Acetropis carinata ( Herrich-Schaeffer, 1841 )

Zamani, Mozhgan, Hosseini, Reza & Konstantinov, Fedor V., 2025, New records and an illustrated taxonomic key to the genera of the tribe Stenodemini (Hemiptera: Miridae) in Iran, Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics 11 (1), pp. 1-20 : 3

Acetropis carinata ( Herrich-Schaeffer, 1841) ( Figs 1D, 1E, 1I, 1M; 2A–F; 3A–B; 4A–B)

Lopus carinatus Herrich-Schaeffer, 1841:49 .

Acetropis carinatus : Fieber, 1861:244; Kerzhner, 1964:962; Wagner, 1974:102.

Material examined. ARDABIL: Asalem-Khalkhal rd Site 3 (37°34'48.6"N 48°39'39.1"E) , 22.vi.2021, 1♂; 11.vii.2022, R. Hosseini 1♂ ; 27.vi.2022, R. Hosseini 1♂ / 1♀ .

Diagnosis. Males macropterous; females submacropterous (hemelytra usually reaching apex of abdomen). Body narrow and elongated, stramineous, with longitudinal black stripes and covered with scarse, fine and adpressed silvery setae; head porrect; frons projecting to the anterior margin of clypeus, pointed at apex; ocular index 1.72–1.81 ♂ / 3♀; antenna uniformly black; labium reaching metacoxa; pronotum with distinct longitudinal median carina, lateral margins broadly explanate; apophysis of left paramere narrowing towards apex, apically hook shaped ( Fig. 2E–F); endosoma with two spicules ( Fig. 2A); median process of female genitalia elongated and apically trifurcated ( Fig. 3A); dorsal margin of second valvulae with a few teeth ( Fig. 4A).

Measurements. body length ♂ / ♀: 7.38–7.48/6.7; interocular width/width of eye ♂ / ♀: 0.4/0.59; lengths of antennal segments I–IV ♂ / ♀: 0.68–0.77, 2.2–2.4, 1.43, 0.5/ 0.92, 2.9, 1.43, 0.52; 2nd segment ♂ / ♀: 2.4–2.6×/ 2.9× as long as width of head; length of pronotum (dorsal view) ♂ / ♀: 0.7/0.8; posterior width of pronotum ♂ / ♀: 1.6/1.6.

Male genitalia. Genital opening directed posteriorly; left paramere sickle-shaped, dorsally sinuated, sensory lobe with setiferous tuberculus, apophysis narrowing towards apex, apically hook shaped; right paramere club-shaped, medially constricted, pointed at apex; vesica with membranous lobes and two spicules; secondary gonopore V-shaped and thickened rims; ductus seminis narrow, sclerotized, distal half with indistinct coils ( Fig. 2A–F).

Female genitalia. D orsal labiate plate membranous; sclerotized rings moderately large, elongate-oval, distinctly separated, oriented obliquely; posterior wall with interramal sclerites (medially connected), spinulate interramal lobes (medially separated), dorsal structure rounded and spinulate, median process elongated and apically trifurcated. First valvulae almost triangular and finally serrate, ventral margin of second valvulae edentate and dorsal margin with a few teeth ( Fig. 3A–B).

General distribution. Europe: Austria, Belgium, Bosnia Hercegovina, Bulgaria, Belarus, Crete?, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Moldavia, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia (Central and south territories of European), Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine; North Africa: Algeria, Tunisia; Asia: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkey ( Aukema, 2024).

Comments. Acetropis carinata could be easily distinguished from A. longirostris Puton, 1875 , a species found in adjacent countries of Iran ( Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkey) by the following characters: pronotum has a distinct longitudinal carina in the middle, the apex of the frons is pointed and covers the clypeus, and the labium reaches metacoxae. In A. longirostris the pronotum has an indistinct carina, the apex of the frons does not cover the clypeus and the labium extends well beyond the metacoxae ( Kerzhner, 1964).

Biology. Adults are found from June to the end of July; it overwinters as an egg, and has one generation per year ( Wachmann et al., 2004). Acetropis carinata is reported for the first time from Iran. This species was collected by sweeping grasses in a hilly pasture ( Fig. 5A–B).