Platycranus remanei Wagner, 1955

Figures 20–23, 53–56, 59, 82–83, 93–97, 138–145, 155, 167, 182–184, 199–200

Platycranus remanei Wagner, 1955: 128 [n.sp.]; Carvalho, 1958: 125 [cat.]; Wagner, 1974: 155 [descr.]; Schuh, 1995: 183 [cat.]

Platycranus minutus Wagner, 1955: 130 [n.sp.]; Carvalho, 1958: 125 [cat.]; Wagner, 1974: 155 [descr.]; Schuh, 1995: 183 [cat.] New synonymy

Platycranus orientalis Linnavuori, 1965: 55 [n.sp.]; Wagner, 1974: 156 [descr.]; Schuh, 1995: 183 [cat.] New synonymy

Platycranus jurineae Putshkov, 1985: 148 [n.sp.]; Schuh, 1995: 182 [cat.] New synonymy

Platycranus boreae Gogala, 2002: 14 [n.sp.] New synonymy

Diagnosis. Distinguished by the following combination of characters: pale coloration (Figs. 20–23; 53–56), relatively small first antennal segment, 0.3–0.4 × as long as width of head, wide vertex, male 1.9–2.7 ×, female 2.6–3.5 × as wide as eye, strongly tapering right paramere with more or less sharp apex (Figs. 138–145), interramal lobes twin-coned (Figs. 182–184). Most similar to P. b i c o l o r but differs in absence of black simple setae on head and pronotum, and in having comparatively long pulvillus.

Description. Male. Small, 3.6–4.8. COLORATION. Head: uniformly greenish yellow (Figs. 53–54); first and second antennal segments yellow, third and fourth segments pale brown. Thorax: uniformly greenish yellow, with pale brown scuto-scutellar suture. Hemelytron: yellow to green; membrane more or less darkened. Legs: yellow, apical part of the third segment dark brown. Abdomen: yellow, sometimes dorsally brown. SURFACE AND VESTITURE. Mesial stiff setae on first antennal segment present; antenna with pale to pale brown simple setae. STRUCTURE. Head: vertex 1.89–2.69 × as wide as eye; first antennal segment 0.3–0.4 × as long as width of head; second antennal segment 1.24–1.69 × as long as width of head and 1.04–1.37 × as long as width of pronotum. Thorax: pronotum with slightly concave margins, 1.82–2.23 × as wide as long and 1.10–1.29 × as wide as head.

Hemelytron: cuneus twice as long as wide. Legs: third tarsal segment nearly equal in length to first and second combined; pulvillus relatively long and reaching midpoint of claw (Figs. 199–200). GENITALIA. Genital capsule as in Figs. 82–83. Left paramere as in Figs. 93–97. Right paramere with strongly tapering apex (Fig. 138–145); aedeagus as in Fig. 155.

Female. Small, 3.0–4.1. COLORATION, SURFACE AND VESTITURE. As in male. STRUCTURE. Similar to male except larger interocular distance, vertex 2.63–3.54 × as wide as eye; first antennal segment 0.3–0.39 × as long as width of head; second antennal segment 1.03–1.37 × as long as width of head and 0.94–1.29 × as long as width of pronotum. GENITALIA. Interramal lobes twin-coned (Figs. 182–184); sclerotized rings as in Fig. 167.

Distribution. Prior to this study, P. re m a n e i has been known only from Spain and France. P. m i n u t u s sensu Wagner, 1955 was collected from several localities in Spain, but other species treated here as junior synonyms of P. remanei, namely P. orientalis Linnavuori, 1965, P. jurineae Putshkov, 1985, and P. b o re a e Gogala, 2002 were known only from type localities in Turkey, Ukraine, and Slovenia respectively. Thus, the distributional area of P. remanei extends to Portugal and Pontevedra prov. of Spain in the west and to central Turkey and Ukraine in the east (Fig. 59). The record from Sintra is the first record of the species for Portugal.

FIGURES 156–161. Female genital structures: 156— P. e r b e r i, dorsal labiate plate; 157–161, sclerotized rings: 157— P. e r b e r i; 158— P. lindbergi; 159— P. hartigi; 160–161— P. p u t o n i, 160— Libya, 161— Israel; arrow indicates inner distal angle of sclerotized rings.

Host associations. The species has been recorded from Genista spp ., viz. Genista versicolor Boissier (= G. baetica Spach) (Wagner 1960), Genista sp. aff. tchihatchewi Boissier (Linnavuori 1965), Genista sericea Wulfen (Gogala 2002) . Putshkov (1985) indicated Jurinea stoechadifolia (Bieberstein) de Candolle from the family Asteraceae as a host for P. jurineae . This indication seems doubtful because all other representatives of the genus are strictly associated with the legume tribe Genisteae .

Discussion. Wagner (1955) described P. remanei from southern France and P. m i n u t u s from north-eastern Spain in one paper and distinguished them on the grounds of minor distinctions in measurements, viz. difference in the width of vertex. Linnavuori (1965) described P. orientalis from the Asian part of Turkey and distinguished it from P. re m a n e i and P. m i n u t u s in the length and width of the body and relative antennal length. Both Wagner and Linnavuori provided the figures of male genitalia, which however were not suitable for comparison because of the different viewing angles and style of imaging. P. j u r i n e a e was described from Ukraine (Putshkov 1985 from Jurinea stoechadifolia (Asteraceae), although all other species are known to feed on legumes. Gogala (2002) described one more species, P. boreae, from the mountain Lipnik in Slovenia. Gogala emphasized the endemism of the new species, its relatively small sizes, and peculiar shape of the male genital capsule with deep incision of the dorsal wall. Based on figures published by Putshkov (1985), he indicated that P. boreae and P. j u r i n e a e apparently have similar structure of the genital capsule.

Examination of all available material including type series allowed us to conclude that all five species are conspecific. No distinctions were found in widely overlapping sizes and ratios (see Table 1), and the aedeagus and left paramere are similar in all studied specimens. The right paramere slightly varies in the shape of its apex (compare Figs. 144–145 for P. re m a n e i, Fig. 138 for P. b o re ae, Figs. 139–140 for P. j ur i ne a e, Figs. 141–142 for P. minutus and Fig. 143 for P. orientalis); but these distinctions do not allow for recognition of any isolated group. We also failed to observe the distinctive features in the structure of genital capsule (Figs. 82–83) as discussed by Dr. Gogala. All dry male specimens of P. remanei as well as specimens of other Platycranus species have similar looking dorsal depressions of the genital capsule which corresponds to the wrinkled dorsal membrane between segments IX and X. In the female genital structures only interramal lobes show some variability, which however does not delimit those species as well (compare Fig. 182 for P. b o re a e, Fig. 183 for P. j u r i n e a e and Fig. 184 for P. remanei). Thus we propose the following synonymy: P. remanei Wagner, 1955 = P. minutus Wagner, 1955 = P. orientalis Linnavuori, 1965 = P. jurineae Putshkov, 1985 = P. boreae Gogala, 2002 .

Material. Holotype of P. r e m a n e i: SPAIN: Catalonia: Celra, 42.0333 ° N 2.8833 ° E, 67 m, 26 Sep 1929, Remane, 13 (AMNH _PBI 00183851) (ZMUH).

Paratypes of P. r em an e i: FRANCE: Arles, Montagnettes, 43.67 ° N 4.63 ° E, 30 Jun 1954 - 0 2 Jul 1954, E. Wagner, 5Ƥ (AMNH _PBI 00336844- AMNH _PBI 00336848) (ZMUH); 30 Jun 1954 - 0 2 Jul 1954, Weber, 13 (AMNH _PBI 00334837) (LCRT), 13 (AMNH _PBI 00336841) (ZMUH), 33 (AMNH _PBI 0 0 336213, AMNH _PBI 0 0 336214, AMNH _PBI 00336216), 3Ƥ (AMNH _PBI 00336217- AMNH _PBI 00336219) (ZSM). SPAIN: Catalonia: Celra, 42.0333 ° N 2.8833 ° E, 67 m, 26 Sep 1929, Remane, 13 (AMNH _PBI 00336840), 2Ƥ (AMNH _PBI 0 0 336842, AMNH _PBI 00336843) (ZMUH).

Holotype of P. minutus: SPAIN: Sierra Nevada, 37.0 5 ° N 3.3 ° W, 21 Jul 1926 - 24 Jul 1926, Lindberg, 13 (AMNH _PBI 00336853) (ZMUH).

Paratypes of P. m i n u t u s: SPAIN: Sierra Nevada, 37.0 5 ° N 3.3 ° W, 21 Jul 1926 - 24 Jul 1926, Lindberg, 23 (AMNH _PBI 0 0 340442, AMNH _PBI 00340443) (BMNH), 33 (AMNH _PBI 0 0 183852, AMNH _PBI 00336854), 2Ƥ (AMNH _PBI 0 0 336859, AMNH _PBI 00336860) (ZMUH).

Paratypes of P. orientalis: TURKEY: Kirsehir: Hirfenli, 39.28333 ° N 33.53333 ° E, 0 7 Aug 1963 - 0 8 Aug 1963, Linnavuori, 2Ƥ (AMNH _PBI 0 0 340448, AMNH _PBI 00340449) (BMNH), 63 (AMNH _PBI 0 0 334827, AMNH _PBI 00334828), 2Ƥ (AMNH _PBI 0 0 334827, AMNH _PBI 00334828) (LCRT), 33 (AMNH _PBI 0 0 336252, AMNH _PBI 00336253), 5Ƥ (AMNH _PBI 0 0 336252, AMNH _PBI 00336253) (NMWC), 1Ƥ (AMNH _PBI 00314173), 13 (AMNH _PBI 00314174) (ZISP).

Paratypes of P. b o r e a e: SLOVENIA: mt Lipnik above the village Zazid in Cicarija, 45.46666 ° N 13.96666 ° E, 800 m, 0 7 Jul 2001, Gogala A., Genista sericea (Fabaceae), 13 (AMNH _PBI 00336371), 1Ƥ (AMNH _PBI 00336370) (PMSL).

Paratypes of P. j u r i n e a e: UKRAINE: Khomutovskaya Steppe, Donetsk Distr., 47.114 ° N 38.082 ° E, 0 9 Jun 1981, Putshkov, Jurinea stoechadifolia (Asteraceae), 13 (AMNH _PBI 00334829), 1Ƥ (AMNH _PBI 00334830) (LCRT), 13 (AMNH _PBI 00314334) Jurinea stoechadifolia (Asteraceae), 23 (AMNH _PBI 0 0 314333, AMNH _PBI 00314335), 5Ƥ (AMNH _PBI 00314334- AMNH _PBI 0 0 314336, AMNH _PBI 00314333) (ZISP).

Other Specimens Examined: FRANCE: Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur: Va u cl us e C o.: Avignon, 43.953 ° N 4.812 ° E, no date provided, collector unknown, 1Ƥ (AMNH _PBI 00336207) (HNHM). Arles, Montagnettes, 43.67 ° N 4.63 ° E, 22 Jul 1956, E. Wagner, 1Ƥ (AMNH _PBI 00336865) (ZMUH). PORTUGAL: Lisboa: Sintra, 38.8 ° N 9.38 ° W, 23 Jul 1957 - 24 Jul 1957, R.H. Cobben, 1Ƥ (AMNH _PBI 00336863) (ZMUH). SPAIN: Andalucia: Sierra Nevada Mts., between Veleta and Nordhang, 37.11 ° N 3.62 ° W, 2500 m, 28 Jul 1959, E. Wagner, 53 (AMNH _PBI 00336855- AMNH _PBI 00336858), 2Ƥ (AMNH _PBI 0 0 336861, AMNH _PBI 00336862) (ZMUH); 31 Jul 1959, E. Wagner, 1Ƥ (AMNH _PBI 00336230) (ZSM). Catalonia: Berga (Bergueda), 42.1014 ° N 1.8438 ° E, 706 m, 25 Aug 1979, J. Ribes, Genista scorpius (Fabaceae), 2Ƥ (AMNH _PBI 00336229) (JR); 28 Aug 1979, J. Ribes, Genista scorpius (Fabaceae), 2Ƥ (AMNH _PBI 00336368) (LCRT). Lladurs (Solsones), 42.044 ° N 1.50931 ° E, 828 m, 25 Aug 1979, J. Ribes, Genista scorpius (Fabaceae), 13 (AMNH _PBI 00336234), 1Ƥ (AMNH _PBI 00336234) (ZSM). Prades (Baix Camp), 41.3 ° N 0.98333 ° E, 18 Aug 1987, Ribes, 13 (AMNH _PBI 00336260), 1Ƥ (AMNH _PBI 00336260) (JR). Santuari de Lord (Solsones), 42.11531 ° N 1.58193 ° E, 25 Aug 1979, J. Ribes, Genista scorpius (Fabaceae), 3Ƥ (AMNH _PBI 00336256) (JR). Navarra: Araminon (Araba), Euskadi, 37.88333 ° S 175.0 5 ° E, 11 Aug 1984, Eva Ribes, 13 (AMNH _PBI 00336259), 1Ƥ (AMNH _PBI 00336259) (JR), 1Ƥ (AMNH _PBI 00314122), 13 (AMNH _PBI 00314122) (ZISP). Pontevedra: Ons Island, 42.381 ° N 8.933 ° W, no date provided, H. Franz, 1Ƥ (AMNH _PBI 00336864) (ZMUH). Sierra Nevada Veleta, 37.08333 ° N 3.16667 ° W, 25 Jul 1959 - 0 4 Aug 1959, H. H. Weber, 13 (AMNH _PBI 00336369) (LCRT), 13 (AMNH _PBI 00336215) (NMWC), 3Ƥ (AMNH _PBI 00336231- AMNH _PBI 00336233), 13 (AMNH _PBI 00336235) (ZSM).