Orthocephalus melas Seidenstucker
Creators: name: Namyatova, Anna A.
name: Konstantinov, Fedor V.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Miridae
Orthocephalus
Orthocephalus melas

description: Orthocephalus melas Seidenstücker   
Figures 2, 8, 11, 15, 18  
 Orthocephalus melas Seidenstücker, 1962: 132–134.   
 DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by the following combination of characters: elongate, narrow body in male (fig. 2); presence of scalelike setae (as in figs. 22 A-C, 23 A, D); bristlelike setae on head and pronotum often longer than diameter of eye; uniformly dark brown to black color-pattern except for yellowish stripe along posterior margin of eye; aedeagus without spicules (fig. 8); dorsal labiate plate with almost oval sclerotized rings and small, sickle-shaped pigmented area between them, without medial sclerites (fig. 15). This species could be possibly confused with O. styx, but O. melas can be separated by having a few flattened silver setae on the dorsum, somewhat protruding eyes, and aedeagus with a single long spicule (fig. 9). Female genitalia of O. melas not separable from that of O. styx (Fig 17).   
 REDESCRIPTION: Male: Macropterous; length 5.9–6.4. COLORATION (fig. 2): Uniformly dark brown to black, except for yellowish stripe along posterior margin of head. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Dorsum smooth or slightly rugose, with adpressed scalelike setae (as in figs. 22 A-C, E, 23 A, D); antennal segments II-IV, entire dorsum, margin of femur, and entire abdomen with contrastingly long, erect, dark, bristlelike setae, most of them on head and pronotum as long as or longer than diameter of eye, those setae on hemelytra, appendages, and abdomen somewhat shorter; antennal segment I with two black spines. STRUCTURE AND MEASUREMENTS: Body 3.8–4.3× as long as width of pronotum. Head: Relatively wide, 1.3–1.4× as wide as high, frons convex; mandibular plates short and broad from anterior view; depression along posterior margin of vertex distinct; eyes large, barely protruding; vertex 2.0–2.2× 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 distinctly longer than diameter of eye, antennal segment II very thin, not incrassate, cylindrical, 0.9–1.1× as long as basal width of pronotum, 1.2–1.4× as long as width of head; labium reaching middle coxa. Thorax: Pronotum 1.9–2.5× as wide as long and 1.2–1.4× as wide as head with posterior margin of pronotum concave, lateral margin slightly carinate, calli weakly defined; hind femora relatively narrow, approximately 1.5× as wide as middle femora. GENITALIA: Aedeagus (fig. 8): relatively small, devoid of any armament, parameres as in fig. 11.   
 Female: Brachypterous, length 4.1–4.5. COLORATION: As in male. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: As in male but dorsum distinctly rugose, dull. STRUCTURE AND MEASUREMENTS: As in male but body distinctly more ovoid, 2.8–3.1× as long as width of pronotum. Head: 1.2–1.4× as wide as high; vertex 2.9– 3.2× as wide as eye; antennal segment II 0.7–0.9× as long as basal width of pronotum, 0.7–0.9× as long as width of head. Thorax: Pronotum 2.0–2.4× as wide as long and 0.9–1.2× as wide as head; length of hemelytra ranging from reaching middle of abdominal tergum VI to covering entire abdomen, typically reaching abdominal tergum VII or VIII; cuneus not delimited; claval commissure as long as inner margin of clavus; posterior and lateral margins of hemelytra rounded. GENITALIA: Sclerotized rings triangular, without medial sclerites, with small, sickle-shaped pigmented area between rings (fig. 15); posterior wall of bursa copulatrix with trapeziform sclerite membranous in the middle and sclerotized at sides, incision on the anterior margin almost indistinct, anterior angles of this sclerite not dentate, posterior margin medially with sclerite (fig. 18); sclerites encircling vulva somewhat curved and not forming circle (as in fig. 19, styx).   
DISTRIBUTION: Known only from the type locality, Ulukischla, Turkey.  
 HOSTS: Seidenstücker (1962) collected the species from Centaurea sp. (Asteraceae).   
 DISCUSSION: This species is known only from the type locality and appears never to have been recollected. The specimens listed under the additional material section were determined as O. styx by H. H. Weber.   
 SPECIMENS EXAMINED: Paratypes: TURKEY: Ulukischla, 37.546 ° N 34.503 ° E, 16 May 1955 - 22 May 1955, Seidenstücker, 2♀ (AMNH _ PBI 00240774, AMNH_PBI 00257578) (ZISP); 16 May 1955 - 22 May 1955, Seidenstücker, 2♂ (AMNH _ PBI 00268021) (JR), 16♂ (AMNH _ PBI 00149994, AMNH_PBI 00228058, AMNH_PBI 00267990, AMNH_PBI 00268017), 17♀ (AMNH _ PBI 00237599, AMNH_PBI 00268015 through AMNH_PBI 00268016, AMNH_PBI 00268018) (ZSM).   
 ADDITIONAL MATERIAL: TURKEY: Ulukischla, 37.546 ° N 34.503 ° E, 16 May 1955 - 22 May 1955, Seidenstücker, 1♂ (AMNH _ PBI 00309523) (MHNG) 2♂ (AMNH _ PBI 00159192, AMNH_PBI 00224848), 2♀ (AMNH _ PBI 00235280, AMNH_PBI 00237982) (ZISP); 16 May 1955 - 22 May 1955, Seidenstücker, 1♂ (AMNH _ PBI 00268020), 2♀ (AMNH _ PBI 00268019) (MHNG) 1♂ (AMNH _ PBI 00223390), 1♀ (AMNH _ PBI 00268022) (ZSM).
description: Published as part of Namyatova, Anna A. & Konstantinov, Fedor V., 2009, Revision of the genus Orthocephalus Fieber, 1858 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae) 2316, pp. 1-118 in Zootaxa 2316 on pages 60-61