Empicoris vagabundus ( Linnaeus, 1758 )

Melo, María Cecilia, Faúndez, Eduardo Iván, Ilpla, Conicet, Unlp & Cebc, 2011, Synopsis of the genus Empicoris (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae) in Chile, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 51 (1), pp. 11-20 : 16-17

Empicoris vagabundus ( Linnaeus, 1758)

( Figs. 1 , 7 )

Cimex vagabundus Linnaeus, 1758: 450 . Type locality unknown.

Gerris vagabundus: FABRICIUS (1794: 192) .

Ploiaria vagabundus: LATREILLE (1802: 249) .

[ Empicoris ] vagabundus: WOLFF (1811: 5) .

Ploiariola vagabunda: REUTER (1888: 711) .

Empicoris vagabundus: WYGODZINSKY (1966: 385) ; MALDONADO CAPRILES (1990:151); PUTSHKOV & PUTSHKOV (1996: 169); PUTSHKOV et al. (1999: 57); PUTSHKOV & MOULET (2010: 183).

Empicoris vagabundus var. vagabundus: MCATEE & MALLOCH (1923: 163) .

Cimex squalidus Gmelin, 1788: 683 .

Ploearia erratica: SAHLBERG (1848: 149) .

Pioiariola canadensis Parshley, 1919: 25 .

Material examined. CHILE: METROPOLITAN REGION: 1 J 2 ♀♀, Cajón del Maipo [33º40′S 70′30W], 4.ii.2005, A. Martinez leg. ( EIFC). MAULE REGION: 1 J, Altos de Vilches [35º30′S 71º10′W], 10.ii.2003, D. Fernández leg. ( EIFC); 4 ♀♀, Curicó, El Relvo, 20 km E Potrero Grande, 14.i.2004, J. E. Barriga leg. [35º11′0.8″S 70º55′57.5″W], fogging s/ Nothofagus dombeyi (MACN) ; 1♀, same data, fogging s/ Lomatia dentata , Nothofagus obliqua (MACN) ; 2 ♀♀, El Relvo, 20 km E Potrero Grande, 3.ii.2004, J. E. Barriga leg. [35º11′13″S 70º56′7″W], fogging s/ Nothofagus dombeyi (MACN) .

Distribution. This species has a Holarctic distribution (Europe from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean, from England to southern Russia), Siberia, Canada (British Columbia), and the USA ( PUTSHKOV & PUTSHKOV 1996, PUTHSKOV et al. 1999). Here we add the first record from the Andean Region in Chile.

Remarks. Considering the geographic distribution of this species, its presence in Chile is rather curious, although the characteristics of the specimens examined match perfectly the diagnostic characters given by WYGODZINSKY (1966) and PUTSHKOV et al. (1999). We consider E. vagabundus a new alien species of Heteroptera in Chile.

In the last years, several Heteroptera have been cited for the first time in Central Zone of Chile: the reduviids Zelus renardii Kolenati, 1857 (CURKOVIC ET AL. 2004) and Zelus cervicalis Stål, 1872 ( ELGUETA & CARPINTERO 2004) [ PRADO (2008) cited this record as a misidentification of Z. renardii ]; and the pentatomid Loxa deducta Walker, 1867 ( MONDACA et al. 2008). FAÚN- DEZ & VERDEJO (2009) explained that some changes in abundance and composition of central Chilean fauna could be due to the extensive use of these territories for crops after 1900. This current scenario (i.e. without native plants) is propitious for the introduction, establishment, and posterior expansion and colonization of exotic species.

Figures

Figs. 1–2. 1 – Empicoris vagabundus (Linnaeus, 1758); 2 – E. errabundus (Say, 1832).

Figs. 3–7. 3–4. Empicoris rubromaculatus (Blackburn, 1889): 3 – lateral view of head and pronotum; 4 – posterior margin of pygophore. 5 – E. errabundus (Say, 1832), lateral view of head and pronotum; 6 – E. culiciformis (De Geer, 1773), paramere; 7 – E. vagabundus (Linnaeus, 1758), paramere.