Cupressaceae , Euphorbiaceae , Anacardiaceae , Fagaceae , Araliaceae , Ranunculaceae , Fabaceae , Poaceae , Cistaceae , Oleaceae ; these authors recall that in Saudi Arabia A. millieri lives in desertic biotopes but that in Israel it has been collected in cool places.

Comments. Acrosternum millierei is the vector of Nematospora coryli to pistachio trees ( Safavi 1974). Also, an unknown species, Acrosternum sp., was recorded by Hashemi Rad et al. (2000, 2002) from Kerman as the pest of pistachio which we suspect that it was A. millierei .