Salicarus perpusillus ( Wagner, 1960 )

Konstantinov, Fedor V. & Hosseini, Reza, 2024, Review of the genus Salicarus (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Miridae), ZooKeys 1211, pp. 57-100 : 57-100

Salicarus perpusillus ( Wagner, 1960)

Figs 3 K, L , 5 D – F , 8 F, G

Atractotomus (Heterocapillus) perpusillus Wagner, 1960: 81.

Heterocapillus perpusillus : Wagner (1975 a): 128 (key, description, figures); Heckmann et al. (2015): 95 (figures of dorsal habitus and vesica).

Salicarus perpusillus : Konstantinov (2023): 861 (phylogenetic placement, figures, discussion).

Material examined.

Holotype: Spain • Andalucia: ♂ Northern Slopes of Veleta Peak [Veleta - Nordhang], Sierra Nevada , 37.07 ° N, 3.37 ° W, 2500 m, 03 Aug 1959, E. Wagner, ( AMNH _ PBI 00184020 ) ( ZMUH) . Paratypes: Spain • Andalucia: Northern Slopes of Veleta Peak [Veleta - Nordhang], Sierra Nevada , 37.07 ° N, 3.37 ° W, 2500 m, 02 Aug 1959, E. Wagner, 1 ♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00336976 ) ( ZMUH); 03 Aug 1959, E. Wagner, 1 ♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00336979 ), 3 ♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00336974 , AMNH _ PBI 00336975 , AMNH _ PBI 00336978 ) ( ZMUH) • Sierra Nevada Veleta , 37.08333 ° N, 3.16667 ° W, 25 Jul 1959 – 04 Aug 1959, H. H. Weber, 2 ♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00126474 , AMNH _ PBI 00126475 ) ( ZSMC) .

Other specimens examined: Spain • Catalonia: Campllong, Bergueda , 41.88333 ° N, 2.81667 ° E, 15 Jul 1984, E. Ribes, 1 ♂ ( ZISP _ ENT 00011719 ), 1 ♀ ( ZISP _ ENT 00011719 ) ( NMPC) • Seros, Segria , 41.462 ° N, 0.412 ° E, 27 Jun 1971, J. Ribes, Ulex sp. ( Fabaceae ), 1 ♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00338308 ) ( NMWC) • Sonadell, Lleida , 02 Jun 1963, J. Ribes, 1 ♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00338307 ) ( NMWC) .

Diagnosis.

Recognized by the small and stumpy body, total length 2.1–2.4; dorsum uniformly dark brown with dense, wide and apically serrate scale-like setae (Fig. 3 K ); femora, bases of tibiae, segment I and base of segment II with also covered with wide silvery scales (Fig. 5 F ); antennal segment II distinctly fusiform, at middle male 1.3–1.5 ×, female 1.6–1.7 × as wide as segment I at apex (Fig. 5 D, E ); apical blades of vesica gradually curved and tightly adjoining each other along their entire length, comparatively long, with length of larger blade distinctly exceeding distance between its base and secondary gonopore (Fig. 8 F, G ).

Salicarus perpusillus is habitually most similar to S. nitidus in body proportions, the distinctly fusiform antennal segment II in both sexes, and the presence of scale-like setae on the femora. However, the latter species differs from S. perpusillus in its distinctive vesica structure with separate, not tightly adjoining apical blades. Indistinguishable from S. cavinotum in vesica structure but differs from that species by the presence of dense scale-like setae on the femora.

Redescription.

Male. Coloration. Dorsum and venter uniformly brown to dark brown (Fig. 3 K ). Head: Brown to dark brown, apices of labial segments I and II usually pale brown; antennal segments III and IV uniformly pale yellow. Thorax: Uniformly brown to dark brown, tibiae dirty yellow, with small round spots at bases of tibial spines, less distinct on fore and middle tibiae; tarsi pale yellow, with darkened segment III; membrane and veins uniformly brown. Abdomen: Uniformly dark brown.

Surface and vestiture. Smooth, moderately shiny; dorsum, thoracic pleura, and abdomen with very dense, silvery, broad and apically serrate scale-like setae and adpressed to semierect, long, almost twice as long as scales, simple setae, dark on cuneus and apex of corium, yellowish elsewhere; antennal segments I and II, all femora and basal parts of tibiae clothed with scale-like setae; sides of pronotum and hemelytron at base with robust, long, erect to semierect, black bristle-like setae.

Structure. Body 2.1–2.3 × as long as posterior width of pronotum; total length 2.1–2.4; vertex 2.2–2.5 × as wide as eye; segment II distinctly fusiform, 1.3–1.5 × as wide at midpoint as segment I at apex, 4.3–4.6 × as long as wide, 0.5–0.6 × as long as posterior width of pronotum, 0.7–0.8 × as long as width of head; pronotum 2.1–2.2 × as wide as long, 1.2–1.3 × as wide as head.

Genitalia. Right paramere spoon-shaped, with long, straight apical process. Right paramere with short and straight apical process and broadly rounded sensory lobe. Vesica with gradually curved and comparatively long apical blades tightly adjoining each other along their entire length, with length of larger blade distinctly exceeding distance between its base and secondary gonopore (Fig. 8 F, G ).

Female. Coloration, surface, and vestiture. As in male (Fig. 3 L ).

Structure. Body 2.4–2.6 × as long as posterior width of pronotum; total length 2.2–2.4; vertex 2.3–2.7 × as wide as eye; segment II distinctly somewhat wider than in male, 1.6–1.7 × as wide at midpoint as segment I at apex, 3.9–4.2 × as long as wide, 0.6 × as long as posterior width of pronotum, 0.7–0.8 × as long as width of head; pronotum 2.1–2.2 × as wide as long, 1.3 × as wide as head.

Genitalia. Dorsal labiate plate with large and wide, broadly oval at base, apically tapering sclerotized rings.

Distribution.

Spain ( Wagner 1960: Sierra Nevada; Ehanno 1987: Navarre; Ribes et al. 2004: Catalonia; Pagola-Carte and Zabalegui 2007: Araba and Navarre), southern France ( Wagner 1975 a: Corsica ; Ehanno 1987: Pyrénées-Orientales), Greece ( Rieger 2012: Laconia; Heckmann et al. 2015: Peloponnese, Western Thrace, Crete). An indication from Italy ( Faraci and Rizzotti Vlach 1995) was based on specimens collected by A. Melber in Saltino and Montemignaio, Tuscany from Cytisus scoparius L. ( Melber 1993) and partly retained at the Museum of Verona. Franco Faraci kindly provided us with pictures of one specimen from Secchieta Mt. which may belong to S. genistae and requires further confirmation of the species identity.

Host.

Genista versicolor Boiss. ( Wagner 1975 a, as Genista baetica Spach. ), Genista scorpius (L.) DC. ( Ribes et al. 2004; Pagola-Carte and Zabalegui 2007), Echinospartum horridum (Vahl) Rothm. ( Ehanno 1987, as Genista horrida ).

Discussion.

Goula and Ribes (1995), followed by Kerzhner and Josifov (1999) suspected that S. perpusillus is a junior synonym of S. nitidus . Heckmann et al. (2015) argued that these species can be distinguished based on their sizes, antennal proportions, and the shape of the vesica. Our observations indicate that distinctions in size and antennal segment II are not reliable diagnostic features, but these species can be differentiated by distinctions in the mutual arrangement of their apical blades (see Diagnosis).

Figures

Figure 3. Dorsal habitus A, B ♂ Salicarus urnammu C, D ♀ S. urnammu E ♂ paratype of S. cavinotum F ♀ paratype of S. cavinotum G ♂ S. genistae H ♀ S. genistae I ♂ S. nitidus G ♀ S. nitidus K ♂ holotype of S. perpusillus L ♀ S. perpusillus.

Figure 5. Head, pronotum, and vestiture A, B paratype of Salicarus cavinotum, head and pronotum in dorsal view: A ♂ B ♀ C, G S. genistae, head and pronotum in dorsal view: C ♂ G ♀ D – F paratypes of S. perpusillus: D ♂ head and pronotum in dorsal view E ♀ head and pronotum in dorsal view F ♀ vestiture on dorsum and legs H – I S. nitidus, head and pronotum in dorsal view: H ♂ I ♀.

Figure 8. Vesica A Salicarus cavinotum, paratype B, C S. genistae D, E S. nitidus F, G S. perpusillus, paratype H, I apical part of vesica enlarged: H S. genistae I S. nitidus.