Saldula burmanica Lindskog, 1975

Saldula burmanica Lindskog, 1975 View in CoL

( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 )

Saldula burmanica Lindskog, 1975: 163 View in CoL ; Cobben, 1985: 223; Chen & Ling, 1987: 15; Chen & Zheng, 1987: 395; Chen & Lindskog, 1994: 407; Lindskog, 1995: 127; Vinokurov, 2015: 581; Vinokurov & Kment, 2015: 374 View Cited Treatment ; Vinokurov et al., 2018: 134.

Chinese common name. aeḙãø.

Material examined. CHINA: Shaanxi: 1 female, Baoji city, Taibaishan Mountain, Dayehai Lake, 18 August 1956, Yao Zhou leg. (NKUM). Yunnan: 1 male, 2 females, Tengchong city, Zhengding Nature Reserve Station, 2120 m, 12 August 2006, Hua Guo leg. (NKUM); 1 female, Yuxi city, Yuanjiang county, Wangxiangtai Nature Reserve, 2020 m, 23 July 2006, Weibing Zhu leg. (NKUM); 1 female, Yuxi city, Yuanjiang county, Nanxi Forest, 2000 m, 21 July 2006, Cuiqing Gao leg. (NKUM); 1 male, 6 females, Tengchong city, 12 August 2006, Xin Yu leg. (NKUM); 1 female, Honghe Prefecture, Pingbian county, Jiuceng Waterfall, 22.9631°N, 108.6800°E, 1633 m, 1 July 2018, Juanjuan Yuan leg. (NKUM); 3 males, 3 females, Ailaoshan Mountain, Xujiaba, 9 May 1984, Liu leg. (NKUM); 1 female, Tengchong city, Shaba village, 24.9554°N, 98.5472°E, 27 April 2023, Zihe Li leg. (NKUM). Xizang: 2 females, Rikaze city, Yadong county, 27.6152°N, 89.0400°E, 3958 m, 15 July 2023, Juhong Chen leg. (NKUM); 3 males, 3 females, Rikaze city, Yadong county, Duoda Waterfall, 27.6177°N, 89.0399°E, 4105 m, 8 August 2024, Zihe Li leg. (NKUM); 1 female, Rikaze city, Nielamu county, Lixin village, 2550 m, 25 July 1984 (NKUM).

Diagnosis. Body relatively stout, predominantly brachypterous, dorsum with long, erect or suberect setae ( Fig. View FIGURE 4

4a). Head short and wide, antennomere II yellowish brown, with dense, long, suberect setae; transverse swelling, mandibular plates and maxillary plates yellowish to yellowish-brown, with dark markings in females, anteclypeus mainly yellowish with dark markings, labrum yellowish with black apex, labiomeres III+IV mainly yellowish-brown; preocellar spots nearly triangular, relatively narrow, attached to inner margin of compound eyes. Pronotum short and wide, lateral margin nearly straight; hemelytra mainly black, with scattered pale spots, color pattern without large variation ( Fig. 4b–c View FIGURE 4 ); legs mainly yellowish, femora with dark stripes on ventral side and with dark spots on lateral side, tibiae with infuscate apex, basal part of each tibia with a dark spot on dorsal side, tarsomere III of each leg infuscate. Male paramere with sparse, long hairs on dorsal side, processus sensualis distinctly protruding, with a small tuft of short setae ( Fig. 4d–f View FIGURE 4 ); parandria wide and blunt, inner half with weaker sclerotization, distance between inner margins relatively narrow ( Fig. 4g View FIGURE 4 ); median endosomal sclerite small, short and wide, strongly sclerotized, with a blunt apex. Female subgenital plate sub-triangular, completely black.

Comparative notes. Saldula burmanica is closely related to S. orthochila . Comparative notes on these species were provided by Lindskog (1975): antennomere II of S. burmanica is mainly yellowish to yellowish-brown, with long hairs that are 1.5–2.0 times the width of antennomere II, whereas S. orthochila has primarily black antennomere II with erect hairs 3 times the width of the segment. The clypeus area and mouthpart sclerites are darker in S. burmanica . Furthermore, the pale spots on the hemelytra are mainly whitish in S. burmanica but predominantly yellowish in S. orthochila . The apical and basal spots on the clavus are subequal in size in S. burmanica , whereas in S. orthochila , the basal spot is slightly smaller than the apical spot, and the basal spot may even be missing in darker individuals. Additionally, the processus sensualis of male paramere is prominent in S. burmanica but relatively flat in S. orthochila . Cobben (1985) also noted that S. burmanica has long, erect, dark setae on its dorsum, a feature absent in S. orthochila .

Discussion. Saldula burmanica was first placed in the “ orthochila -group” by Lindskog (1975) with S. orthochila , S. nobilis and the Nearctic species S. bouchervillei (Provancher, 1872) due to the presence of long erect hairs on antennomere II. However, the species in the “ orthochila -group” do not appear to fit within Saldula (s.str.) ( Lindskog & Polhemus 1992, Lindskog 1995). Upon examination of the specimens of S. burmanica , S. nobilis and S. orthochila , we found that these species lack the synapomorphic characters of Saldula (s.str.) (i.e., eye spot on median cell of endocorium and laminar projection on the male median endosomal sclerite). Consequently, we agree that these species do not fit within Saldula (s.str.).

Habitats. This species is predominantly found in the mountainous regions of Southwest China and the IndoChina Peninsula, with a preference for high-elevation habitats above 2000 m. Lindskog (1975) noted that the " orthochila -group" exhibits a distribution that extends into more terrestrial habitats, suggesting a gradual shift towards dry-land habitats. Specimens collected in Tengchong, Yunnan, were found on sandy, dry land in the vicinity of a pond, further supporting Lindskog’s observations regarding the group’s ecological preferences.

Distribution in China. Shaanxi ( Chen & Lindskog 1994, Vinokurov et al. 2018), Sichuan ( Chen & Lindskog 1994, Vinokurov 2015, Vinokurov et al. 2018), Yunnan ( Chen & Lindskog 1994, Vinokurov 2015, Vinokurov et al. 2018), Xizang ( Chen & Lindskog 1994, Vinokurov et al. 2018).

General distribution. Distributed in Himalayas and Hengduan Mountains region (i.e., Pakistan, India, Nepal, Myanmar, Vietnam and Southwest China) ( Lindskog 1975, Cobben 1985, Chen & Lindskog 1994, Lindskog 1995, Vinokurov 2015, Vinokurov & Kment 2015).