Macrosiphoniella (Asterobium) herczeki Kanturski & Barjadze & Kaszyca-Taszakowska 2023, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Kanturski, Mariusz
name: Barjadze, Shalva
name: Kaszyca-Taszakowska, Natalia
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Aphididae
Macrosiphoniella
Macrosiphoniella herczeki

description: Macrosiphiniella (Asterobium) herczeki sp. nov.
(Figs 1–2, Table 1)
Type material: Holotype. Apterous viviparous female, Bulgaria, Dobrich province (former Tolbuchin as it was written on slide), Balchik municipality, village Tuzlata, 43°24’8.90”N, 28°13’25.55”E, 5 m alt., 15.vii.1977, Aster oleifolius (= Galatella villosa), leg. J. Holman, 16 625 (apt 9), IECA.
Paratypes. Apterous viviparous female, other data same as in holotype, 16 625 (apt 7), IECA; apterous viviparous female, other data same as in holotype, 16 625 (apt 8), IECA; apterous viviparous female, other data same as in holotype, 16 625 (apt 12), IECA; four apterous viviparous females, other data same as in holotype, 16 625 (apt 29–32), IECA; four apterous viviparous females, other data same as in holotype, 16 625 (apt 33–36), IECA; four apterous viviparous females, other data same as in holotype, 16 625 (apt 37–40), IECA; four apterous viviparous females, other data same as in holotype, 16 625 (apt 41–44), IECA; apterous viviparous female, other data same as in holotype, 16 625 (apt 1), DZUS; Apterous viviparous female, other data same as in holotype, 16 625 (apt 3), IZISU.
Description. Apterous viviparous female (n=18) Colour in life: unknown. Pigmentation on slide: head sclerotised, light brown; ANT dark brown with slightly lighter ANT I and ANT II; thorax yellow; rostrum pale brown with dark brown URS; coxae and trochanters light brown; fore femora brown with dark brown distal ends, middle and hind femora dark brown with paler bases; tibiae and tarsi dark brown; abdomen yellow with brown sclerites and scleroites; SIPH uniformly dark brown, cauda brown (Fig. 1).
Morphological characters: HW 0.20–0.21 × ANT. Head with long, thick and rigid setae with slightly blunt or flattened apices, 0.060 –0.100 mm long (Fig. 2a). ANT 1.03–1.15 × BL. ANT III with 2 (and only on one antenna)–6, rounded, different-sized secondary rhinaria with well-developed sclerotised rims (Fig. 2b, c), ANT IV 1.10–1.14 × ANT V. PT 3.23–3.86 × BASE. Other antennal ratios: VI:III 1.35–1.73, V:III 0.79–0.80, IV:III 0.90–0.95, BASE:III 0.32–0.37, PT:III 1.03–1.38, PT:IV 1.14–1.45, PT:V 1.30–1.61. ANT chaetotaxy: ANT with thick, rigid setae, with slightly blunt or flattened apices. ANT III setae 0.020 –0.040 mm long, LS ANT III 1.14–1.33 × BD III. ANT I with 5, ANT II with 4, ANT III with 12–14, ANT IV with 9–13, ANT V with 5–7 setae. ANT VI with 3–4 basal, 4 apical and 6–7 setae along the PT. Rostrum reaching hind coxae. URS (Fig. 2e) 0.24–0.28 × ANT III, 0.16–0.18 × ANT VI, 0.20–0.23 × PT, 0.75–0.80 × BASE and 0.92–1.00 × HT II with 4 fine, pointed accessory setae. Mesosternal furca fused with long stem. III FEMORA have short to medium-long, rather rigid setae with pointed or slightly blunt apices, 0.012 –0.042 mm long (Fig. 2d). Setae on III TIBIAE with rigid, medium-long, pointed or slightly blunt setae, 0.017 –0.047 mm long. HT I with 3:3:3 setae. HT II 0.26–0.29 × ANT III, 0.17–0.19 × ANT VI, 0.21–0.25 × PT and 0.75–0.83 × BASE. Abdomen membranous with long and rigid setae with slightly blunt or flattened apices, 0.055 –0.100 mm long (Fig. 2f, g). ABD III with 14–18 setae; 4–7 setae developed between SIPH; ABD VIII with 4–7 setae. Almost all setae on abdomen arising from well-visible, rounded or slightly irregular scleroites which may be fused (Fig. 2g). SIPH flangeless, tubular, slightly wider at base, with a large zone of subapical reticulation and well-developed antesiphuncular sclerites and absent postsiphuncular sclerites (Fig. 2h). Reticulated zone 0.40–0.57 × SIPH. SIPH 0.89–1.00 × cauda, 0.12–0.15 × BL and 0.56–0.86 × ANT III. Genital plate with 2 long anterior and 7–8 shorter posterior setae. Cauda finger-like, 2.08–2.54 × its width at base and 0.13–0.15 × BL with 14–15 long, thick and pointed setae (Fig. 2i). Measurements are provided in Table 1.
Differential diagnosis. The new species belongs to the subgenus Asterobium Hille Ris Lambers, 1938 of the genus Macrosiphoniella Del Guercio, 1911. It is morphologically similar to Macrosiphoniella konyratica Kadyrbekov, 2018 and, together with M. konyratica differs from other Galatela -feeding aphid species of this subgenus by URS × HT II 0.50–1.00, SIPH 0.80–1.10 × cauda and small number of secondary rhinaria (1–6) on the basal part of ANT III. However, the apterous viviparous females of M. herczeki differ from those of M. konyratica in several clear features such as:
(1) number of accessory setae on URS: four accessory setae in the new species, while six ones in M. konyratica; (2) number of secondary rhinaria on ANT III: 2–6 in the new species, while 1–2 in M. konyratica; (3) number of setae on cauda: 14–15 setae in the new species, while 11–13 setae in M. konyratica; (4) number of setae on ABD III: 14–18 – in the new species, while only 10 in M. konyratica; (5) ANT IV/ANT IIII ratio: 0.90–0.95 in the new species, while only about 0.80 in M. konyratica; (6) BASE/ANT III ratio: 0.32–0.37 in the new species, while 0.60–0.62 in M. konyratica; (7) shape of dorsal setae: slightly blunt or with flattened apices in the new species, while pointed setae present in M. konyratica (Kadyrbekov 2018).
Etymology. We are pleased to name the new species to honour our colleague Professor Aleksander Herczek— an outstanding Isometopinae (Heteroptera) specialist, for many years the worker of the University of Silesia in Katowice and the head of the former Department of Zoology.
Host plant and biology. The species feeds on Galatella villosa (Asteraceae), but nothing is known about the place where it feeds. Alate viviparous females, sexual morphs and life cycle are unknown.
description: Published as part of Kanturski, Mariusz, Barjadze, Shalva & Kaszyca-Taszakowska, Natalia, 2023, Macrosiphoniella (Asterobium) herczeki sp. nov. - a new aphid species from Bulgaria (Hemiptera, Aphididae), pp. 146-151 in Zootaxa 5382 (1) on pages 147-150, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5382.1.16, http://zenodo.org/record/10280334