Saldula Van Duzee, 1914

Li, Zihe, Li, Hongjiao, Bu, Wenjun & Ye, Zhen, 2025, Taxonomic review of Saldula (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Saldidae) from China, Zootaxa 5666 (4), pp. 451-488 : 452-454

Genus Saldula Van Duzee, 1914

Acanthia Fabricius, 1775 sensu Latreille, 1796: 85 . Acanthia Reuter, 1895: 9 . Saldula Van Duzee, 1914: 32 ; Kiritshenko, 1951: 94; Cobben, 1960: 238; Cobben, 1985: 221; Vinokurov, 1988: 752; Péricart,

1990: 141; Lindskog & Polhemus, 1992: 67; Chen & Lindskog, 1994: 397; Lindskog, 1995: 127; Vinokurov, 2004b: 102.

Vinokurov et al., 2012: 58; Vinokurov, 2015: 581; Vinokurov & Kment, 2015: 373; Vinokurov et al., 2018: 134. Type species: Cimex saltatorius Linnaeus, 1758 .

Definition of genus Saldula (s.str.). Lindskog & Polhemus (1992) discussed the monophyly of the genus Saldula and provided the following two synapomorphic characterizations to define Saldula (s.str.): corium with eye spot on the median cell; male median endosomal sclerite with anteromedial laminar projections. Additionally, the presence of a secondary hypocostal ridge could also be a useful character to distinguish Saldula (s.str.) from the remaining species belonging to Saldula (s.l.), although this character is not synapomorphic, which is shared in the closely related genera Micracanthia Reuter, 1912 and Ioscytus Reuter, 1912 .

Therefore, the species of Saldula (s.str.) should exhibit the following characters:

a. Endocorium with an eye spot on median cell;

b. Median endosomal sclerite of male with anteromedial laminar projections;

c. Ventral side of hemelytra with secondary hypocostal ridge.

Given the lack of a clear molecular phylogeny within the family Saldidae , we are only able to point out the species not belonging to Saldula (s.str.), and do not have sufficient evidence to establish new genera for the controversial species. In this article, all the species of Saldula (s.l.) from the Chinese fauna are reviewed, and only the species that belong to Saldula (s.str.) are discussed under the “Discussion” section under each species.

Diagnostic characteristics of Saldula (s.str.). Body relatively small (about 3–5 mm in length), nearly ovate or slightly elongated. Dorsum covered by short or long setae. Head short and wide, with three pairs of trichobothria; compound eyes relatively large, reniform; ocelli relatively approximate; antennomeres long and slender, antennomere I shortest, antennomere II longest, antennomeres III and IV subequal in length; transverse swelling above mandibular plates. Pronotum short and wide, median part of callus with a pit; hemelytra with an eye spot on median cell, ventral side of hemelytra with secondary hypocostal ridge, membrane with four close cells. Lavral organ present. Male paramere hook-like, with processus hamatus and processus sensualis; parandria usually wide, with blunt apex; median endosomal sclerite with anteromedial laminar projections. Female subgenital plate usually nearly triangular; spermatheca with flange.

Comparative notes. The genus Saldula (s.str.) is similar to the genera Micracanthia Reuter, 1912 and Ioscytus Reuter, 1912 . In addition to the two synapomorphies mentioned above, they can be distinguished by the following characteristics. Micracanthia has a relatively small body size (i.e., usually smaller than 3 mm), whereas the body size of Saldula is much larger (i.e., usually larger than 3 mm). Moreover, the veins of the hemelytra of Micracanthia are relatively simple, whereas those of Saldula are normal, not simplified. For Ioscytus , the hemelytra are usually unicolorous black or reddish, whereas those of Saldula usually have a black-white color pattern. Moreover, antennomeres III and IV are usually incrassate in genus Ioscytus , whereas they are usually normal, not incrassate in Saldula .

Distribution. Saldula (s.l.) is distributed world-wide, including Afrotropical, Australian, Madagascan, Nearctic, Neotropical, Oceanian, Oriental, Palearctic, Panamanian, Saharo-Arabian and Sino-Japanese ( Larivière & Larochelle 2018). However, the species not belonging to Saldula (s.str.) are mainly tropical, and Saldula (s.str.) is mainly Holarctic, with several species distributed in the Afrotropical, Neotropical and Oriental regions ( Lindskog & Polhemus 1992, Larivière & Larochelle 2018).