Saldula arenicola arenicola ( Scholtz, 1847 )

Li, Zihe, Li, Hongjiao, Bu, Wenjun & Ye, Zhen, 2025, Taxonomic review of Saldula (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Saldidae) from China, Zootaxa 5666 (4), pp. 451-488 : 455

Saldula arenicola arenicola ( Scholtz, 1847)

( Figs 2 , 19 , 24 )

Salda arenicola Scholtz, 1847: 110 . Acanthia arenicola Reuter, 1890: 251 . Saldula arenicola : Stichel (1934: 302); Kiritshenko, 1951: 96; Cobben, 1960: 262; Chen & Zheng, 1987: 396; Péricart, 1990: 185; Chen & Lindskog, 1994: 407; Lindskog, 1995: 127; Vinokurov, 2004b: 109; Vinokurov et al., 2012: 58; Vinokurov & Kment, 2015: 374; Vinokurov et al., 2018: 134.

Chinese common name. üãø.

Material examined. CHINA: Inner Mongolia: 1 male, Tongliao city, Ke’erqin Zuoyihouqi Banner, Ganqika town, light-trapped, 42.9537°N, 122.3436°E, 24 July 2021, Zhen Ye leg. (NKUM). Xinjiang: 3 males, 3 females, Altai Prefecture, Altai city, Dadonggou, 47.9510°N, 88.1026°E, 1042 m, 25 July 2023, Zihe Li leg. (NKUM); 1 male, 1 female, Altai Prefecture, Bu’erjin county, Yelaman village, 48.1804°N, 86.8787°E, 946 m, 23 July 2023, Zihe Li leg. (NKUM); 3 males, 3 females, Bo’ertala Prefecture, Wenquan county, X210 County Road, 44.8581°N, 81.2375°E, 1424 m, 19 July 2023, Zihe Li leg. (NKUM); 1 male, 1 female, Tacheng Prefecture, Emin county, 219 National Highway, 46.7790°N, 84.1309°E, 713 m, 22 July 2023, Zihe Li leg. (NKUM); 3 males, 1 female, Shanshan county, 27 June 1975 (NKUM).

Diagnosis. Body relatively elongated, dorsum with short, recumbent setae ( Fig. 2a ). Head short and wide, antennomere II relatively long; mandibular plates yellowish with black markings, transverse swelling, maxillary plates and anteclypeus mainly pale-yellowish to yellow, labrum yellowish with black apex, labiomeres III+IV mainly black; preocellar spots slightly elongated, attached to inner margin of compound eyes. Pronotum short and wide, lateral margin shallowly convex; basal part of corium with a horizontal large pale stripe, dark eye spot not visible in pale individuals ( Fig. 2b–d ); coloration of legs relatively dark, ventral side of femora black, lateral side of femora with dark spots and stripes, dorsal side of foretibia with continuous black stripe, tarsomeres I and III of each leg black, tarsomere II of each leg yellowish. Male paramere with dense, long hairs on dorsal side, processus hamatus relatively short, processus sensualis with a small tuft of short setae ( Fig. 2e–g ); parandria blunt, outer margin and inner margin nearly parallel, inner side with weaker sclerotization ( Fig. 2h ); median endosomal sclerite U-shaped. Female subgenital plate triangular, with pale margin.

Comparative notes. Saldula arenicola arenicola can be distinguished from other species by the large, pale transverse stripe on the basal part of the hemelytra ( Fig. 2b–d ). This subspecies is closely related to S. arenicola ussurica . It can be distinguished by a completely black pronotum, whereas S. arenicola ussurica has yellowish marking on lateral margin. S. arenicola arenicola is similar to S. xantochila with dense, long hairs on the dorsal side of the male paramere. However, the pronotum of S. arenicola arenicola is completely black ( Fig. 2a ) and that of S. xanthochila has a pair of yellowish spots on lateral margin ( Fig. 19a ). It differs from S. pallipes and S. palustris by having the mandibular plates yellowish (black in the latter two species).

Habitats. Specimens collected from Altai Prefecture were found on a rocky riverbank in mountainous area ( Fig. 18 ).

Distribution in China. Inner Mongolia ( Wang & Li 2012, Vinokurov et al. 2018), Shanxi ( Chen & Lindskog 1994, Vinokurov et al. 2018), Xinjiang ( Chen & Lindskog 1994, Vinokurov et al. 2012, Vinokurov et al. 2018).

General distribution. Widely distributed across Eurasia, also occurs in Algeria ( Schuh et al. 1987, Lindskog 1995, Larivière & Larochelle 2018, Vinokurov et al. 2018).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Saldula arenicola arenicola. 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.

FIGURE 18. Saldula taiwanensis. a, dorsal habitus, scale=2.0 mm; b, hemelytra, scale=2.0 mm; c–e, different views of paramere, scale=0.2 mm; f, parandria, scale=0.2 mm.

FIGURE 19. Saldula xanthochila. 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.

FIGURES 20–24. Habitats of Saldula. (20) Xinjiang, Altai Prefecture, Dadonggou; (21) Xizang, Rikaze city, Nanmulin county; (22) Gansu Prov., Wuwei city, Shiyanghe National Wetland Park; (23) Xizang, Rikaze city, Yadong county; (24) Sichuan Prov., Aba Prefecture, Li county.