Dicyphus constrictus
Creators: name: Konstantinov, Fedor V.
name: Neimorovets, Vladimir V.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Miridae
Dicyphus
Dicyphus constrictus

description: Dicyphus constrictus (Boheman, 1852)
Figures 5, 7, 11
Capsus constrictus Boheman, 1852: 74
Material examined. BELARUS: Berezinsky Nature Reserve, Uvyazyuk Tract, floodplain of the Lipka River, 1♀ 4 VIII 1993, A.O. Lukashuk. RUSSIA: Bryansk Prov.: Bryansk, 2♂ 3 VIII 1925, V. Stark. Yaroslavl Prov.: Danilovsky distr., Zhedenovo [12 km S Danilov], 1♀ A. Shestakov. Leningrad Prov.: Gatchina, Roshchinskaya Station, 20♀ 7♂ 30–31 VIII 2020, V. Tyts & S. Davletshin. Gorelovo, 2♀ 4♂ 4 VIII 1898, Novotortsev. Chornaya Lakhta [Lebyazhensky], 1♂ 13 VIII 1897, 15♀ 8♂ 21 VIII 1897, 3♀ 3♂ 6 VII 1899, 8♀ 3♂ 2 VIII 1899, 1♀ 5♂ 10 VIII 1899, Bianchi. Novy Petergof, St. Petersburg Gov., 2♀ 2♂ 21 VII 1896, A. Chekini. Olgino, Petergofsky Uezd, 1♀ 2-9 VII 1902, 1♀ 1 VIII 1902, Bianchi. Rapti [Dzerzhinskoe], Luzhsky Uezd, 1♀ 3♂ 31 VII 1923, Kiritshenko. Sablino, Peterburgskaya Gov., 1♀ 18 VII 1920, A. Kiritshenko. Duderhof [Krasnoe Selo], 1♂ 4 VIII 1898, Novotortsev, 3♂ 4 VIII 1987, Bianchi. Moscow Prov.: Porechye, Mozhaisky distr., 1♀ 9 VII 1903, 1♂ 12 VII 1903, Bianchi. Ryazan Prov.: Miloslavsky distr., Gremyachka, 1♂ 27 IX 1905, A. Semenov.
Diagnosis. Recognized by the following combination of characters: total body length macropterous male 4.4– 5.3, brachypterous male 3.6–4.2, macropterous female 4.5–5.5, brachypterous female 3.1–4.0; body sandy brown, with dark brown X-shaped macula on head, macropterous forms with brown medioapical spot on corium; vertex wider than dorsal eye width in macropterous forms, subequal to eye width in brachypterous forms; antennal segment I sandy to pale brown, about twice as long as width of vertex, segment II with more or less darkened base and apex, male more than 1.5 X as long as basal width of pronotum, female more than 1.2 X; calli twice as long as pronotal collar; pronotum behind calli less than 1.2 X as long as calli (Fig. 5); apical process of left paramere comparatively thick and short, with posteriorly rounded dorsal crest (Fig. 11).
Among species occurring in the region, D. constrictus is most similar to D. errans and D. epilobii in the coloration, body proportions, and shape of the left paramere but differing from both species in having brachypterous forms and in the well-developed calli almost equal in length to posterior part of pronotum in macropterous males and females. Dicyphus epilobii further differs from D. constrictus in having a narrow dorsal crest on the left paramere, intensely reddish antennal segment I, dark reddish apex of cuneus, and somewhat longer body and appendages. In some specimens of D. constrictus antennal segment I may have reddish tinge, whereas normally uniformly pale cuneus may be darkened. Dicyphus errans may be distinguished from D. constrictus in the generally darker coloration and the structure of the left paramere with curved apex, dorsal crest gradually diminishing posteriorly, and apical process forming acute angle with paramere body.
Distribution. Dicyphus constrictus is a temperate European species spanning from Great Britain, Norway, and Finland in the north to France, northern Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria, and Ukraine in the south (Kerzhner & Josifov 1999). Within European Russia, it reaches Leningrad Prov. in the north, Belgorod and Voronezh Prov. in the south, Sverdlovsk Prov. and Bashkortostan Rep. in the east (Kiritshenko 1951; Korinek 1939; Golub & Drapolyuk 2005; Zinovyeva et al 2017; Vinokurov et al. 2015). The known distribution area of D. constrictus is therefore far not reaching Caucasus. A single record of this species from Shaki-Zaquatala mountainous region of Azerbaijan (Gidayatov 1970) is most probably erroneous.
Hosts and habitat. In Europe, Russia, and Ukraine the species was sampled from a large variety of host plants including Galeopsis sp., Salvia spp., Stachys sylvatica L., Stachys sp. (Lamiaceae), Melandrium sp., Lychnis sp. (Caryophyllaceae), Aconitum sp. (Ranunculaceae), and Urtica spp. (Urticaceae) (Kerzhner 1964; Josifov & Simov 2008).
Discussion. Although macropterous and brachypterous forms are known for both males and females of D. constrictus, brachypterous males are extremely rare in collections.
description: Published as part of Konstantinov, Fedor V. & Neimorovets, Vladimir V., 2021, Bryocorinae Baerensprung, 1860 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae) of European Russia and the Caucasus: synopsis and key to species, pp. 301-338 in Zootaxa 4920 (3) on pages 313-314, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4920.3.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4477993