Saldula recticollis ( Horváth, 1899 )

Li, Zihe, Li, Hongjiao, Bu, Wenjun & Ye, Zhen, 2025, Taxonomic review of Saldula (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Saldidae) from China, Zootaxa 5666 (4), pp. 451-488 : 477-479

Saldula recticollis ( Horváth, 1899)

( Fig. 16 , 29 )

Salda recticollis Horváth, 1899: 369 .

Acanthia recticollis Oshain, 1912: 88 .

Saldula recticollis : Schuh et al. (1987: 349); Lindskog, 1995: 132; Vinokurov, 2015: 582; Vinokurov et al., 2018: 136.

Saldula fukiena : Drake & Maa, 1954: 263; Chen & Linsdkog, 1994: 407. Synonymised by Lindskog (1995:132).

Saldula arsenjevi : Vinokurov, 1981: 11; Chen, 1987: 164; Chen & Zheng, 1987: 395; Vinokurov, 1988: 752; Chen & Lindskog, 1994: 407. Synonymised by Lindskog (1995: 132).

Chinese common name. Wẍãø.

Material examined. CHINA: Helongjiang: 1 male, 3 females, Harbin city, Yanshou county, Yanhe town, 45.3730°N, 128.2355°E, 204 m, 15 August 2023, Zihe Li leg. (NKUM). Hebei: 1 male, 1 female, Baoding city, Caijiayu Canyon, Bailongtan Lake, 39.4811°N, 115.1023°E, 738 m, 23 July 2023, Zhen Ye leg. (NKUM); 1 male, Baoding city, Laiyuan county, Sunjiaquan village, 39.3993°N, 114.9213°E, 656 m, 23 July 2023, Zhen Ye leg. (NKUM). Jiangsu: 1 male, Nanjing city, Dishuizhu village, 32.1101°N, 118.5699°E, 49 m, 17 July 2019, Chenguang Zheng leg. (NKUM); 2 females, Taizhou city, Hailing distinct, Tiandehu Park, 32.4273°N, 119.9213°E, 9 m, 7 June 2024, Zihe Li leg. (NKUM). Anhui: 1 female, Anqing city, Yuexi county, Yaoluoping Nature Reserve, 1000 m, 20 July 2012, Zhen Ye leg. (NKUM). Hubei: 3 males, 2 females, Huanggang city, Yingshan county, Bisheng Canyon, 30.9792°N, 115.9441°E, 356 m, 13 July 2022, Zihe Li leg. (NKUM); 1 male, Huanggang city, Yingshan county, Jiangjiafan village, 30.9098°N, 115.7853°E, 146 m, 13 July 2022, Zihe Li leg. (NKUM); 1 male, 1 female, Suizhou city, Guangshui county, Wutongshi village, 31.5038°N, 113.6124°E, 49 m, 15 July 2022, Zihe Li leg. (NKUM); 1 female, Huanggang city, Qichun county, Taiping Forest Park, 30.2349°N, 115.8161°E, 890 m, 12 July 2022, Zihe Li leg. (NKUM); 1 male, Shiyan city, Zhuxi county, Xinmin village, 32.2767°N, 109.6999°E, 500 m, 11 August 2015, Zhen Ye leg. (NKUM); Jiangxi Prov.: 1 male, Nanchang city, Wanli distinct, Shizifeng, 28.8244°N, 115.7220°E, 62 m, 19 May 2016, Yahui Zhen leg. (NKUM). Fujian: 1 male, Xiamen city, Tong’an distinct, Xiaoping Forest Park, 24.8542°N, 118.0368°E, 551 m, 28 May 2016, Yahui Zhen leg. (NKUM). Guangdong: 1 male, Shaoguan city, Nanling Forest Park, 24.9176°N, 113.0801°E, 486 m, 4 June 2016, Yahui Zhen leg. (NKUM). Guangxi: 2 females, Hechi city, Tian’e county, Dashan Forest Park, 25.1929°N, 107.0412°E, 1055 m, 15 August 2020, Mu Qiao leg. (NKUM). Sichuan: 3 males, Pingchang county, Zhenlongshan Mountain, 1120 m, 24 July 2015, Zhen Ye leg. (NKUM); 1 female, Jiangyou city, Chonghua town, 31.9653°N, 104.8968°E, 599 m, Chen’guang Zheng leg. (NKUM). Guizhou: 3 males, 3 females, Fanjingshan Mountain, Huguosi Temple, 1300 m, 4 August 2001, Wenjun Bu leg. (NKUM).

Diagnosis. Body relatively small, dorsum with dense, short pubescence ( Fig. 16a ). Head short and wide, antennomeres I and II yellow, antennomeres III and IV blackish-brown; transverse swelling, mandibular plates, maxillary plates and anteclypeus pale-yellowish in male and yellowish in female, outer margin of gular lobe yellowish, labrum yellowish with black apex, labiomeres III+IV mainly yellowish-brown, preocellar spots cuneiform, attached to inner margin of compound eyes. Pronotum short and wide, lateral margin nearly straight, exocorium mainly pale or with dark markings on inner half, endocorium with scattered triangular, pale spots, basal half of endocorium often with incomplete eye spot, basal part of clavus usually with an additional pale spot ( Fig. 16b–e ); legs mainly pale-yellowish, femora with brown markings on ventral side and lateral side, tibiae infuscate apically, tarsomere III of each leg with infuscate apex. Male paramere with long setae on dorsal side, processus sensualis with short setae ( Fig. 16f–h ), apical part of parandria blunt, slightly converge towards apex ( Fig. 16i ), median endosomal sclerite relatively short and wide, nearly V-shaped, with a rounded apex. Female subgenital plate nearly triangular, with rounded apex.

Comparative notes. Saldula recticollis is similar to S. melanoscela but can be distinguished by its yellowish mouthpart sclerites and gular lobe, predominantly yellowish femora, absence of a dark stripe on the dorsal side of the foretibia, and distinct pigmentation of the hemelytra.

Discussion. The taxonomy of S. recticollis in China has been confused for an extended period. Drake & Maa (1954) described S. fukiena from Fujian Prov., which is a junior synonymy of S. recticollis . After that, Chen (1987), Chen & Lindskog (1994) reported S. arsenjevi from northern and western China and S. fukiena from Fujian, Sichuan, and Guizhou, without acknowledging any records of S. recticollis . The synonymies were proposed by Lindskog (1995) based on specimens from NKUM. This synonymy was later supported by Vinokurov et al. (2018), who reviewed materials examined by Per Lindskog. Our recent examination of materials collected from ten provinces in China reveals a consistent variation in wing pigmentation between populations in the north and the south: the exocorium of the southern population (e.g., Hubei, Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Anhui, Fujian) is almost entirely pale or features a faint dark spot on the median part ( Fig. 16b, c ), which is close to the description of S. fukiena ( Drake & Maa 1954) ; whereas the northern population (e.g., Heilongjiang, Hebei) predominantly displays a dark exocorium with pale spots ( Fig. 16d, e ), matching the original description of S. arsenjevi from Sakhalin, Russia ( Vinokurov 1981), which is more closely-matching the original description of S. recticollis provided by Horváth (1899). Despite this geographic variation in hemelytral pigmentation, the structural characteristics and genitalia remain consistent across both populations, leading us to support the synonyms as established by Lindskog (1995).

Habitats. Saldula recticollis can occupy multiple riparian habitats, including banks of rivers and lakes ( Fig. 29 ).

Distribution in China. Saldula recticollis has a wide distribution across latitude in China, especially predominant in southeastern and southern China, including Hubei (Chen 1987, Chen & Lindskog 1994, Vinokurov et al. 2018), Guangdong (Vinokurov 2015, Vinokurov et al. 2018), Guangxi (new record), Hebei (Chen 1987, Chen & Lindskog 1994, Vinokurov et al. 2018), Jiangsu (new record), Jiangxi ( Vinokurov et al. 2018), Sichuan (Chen 1987, Chen & Lindskog 1994, Vinokurov et al. 2018), Heilongjiang (Chen 1987, Chen & Lindskog 1994, Vinokurov et al. 2018), Anhui (new record), Fujian ( Drake & Maa 1954, Chen & Lindskog 1994, Vinokurov et al. 2018), Hunan (Chen 1987, Chen & Lindskog 1994, Vinokurov et al. 2018), Guizhou ( Chen & Lindskog 1994, Vinokurov et al. 2018), Qinghai (Chen 1987, Chen & Lindskog 1994, Vinokurov et al. 2018), Sichuan (Chen 1987, Chen & Lindskog 1994, Vinokurov et al. 2018) and Yunnan (Chen 1987, Chen & Lindskog 1994, Vinokurov et al. 2018).

General distribution. East-Asian species including China, Japan, Korea and Russian Far East ( Drake & Maa 1954, Horváth 1899, Vinokurov 1981, Chen & Lindskog 1994, Lindskog 1995).

Figures

FIGURE 16. Saldula recticollis. a, dorsal habitus, scale=2.0 mm; b–e, variation of hemelytra, scale=2.0 mm; f–h, different views of paramere, scale=0.2 mm; i, parandria, scale=0.2 mm.

FIGURES 25–30. In situ photographs of Saldula species. (25) S. arenicola arenicola; (26) S. nobilis; (27) S. opacula, photo by Beichen Zhang; (28) S. pallipes; (29) S. recticollis; (30) S. saltatoria.