Saldula melanoscela ( Fieber, 1859 )

Saldula melanoscela ( Fieber, 1859) View in CoL

( Figs 7 View FIGURE 7 , 20 View FIGURES 20–24 )

Salda melanoscela Fieber, 1859: 236 . Acanthia melanoscela Reuter, 1891: 155 . Saldula melanoscela View in CoL : Kiritshenko (1951: 97); Cobben, 1960: 254; Chen & Zheng, 1987: 395; Péricart, 1990: 172; Chen & Lindskog, 1994: 407; Lindskog, 1995: 129; Vinokurov et al., 2012: 58; Vinokurov & Kment, 2015: 376; Vinokurov et al., 2018: 134.

Chinese common name. Ḇdzãø.

Material examined. CHINA: Beijing: 1 male, Xishan Mountain, 20 April 1983 (NKUM); 1 female, Xishan Mountain, 19 April 1984, Huanguang Zou leg. (NKUM); Tianjin: 1 female, Ji county, Huangyaguan, 16 April 1979 (NKUM). Gansu: 1 male, 1 female, Wuwei city, Tianzhu county, X151 County Road, 37.7306°N, 102.4306°E, 2184 m, 4 July 2023, Zihe Li leg. (NKUM); 2 females, Zhangye city, Gaotai county, Gaotai Wetland Park, 39.3862°N, 99.8208°E, 1284 m, 17 July 2023, Zhen Ye leg. (NKUM). Xinjiang: 1 male, 1 female, Altai Prefecture, Altai city, Dadonggou, 47.951°N, 88.1026°E, 1042 m, 25 July 2023, Zihe Li leg. (NKUM); 1 female, Ili Prefecture, Tekesi county, 1200 m, 4 August 2002, Weibing Zhu leg. (NKUM). Sichuan: 1 female, Aba Prefecture, Ruoergai county, Tangke town, 4 August 1964, Shengli Liu leg. (NKUM).

Diagnosis. Body relatively small, dorsum with short, recumbent setae ( Fig. 7a View FIGURE 7 ). Head short and wide, antennomeres relatively short, apical half of antennomere II yellowish, antennomeres III+IV black; transverse swelling, mandibular plates, maxillary plates and anteclypeus yellowish to pale-yellowish, labrum mainly black with median part dark-yellowish, labiomeres III+IV black to blackish-brown; preocellar spots relatively small, cuneiform. Pronotum short and wide, lateral margin of pronotum nearly straight; exocorium with a large pale spot on basal half, connected with eye spot and formed a large C-shaped pale spot, apical half of endocorium with scattered triangular pale spots, clavus with a pale spot on apical half, usually with an additional pale spot on basal half ( Fig. 7b View FIGURE 7 ); femora mainly black only remain yellowish on distal part, tibiae mainly yellowish, dorsal side of foretibia and middle tibia with interrupted black stripe, tarsomeres mainly pale-yellowish, tarsomere III of each leg with dark apex. Paramere slender, with long setae on dorsal side, processus hamatus long and slender, processus sensualis blunt, with a small tuft of short setae ( Fig. 7c–e View FIGURE 7 ); parandria with blunt apex, inner half sclerotized weaker ( Fig. 7f View FIGURE 7 ); median endosomal sclerites U-shape, relatively short and wide. Apex of female subgenital plate relatively blunt, with pale margin.

Comparative notes. Saldula melanoscela is similar to S. pericarti but can be easily distinguished by the dark coloration of the femora. Moreover, S. pericarti has longer setae on the dorsal side of the head and thorax than does S. melanoscela .

Habitats. Recently collected materials from Gansu and Xinjiang were discovered near streams in forested mountains ( Fig. 20 View FIGURES 20–24 )

Distribution in China. Inner Mongolia ( Wang & Li 2012, Vinokurov et al. 2018), Beijing (new record), Tianjin ( Chen & Lindskog 1994, Vinokurov et al. 2018), Gansu (new record), Xinjiang ( Chen & Lindskog 1994, Vinokurov et al. 2012, Vinokurov et al. 2018), Sichuan ( Chen & Lindskog 1994, Vinokurov et al. 2018), Xizang ( Chen & Lindskog 1994, Vinokurov et al. 2018).

General distribution. Widely distributed across Eurasia ( Schuh et al. 1987, Lindskog 1995, Larivière & Larochelle 2018, Vinokurov et al. 2018).