Stenocephalidae, Dallas, 1852

Grebennikov, K. A., 2022, First record of Dicranocephalus marginatus (Heteroptera: Stenocephalidae) for the fauna of Russia and Europe, Russian Entomological Journal 31 (4), pp. 359-361 : 359-361

Family Stenocephalidae

Dicranocephalus marginatus (Ferrari, 1874) Figs 1–6 .

MATERIAL. 1 ♂, Russia, Astrakhan Prov., Narimanoskiy

Distr., Davsna sands, 1.7 km SW of Barkhany Settlm., 46.672°E

46.292°N, 28.05.2016, K.A. Grebennikov leg.

NOTE. One specimen was collected by net sweeping in a dry sandy steppe from Euphorbia seguieriana Neck., 1770 .

How to cite this article: Grebennikov K.A. 2022. First record of Dicranocephalus marginatus ( Heteroptera : The biology of the species is very poorly studied. Based on the available records [ Moulet, 1995; Carapezza et al., 2017; Bolu, 2020], it can be concluded that the species occurs on plants of the genus Euphorbia in various desert and steppe habitats.

The specimen examined undoubtedly belongs to D. marginatus , and not to the closely related D. putoni (Horváth, 1897) reinstated from the synonymy of the latter by Tshernova [1996], since the specimen has three dark rings on the second antennal segment, the light lateral stripe at corium, covering base of its outer vein, and rather sparse setae on the tibiae and antennae. The structure of the parameres of the specimen is also more similar to D. marginatus , but not to D. putoni ( Figs 5–10 ), in the comparison with drawings by Lansbury [1965].

Most likely, D. marginatus is one of the elements of the Central Asian desert complex, entering to the south of the Lower Volga region from Kazakhstan along the Baer Knolls (the northwestern edge of which is the Davsna sands). Therefore, it is also almost certainly present in the south of the Republic of Kalmykia. Apparently, this region is also the northern border of the range of this species.

DISTRIBUTION. Russia (Astrakhan Province), new record; Asia: Kazakhstan (Asian part), Kirgizia, Uzbekistan, Tadzhikistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and India [ Moulet, 1995; Dolling, 2006; Carapezza et al., 2017; Bolu, 2020).

Acknowledgments. I am sincerely thankful to Mikhail Mokrousov (Nizhniy Novgorod) for the organization of the expedition, during which D. marginatus was found.

Figures

Figs 1–4. Dicranocephalus marginatus, male: 1–2 — habitus; 3–4 — pygophore; 1, 3 — dorsal view; 2 — ventral view; 4 — caudal view. Рис. 1–4. Dicranocephalus marginatus, самец: 1–2 — внеШний вид; 3–4 — пигофор; 1, 3 — сверху; 2 — сниЗу; 4 — сЗади.

Figs 5–10. Dicranocephalus spp., male paramere: 5–6 — D. marginatus; 7–8 – D. putoni; 9–10—D. marginatus; 5, 7, 9 — outer view; 6, 8, 10 — inner view; 5–8 — after Lansbury [1965]. Рис. 5–10. Dicranocephalus spp., самцы, парамеры: 5–6 — D. marginatus; 7–8 – D. putoni; 9–10—D. marginatus; 5, 7, 9 — снаружи; 6, 8, 10 — иЗнутри; 5–8 — по Lansbury [1965].