Orius (Heterorius) minutus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Cimex minutus Linnaeus, 1758: 446 . Neotype (Péricart 1970: 742): ♂, France, near Montereau, Marolles, bord de la Seine (Muséum National d ’ Histoire Naturelle, Paris) [examined].

For further synonyms and references of this species, see Péricart (1996) and Bu and

Zheng (2001).

Specimens examined

Thailand: Chiang Mai: one ♂, Khee Lek, Maetaeng, 8 . i . 1988, Y. Hirose; one ♂, five ♀, Muangkaew, Mae Rim, 9 February 1988, Y . Hirose . All in TYCN .

Additional specimens examined

Japan: Honshu: Gifu: one ♀, Hashizume, Yoro, 19 . vii . 2001, K. Yamada; Nara: one ♂, one ♀, Hatta, Gojo, 28 . vii . 2000, K. Yamada; Osaka: one ♂, six ♀, Hachigamine, Sakai, 25 . vi . 1997, Y. Nakatani; Wakayama: two ♂, four ♀, Minami-hizue, Shingu, 17 . vi . 1997, Y. Nakatani . Kyushu: Nagasaki: four ♀, Iwamatsu, Omura, 25 . ix . 2001, K. Yamada; Kagoshima: one ♀, Mt . Kaimondake, Ibusuki, 28 . vii . 2001, K. Yamada . All in TKPM .

Diagnosis

Recognised by the following characters: head and pronotum black; hemelytra mostly yellowish brown, cuneus apically darkened; metafemora always darkened excepting pale apex; metatibiae usually pale yellow, sometimes darkened at middle; cone wide, strongly rounded, apically obtuse; flagellum much longer; denticule large, contiguous to base of flagellum; copulatory tube slender, tubular, consisting of apical and basal segments, apical segment about half length of basal segment. Detailed diagnostic characters and redescription were provided by Wagner (1952), Péricart (1972) and Yasunaga (1997b).

Distribution

Northern Thailand (Chiang Mai; Yasunaga and Miyamoto, 1993); Palearctic Region (Péricart 1996; Yasunaga 1997b; Lewis and Lattin 2010), North Africa (Péricart 1996).

Remarks

Orius minutu s is closely related to East Asian species O. sauteri (Poppius, 1909) and O. strigicollis (Poppius, 1914) . The structure of the male and female genitalia is the only key character clearly separating the species. Orius minutus can be distinguished from these species by the large denticule being contiguous to base of flagellum (in sauteri, small, near base of flagellum; in strigicollis, slender, small, remote from base of flagellum) and the basal segment of the copulatory tube without expanded apex (in sauteri and strigicollis, with expanded apex). Recently, Lewis and Lattin (2010) suggested that all previous records of O. minutus in North America are based on misidentifications of O. vicinus .