Heterotoma merioptera (Scopoli, 1763)

Morkel, Carsten, 2010, First records of Heterotoma merioptera (Scopoli, 1763) and Aradus serbicus (Horváth, 1888) (Heteroptera: Miridae et Aradidae) from Germany, Zootaxa 2651, pp. 64-68 : 64

Heterotoma merioptera (Scopoli, 1763) ( Miridae , Orthotylinae , Orthotylini )

Material: Germany, Saxony, Daubitz NW Walddorf, Heiderandweg – Wolfsstein env., on Vaccinium myrtillus L., 6. ix.2008, 1 Ψ, C. Morkel leg. et det. ( Fig. 1 )

The comprehensive paper of Kment & Bryja (2006) summarises all information on Heterotoma merioptera available so far, providing revised distributional, biological, and ecological data as well as diagnostic characters. Previously frequently confused with the closely related H. planicornis (Pallas, 1772) of generally European distribution, the occurrence of H. merioptera seems to be limited to the southeastern European countries, extending to Asia Minor and the Near East ( Kment & Bryja 2006). H. merioptera is considered to be the more thermophilous of the two species, occurring in natural and semi-natural habitats ( Kment & Bryja 2006).

The current record from the eastern border of Germany extends the known distributional area of H. merioptera at its northwestern range. The ecological finding circumstances on Vaccinium myrtillus in pine forest are similar to those given by Herczek (1979, cited in Kment & Bryja 2006) in nearby Poland.

As Heteroptera are valuable indicators of climatic change ( Rabitsch 2008), further investigations should prove if H. merioptera may continue to extend its distributional range, and thus be considered as a species recently benefiting from global warming.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Heterotoma merioptera. In most cases, H. merioptera can be distinguished from its congener H. planicornis by estimating the ratio of antennomeres 2 / 3. Photo: G. Strauß.