Salicarus halimodendri V. G. Putshkov 1977
Creators: name: Konstantinov, Fedor V.
name: Hosseini, Reza
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Miridae
Salicarus
Salicarus halimodendri

description: Salicarus halimodendri V. G. Putshkov, 1977
Figs 2 A – D, 4 G – I, 7 E, F, 9 M, O, 10 F
Salicarus (Salicarus) halimodendri V. G. Putshkov 1977: 367.
Salicarus halimodendri: Konstantinov (2023): 874 (phylogenetic placement, figures, discussion).
Phoenicocoris qiliananus Zheng, 1996 in Zheng and Li (1996: 101). New synonym.
Salicarus qiliananus: Schwartz and Stonedahl (2004): 42 (new combination, discussion, suspected synonymy).
Material examined.
Holotype: Kazakhstan • East Kazakhstan Prov.: ♂ Bazarskiy Picket, Zaysan, 47.45 ° N, 84.86666 ° E, 22 Jun 1930, F. K. Lukjanovitsh, (AMNH _ PBI 00233844) (ZISP).
Paratypes: Kazakhstan • Almaty Prov.: Iliyskiy on Ili River, 43.52194 ° N, 76.82972 ° E, 05 Jun 1969, Seitova, 2 ♂ (AMNH _ PBI 00233855) (ZISP) • East Kazakhstan Prov.: Bazarskiy Picket, Zaysan, 47.45 ° N, 84.86666 ° E, 22 Jun 1930, F. K. Lukjanovitsh, 3 ♂ (AMNH _ PBI 00233845 - AMNH _ PBI 00233847), 3 ♀ (AMNH _ PBI 00233993 - AMNH _ PBI 00233995) (ZISP) • Buran, Mouth of Kaldzhir, 48.01666 ° N, 85.2 ° E, 26 Jun 1930, F. K. Lukjanovitsh, Halimodendron halodendron (Fabaceae), 1 ♀ (AMNH _ PBI 00233997) (ZISP) • Burkhatka Picket, Zaysan, 47.45 ° N, 84.86666 ° E, 22 Jun 1930, F. K. Lukjanovitsh, 1 ♀ (AMNH _ PBI 00233996) (ZISP) • Karaganda Prov.: 12 km E Balqash [Balkhash], 46.83333 ° N, 75.1 ° E, 18 Jun 1962, I. M. Kerzhner, Halimodendron halodendron (Fabaceae), 1 ♂ (AMNH _ PBI 00233854) (ZISP) • Kostanay Prov.: 200 km SO Qyzylorda, nr Tyshkanbay [Akkum], Syt-Darya, 50.06666 ° N, 62.13333 ° E, 30 Jun 1966, I. M. Kerzhner, 1 ♀ (AMNH _ PBI 00234005) (ZISP) • Kyzylorda Prov.: 40 km NW of Turkistan, Karatau Mts. Range, 43.562 ° N, 67.921 ° E, I. M. Kerzhner, Halimodendron halodendron (Fabaceae), 1 ♀ (AMNH _ PBI 00234000) (ZISP); 18 May 1966 – 19 May 1966, I. M. Kerzhner, Halimodendron halodendron (Fabaceae), 5 ♂ (AMNH _ PBI 00233848 - AMNH _ PBI 00233851), 3 ♀ (AMNH _ PBI 00233998, AMNH _ PBI 00233999) (ZISP) • 29 May 1966, I. M. Kerzhner, Halimodendron halodendron (Fabaceae), 2 ♂ (AMNH _ PBI 00233852, AMNH _ PBI 00233853), 6 ♀ (AMNH _ PBI 00233853, AMNH _ PBI 00234001 - AMNH _ PBI 00234004) (ZISP). Mongolia • Hovd Aimak: 15 km S of Bulgan, 45.952 ° N, 91.564 ° E, 29 Jul 1970, Narchuk, Halimodendron halodendron (Fabaceae), 1 ♀ (AMNH _ PBI 00234013) (ZISP) • Elhon, 20 km SE Altai on Bodonchi River, 45.68333 ° N, 92.48333 ° E, 27 Jul 1970, I. M. Kerzhner, 14 ♀ (AMNH _ PBI 00233856, AMNH _ PBI 00234006 - AMNH _ PBI 00234008, AMNH _ PBI 00234010 - AMNH _ PBI 00234012), 3 ♂ (AMNH _ PBI 00233856, AMNH _ PBI 00233857) Halimodendron halodendron (Fabaceae), 3 ♀ (AMNH _ PBI 00234009) (ZISP).
Other specimens examined: Kazakhstan • Zhambul Prov.: Karatau Mts., 4 km S of Karabastau, 42.88722 ° N, 70.80667 ° E, 557 m, 18 May 2015, F. Konstantinov & N. Simov, 1 ♀ (AMNH _ PBI 00343015) (ZISP).
Diagnosis.
Recognized by the oval body, total length: male 3.6–3.9, female 3.1–3.5; antennal segment I brown, segment II thin, basally or entirely darkened, remining segments dirty yellow (Fig. 4 G, H); coloration of dorsum variable, ranging from almost entirely dark brown to pale yellow; dorsum except head with a mixture of narrow, apically acuminate scale-like setae and dense, comparatively long, ~ 1.5 × as long as scales, adpressed, silvery simple setae (Fig. 4 I); apical blades of vesica very long and thin, gradually curved, abruptly furcate (Fig. 7 E, F).
Dark specimens of Salicarus halimodendri are somewhat similar to S. fulvicornis in having long simple setae and the arrangement of flattened scale-like setae on the dorsum. However, the latter species can be distinguished by the exceptionally long and thin, subapically bifurcate apical blades (Fig. 7 C, D).
Redescription.
Male. Coloration. Variable, ranging from almost entirely dark brown to pale yellow (Fig. 2 A – D). Head: In dark specimens almost entirely dark brown, with midline on frons and mandibular plate somewhat paler and with vertex always dirty to whitish yellow along posterior margin; in pale specimens head whitish yellow, with a series of brown, frequently confluent lines radiating from midline on frons, entirely or apically brown clypeus, and brown maxillary plate; antennal segment I dark brown to brown, segment II entirely brown to dirty yellow with brown basal one-fourth, remaining segments dirty yellow; labium dirty yellow, with dark brown segment IV. Thorax: Pronotum, scutellum, and hemelytron from uniformly dark brown to whitish yellow, hemelytron in dark specimens usually paler than pronotum; membrane uniformly pale brown to almost colorless; pronotum and scutellum in pale specimens typically with brown markings on calli and on suture between scutellum and mesonotum, sometimes uniformly whitish yellow; coxae usually yellow, rarely paler brown, femora dirty to whitish yellow, with two or three series of large rounded maculae on ventral surfaces and anterior margins, sometimes confluent in dark specimens, and several dark markings at apices of dorsal surfaces; tibiae yellow with minute dark brown spots at bases of tibial spines; thoracic pleurites brown to pale yellow. Abdomen: Brown to pale yellow.
Surface and vestiture. Dorsum weakly rugose, head smooth, shiny. Pronotum, scutellum, and hemelytron with a mixture of silvery scale-like setae and dense, comparatively long, ~ 1.5 × as long as scales, adpressed, silvery simple setae; mesopleuron clothed with scale-like setae alone, while vertex, antenna, legs, metapleuron, and abdomen covered exclusively with adpressed silvery simple setae; tibial spines black to dark brown.
Structure. Body oval, 2.7–2.9 × as long as posterior width of pronotum; total length 3.6–3.9; head vertical, slightly protruding beyond eyes anteriorly and ventrally; vertex flat, posteriorly distinctly attenuate and covering anterior margin of pronotum, 2.0–2.2 × as wide as eye; frons weakly convex; clypeus flat, barely visible in dorsal view; antennal segment II rod-shaped, slightly thinner than segment I, 0.5–0.6 × as long as posterior width of pronotum, 0.8–0.9 × as long as width of head; pronotum with broadly rounded anterior and posterior corners, 2.3–2.5 × as wide as long, 1.4–1.5 × as wide as head.
Genitalia. Right paramere elongate-oval, ~ 1.7 × as long as wide, with long, slightly narrowing and apically rounded apical process (Fig. 9 M). Left paramere with thin and straight apical process and comparatively short, broadly rounded sensory lobe (Fig. 9 N). Vesica comparatively large, with very long and thin, gradually curved, abruptly furcate apical blades (Fig. 7 E, F).
Female. Coloration, surface and vestiture. As in male. Structure. Similar to male but body smaller and more stumpy, 2.4–2.5 × as long as posterior width of pronotum, total length 3.1–3.5; head with slightly more convex frons and clypeus, vertex 2.2–2.4 × as wide as eye; antennal segment II distinctly thinner than segment I, 0.5 × as long as posterior width of pronotum, 0.7–0.8 × as long as width of head; pronotum 2.3–2.4 × as wide as long, 1.4–1.5 × as wide as head.
Genitalia. Sclerotized rings of dorsal labiate plate large, broadly oval. Posterior wall weakly sclerotized, with indistinctly bordered longitudinal sclerotized bands at sides (Fig. 10 F).
Distribution.
This species inhabits plains and foothills of Central Asia within the area of its host plant, spanning from Uzbekistan and southwestern and southern Kazakhstan to Mongolia.
Hosts.
Salicarus halimodendri is known to feed exclusively on Caragana halodendron (Pall.) Dum. Cours. (Fabaceae), commonly known as the common salt tree. This distinctive shrub is primarily found in saline deserts and semideserts and was long classified within the monotypic genus Halimodendron.
Remarks.
Phoenicocoris qiliananus Zheng, 1996 was described in Zheng and Li (1996) from Mati in Gansu province, Northwestern China. Schwartz and Stonedahl (2004) transferred this species to Salicarus due to the claw and vesica structure and suspected its possible synonymy with S. halimodendri, referring to personal communication from I. M. Kerzhner. However, they refrained from formal synonymization pending examination of additional material. Indeed, the coloration of the dorsum, antenna, and legs of S. qiliananus, the vestiture composed of short simple setae and narrow, apically acuminate scale-like setae (which are not exclusively restricted to the hemelytron), the structure of both parameres (Zheng and Li 1996: figs 4, 5), and body proportions suggest that this taxon is conspecific with S. halimodendri. The only notable distinction is the presence of a single apical blade of the vesica postulated in the original description. However, all Salicarus and Phoenicocoris species without exception have a twin-coned vesica, while in S. halimodendri, the shorter blade is exceptionally short and thin (Fig. 7 E, F), and could have been easily overlooked in the aspects chosen by the authors of the original description for making drawings (Zheng and Li 1996: figs 8, 9). Based on the foregoing discussion, we synonymize Salicarus qiliananus (Zheng, 1996) with Salicarus halimodendri V. G. Putshkov, 1977.
description: Published as part of Konstantinov, Fedor V. & Hosseini, Reza, 2024, Review of the genus Salicarus (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Miridae), pp. 57-100 in ZooKeys 1211 on pages 57-100, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1211.129660