Saldula fucicola (J. Sahlberg, 1870 )

Li, Zihe, Li, Hongjiao, Bu, Wenjun & Ye, Zhen, 2025, Taxonomic review of Saldula (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Saldidae) from China, Zootaxa 5666 (4), pp. 451-488 : 459-461

Saldula fucicola (J. Sahlberg, 1870)

( Fig. 5 )

Salda fucicola J. Sahlberg, 1870: 301 . Acanthia fucicola Reuter 1891: 153 . Saldula fucicola : Kiritshenko (1951: 95); Cobben, 1960: 251; Vinkurov, 1988: 755; Chen & Zheng, 1987: 395; Péricart, 1990: 167; Chen & Lindskog, 1994: 407; Lindskog, 1995: 128; Vinokurov, 2004b: 107; Vinokurov et al., 2012: 58; Vinokurov, 2015: 581; Vinokurov & Kment, 2015: 375; Vinokurov et al., 2018: 134.

Chinese common name. 地Ḣãø.

Material examined. CHINA: Gansu: 2 females, Wuwei city, Tianzhu county, X151 County Road, 37.7306°N, 102.4306°E, 2184 m, 4 July 2023, Zihe Li leg. (NKUM). Xinjiang: 1 male, 2 females, Altai Prefecture, Habahe county, 15 July 2002, Yunling Ke leg. (NKUM).

Diagnosis. Body relatively ovate, dorsum with dense, whitish pubescence ( Fig. 5a ). Head short and wide, antennomere II mainly yellowish, with dense, short, recumbent setae, antennomeres III+IV black; mandibular plates, maxillary plates, transverse swelling and anteclypeus pale-yellowish to yellow, apex of gular lobe yellowish, labrum yellowish, labiomeres III+IV mainly yellowish-brown; preocellar spots relatively large, cuneiform. Pronotum short and wide, lateral margin convex; hemelytra with brown to dark-brown markings, exocorium with 2 separate dark spots in pale individuals, the apical spot not reaching outer margin of corium, endocorium with an eye spot on basal half, apical half of endocorium with scattered triangular pale spots ( Fig. 5b ); legs mainly pale-yellowish, femora with black stripe on ventral side and dark spots on lateral side, foretibia and middle tibiae with interrupted black stripe on dorsal side. Male paramere long and slender, dorsal side with few long setae, body of paramere relatively long, processus sensualis relatively small, with a small tuft of short setae ( Fig. 5c–e ); parandria with blunt apex, outer margin and inner margin subparallel ( Fig. 5f ); median endosomal sclerite U-shaped. Female subgenital plate nearly triangular, with a blunt apex, apical half pale.

Comparative notes. Saldula fucicola appears to be closely related to S. saltatoria ; however, it can be distinguished by the pigmentation of the hemelytra: the hemelytra of S. fucicola are relatively paler compared to those of S. saltatoria , the dark spot on the middle part of the exocorium does not reach the lateral margin of the hemelytra in S. fucicola , whereas it does reach the lateral margin in S. saltatoria ( Figs 4b , 17b–d ). Additionally, S. fucicola can be identified by its completely pale-yellowish to yellowish mouthpart sclerites, which are yellowish-brown and with dark markings in S. saltatoria . Moreover, the body of the paramere in S. fucicola is longer and more slender compared to those of S. saltatoria . ( Figs. 4c–e , 17e–g ).

Habitats. Recently collected materials from Gansu were found near a stream in forested mountains.

Distribution in China. Inner Mongolia ( Wang & Li 2012, Vinokurov et al. 2018), Gansu (new record), Xinjiang ( Chen & Lindskog 1994, Vinokurov et al. 2012, Vinokurov et al. 2018), Qinghai ( Vinokurov et al. 2018), Sichuan (Vinokurov 2015, Vinokurov et al. 2018).

General distribution. Widely distributed across Euraisa ( Schuh et al. 1987, Lindskog 1995, Larivière & Larochelle 2018, Vinokurov et al. 2018).

Figures

FIGURE 4. Saldula burmanica. a, dorsal habitus, scale=2.0 mm; b–c, variation of hemelytra, scale=2.0 mm; d–f, different views of paramere, scale=0.2 mm; g, parandria, scale=0.2 mm.

FIGURE 5. Saldula fucicola. a, dorsal habitus, scale=2.0 mm; b, variation of hemelytra, after Vinokurov (1988); c–e, different views of paramere, scale=0.2 mm; f, parandria, scale=0.2 mm.

FIGURE 17. Saldula saltatoria. a, dorsal habitus, scale=2.0 mm; b–d, variation of hemelytra, scale=2.0 mm; e–g, different views of paramere, scale=0.2 mm; h, parandria, scale=0.2 mm.