Orthocephalus minimus Drapolyuk and Kerzhner

Namyatova, Anna A. & Konstantinov, Fedor V., 2009, Revision of the genus Orthocephalus Fieber, 1858 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae) 2316, Zootaxa 2316, pp. 1-118 : 61-63

Orthocephalus minimus Drapolyuk and Kerzhner

Figures 2, 8, 11, 15, 18

Orthocephalus minimus Drapolyuk and Kerzhner, 2000: 301 .

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by the following combination of characters: small size and oval shape of body, coloration uniformly black to dark brown (fig. 2), dorsum extremely rugose, bristlelike setae on head and pronotum often longer than diameter of eye, aedeagus with one spicule (fig. 8), sclerotized rings of dorsal labiate plate very small, without medial sclerites (fig. 15). This species could be confused with O. arnoldii , but this species is distinguished in having swollen femora with scalelike silver setae and the labium almost reaching middle of abdomen, whereas in O. minimus the femora are thinner, without scalelike setae and the labium reaches the middle coxae.

REDESCRIPTION: Male: Macropterous; length 2.7–3.1. COLORATION (fig. 2): Body uniformly dark brown to black; spot along inner margin of eye black, almost indistinct. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Dorsum extremely rugose. Dorsum, pleurites, and abdomen clothed with scalelike setae (as in figs. 22 A-C, E, 23 A, D); entire dorsum, antennal segments II-IV, forecoxa, margin of femur, entire abdomen with erect dark bristlelike setae, somewhat shorter on apical part of hemelytra, those on head and pronotum as long as diameter of eye; antennal segment I with two mesial spines. STRUCTURE AND MEASUREMENTS: Body 2.5– 2.9× as long as width of pronotum. Head: Shape of head similar to that of O. arnoldii (as in fig. 20 A), 1.3– 1.4× as wide as high, vertex 2.4–2.8× as wide as eye; eye located at a small distance from anterior pronotal margin; antennal fossa located at a distance from inferior margin of eye; antennal segment I as long as or shorter than diameter of eye, segment II thin, cylindrical, 0.7–0.9× as long as basal width of pronotum, 0.7– 1.0× as long as width of head; labium reaching middle coxa. Thorax: Pronotum 2.0–2.3× as wide as long and 1.1–1.2× as wide as head with posterior margin of pronotum concave, calli slightly raised; hind femora relatively narrow, approximately 1.5× as wide as middle femora. GENITALIA: Aedeagus (fig. 8) with single well sclerotized spicule less than half as long as dorsal wall of theca; parameres as in fig. 15.

Female: Brachypterous; length 2.7–2.8. COLORATION: As in male. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: As in male. STRUCTURE AND MEASUREMENTS: Body 2.1–2.4× as long as width of pronotum. Head: 1.3– 1.4× as wide as high; vertex 2.8–3.2× as wide as eye; antennal segment II 0.5–0.6× as long as basal width of pronotum, 0.5–0.7× as long as width of head. Thorax: Pronotum 2.1–2.5× as wide as long and 0.9–1.1× as wide as head; hemelytra covering abdominal tergum VIII and anterior part of genital segment, cuneus not delimited, claval commissure as long as inner margin of clavus, posterior and lateral margins of hemelytra rounded. GENITALIA: Sclerotized rings oval, very small, more than 9× as narrow as width of dorsal labiate plate, medial sclerites absent (fig. 15); posterior wall of bursa copulatrix with trapeziform sclerite membranous medially and sclerotized at sides, incision on the anterior margin broad and almost reaching middle of sclerite, anterior angles of this sclerite not dentate, posterior margin without sclerites only with somewhat dentate membrane (fig. 18); vulva with straight sclerites not forming a circle (as in fig. 29, styx ).

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from the type locality in South Kazakhstan Province .

HOSTS: The species was collected from some “spiny bush” in the family Asteraceae , most probably from Cousinia or Scorzonera spp ( Drapolyuk and Kerzhner, 2000).

DISCUSSION: This species is known only from the type locality and appears never to have been recollected.

SPECIMENS EXAMINED: Holotype: KAZAKHSTAN: South Kazakhstan Prov.: 20 km N Kentau, Kara- Tau Mts. Ridge, 43.31666 ° N 68.51666 ° E, 27 May 1966, I. M. Kerzhner, ( Asteraceae ), 1♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00260970 ) ( ZISP).

Paratypes: KAZAKHSTAN: South Kazakhstan Prov.: 20 km N Kentau, Kara-Tau Mts. Range , 43.31666 ° N 68.51666 ° E, 27 May 1966, I. M. Kerzhner, ( Asteraceae ), 5♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00144637 , AMNH_PBI 00237610, AMNH_PBI 00311983), 9♀ ( AMNH _ PBI 00222950 , AMNH_PBI 00260968 - AMNH_PBI 00260969, AMNH_PBI 00313101), 1 juvenille ( AMNH _ PBI 00260971 ) ( ZISP) .