Spilostethus pandurus morphs

Spilostethus pandurus pandurus (Scopoli, 1763)

Europe, North Africa, Near East:

Though well characterized, there is a naming problem with this subspecies. Though, for the species, Scopoli's 1763 name pandurus prevails, it was Cimex militaris Fabricius 1775 that was used by Stål in 1868 as a type species to erect genus Spilostethus (by then, a subgenus only), before the two were strictly synonymised.
Scopoli's *pandurus* is coming from central Europe, while the precise location for Fabricius' militaris is unknown. It is therefore the same species, but possibly the same subspecies or not, than S. pandurus pandurus.

This subspecies was the one introduced in America, from an unknown origin.

Indian subcontinent:

Amila P. Sumanapala, Mannar, Sri Lanka, feb.04.2020

Somehow more greyish; back colour greyish red rather than truly red or brown-red; coriae veins infused with grey. Corial black pattern more a spot rather than a bar, often not reaching the outer corial margin, interrupted by the grey vein. Greenish yellow patterns on the pronotum fainted, sometimes missing.
Closer to S. hospes in overal aspect, due to the shape of corial black markings.

This morph is possibly either Spilostethus pandurus militaris (Fabricius, 1775), or unnamed.
Fabricius' original description only mentions "Asia", with no precision. It is therefore possible, either, that Fabricius' Cimex militaris is a synonym to S. pandurus pandurus (Scopoli, 1763), or, if originating from the Indian subcontinent, that this is still as a subspecies.

Spilostethus pandurus tetricus (Horváth, 1909)

A pretty dark subspecies, endemic to Canary Islands; outer corial margin is outlined with a dark line, at least on its apical half. Corial veins most often darkened too, sometimes also pronotal margins. The pronotal greenish yellow patches are somehow partly encased, usually not to the point of S. pandurus elegans.

Spilostethus pandurus elegans (Wolff, 1802)

A subspecies well defined by its unique pronotal pattern, and whitish or grey membrane. Pale yellowish pronotal spot vividly coloured, brightly contrasting, and well defined, outlined, sub-quadrate.
Quite dark, infused with grey, corial veins greyish, outer corial margin and pronotal margin usually still light. Darker ones can look close to light S. pandurus tetricus, in which cases the bigger, well defined, squared yellow pronotal patches, and the whitish membrane helps discriminating both.

Spilostethus pandurus asiaticus (Kolenati, 1845)

Thierry Cordenos, Madagascar, dec-21 2022

Erroneously described by Kolenati from "Asia", rather a Madagascar endemic; a slender, strinkingly contrasted subspecies, with colour pattern red and black, usually with no grey and but very few yellow, if any. The most striking feature being the uniformly greasy black, unspotted membrane, that gives this subspecies an overall aspect close to that of a Spilostethus furcula (or even S. hospes). The entirely black scutellum (as for every S. pandurus) then provide the surest way to determinate (red tip in both S. furcula and S. hospes).

הועלה ב-אפריל 29, 2023 04:55 אחה"צ על ידי fabienpiednoir