Orectoderus Uhler. The 1876

GENUS ORECTODERUS UHLER

Type species: Orectoderus obliquus Uhler, 1876 (by monotypy).

Orectoderus Uhler, 1876: 319 (original description); Scudder, 1882: 222 (index); Atkinson, 1890: 175 (catalog); Smith, 1890: 428 (catalog); Reuter, 1910: 151 (catalog); Schouteden, 1913: 156 (reference); Van Duzee, 1916a: 210 (key), 1917: 368 (catalog); Knight, 1922: 67 (note), 1923: 474 (key), 1941: 22 (key), 1968a (diagnosis, key to males), 1968b: 23 (key); Blatchely, 1926: 915 (key), 916 (description); Carvalho, 1952: 70 (catalog), 1955a: 61 (key); Kelton, 1959: 47 (diagnosis); Bliven, 1962: 52–53 (description, discussion), 58 (note); Schuh, 1974: 298 (note, description, discussion), 299 (description, discussion), 302 (note); Kelton, 1980: 282 (diagnosis, key); McIver and Stonedahl, 1987a, 1987b (description, discussion, biology); Polhemus and Polhemus, 1988: 25 (note).

Orectoderes [sic] Reuter, 1909: 65 (description, comments).

DIAGNOSIS: Sexually dimorphic (fig. 3); dorsal surface fuscous, sometimes with pale or pale reddish pattern; vertex flat, rugose; second antennal segment usually inflated distally (fig. 3); pronotum with strong, erect, pale or black or reclining golden, shiny setae (fig. 4D); pronotum trapezoidal or longer than wide; with distinguishable calli; males macropterous; females brachypterous with apex of hemelytra tapering to point, curving in vertical direction; myrmecomorphic (fig. 3); vesica simple, strongly sclerotized, widest at level of secondary gonopore (fig. 5); secondary gonopore not readily identifiable as closed sclerotized ring, but rather as elongate structure, sometimes with large lobes laterally bearing distinct denticles; dorsal labiate plate of female genitalia with large rings (fig. 11); posterior wall bifurcate sclerotized interramally (fig. 11). Distinguished from Pronotocrepis by lateral margin of pronotum and embolium not explanate (fig. 3), second antennal segment just inflated distally (fig. 3), first rostral segment not overlapping proximal margin of gula (fig. 4A). Distinguished from Teleorhinus by vesica (figs. 5, 9), shape of head (figs. 4A, 10A), shape of pronotum (figs. 3, 7), shape of metathoracic pleuron (fig. 10B) and the scent-gland auricle with evaporatory area (figs. 4B, 10B) and by females always brachypterous (fig. 3).

REDESCRIPTION: Male: Total length 5.45–8.45, length apex clypeus-cuneus fracture 3.82– 5.96, width across pronotum 1.23–1.76. COLORATION: Head black; labium black with first segment reddish black; pronotum black; mesoscutum and scutellum black or dark brown; clavus brown with pale or red band along claval suture; corium brown with either white or reddish white band parallel to claval suture reaching apex of clavus or with pale band extending around inner apical angle of corium reaching to base of cuneus; cuneus either completely brown or brown with basal half pale; membrane including veins fuscous; antennal segments 1 to 4 reddish brown or brown with second segment sometimes lighter proximally; venter dark brown; pro-, meso- and metapleuron black; coxae completely brown or orange with brown base; trochanter brown or reddish brown; femora orange, sometimes bright reddish orange; tibia yellowish brown, dark brown apically; tarsus brown, sometimes second tarsal segment brighter than first and third. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: General aspect shiny or rather dull; pronotum and scutellum shiny or rugose with sometimes greyish appearance; pronotum either clothed with strong, erect, pale setae or strong, erect black setae, both types longer than diameter of first antennal segment or with fine golden, shiny reclining setae shorter then diameter of first antennal segment; tibia with black spines; claws straight for most of length, curved apically; large pulvillus connate to ventral surface of claw over its entire length, terminating before curved apical part of claw (fig. 4C); pygophore densely covered by erect setae (fig. 4E). STRUC- TURE: Elongate (fig. 3); head obliquely declining (fig. 4A); labium reaching to meso- or metacoxa; vertex flat and rugose; second antennal segment either slightly or distinctly widened distally; pronotum apically with collarlike, flattened margin. GENITALIA: Phallotheca elongate, curved, pointed apically (fig. 5); vesica simple, strongly sclerotized, apical part beyond secondary gonopore bent, tapering into point (fig. 5); anterior process of leπ paramere either pointed or round apically, sometimes bearing distinct long setae on inner surface (fig. 6); right paramere straight, pointed apically (fig. 5).

Female: Myrmecomorphic, brachypterous; total length 4.62–6.18, width across pronotum 0.86–1.06. COLORATION: Head, pronotum, mesoscutum, scutellum, and hemelytra brownorange or black; corium sometimes with faintly paler band along claval suture; first tergite sometimes pale distally; second tergite sometimes distinctly white proximally; all other tergites black; first antennal segment yellowish orange; second antennal segment yellowish orange proximally, dark brown distally; third and fourth antennal segments yellowish orange or brown; venter black; pro-, meso- and metapleuron brown-orange; coxae, trochanter, femora, and tibia brown-orange; tarsus brown. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: General aspect either shiny or dull; head and pronotum smooth and very shiny or more rugose; pronotum clothed with strong, erect, pale or black setae or with fine, reclining golden shining setae; abdomen clothed with golden shining pale setae. STRUCTURE: Head oblique (fig. 3); second antennal segment usually inflated distally (fig. 3); pronotum with distinctly inflated calli; proximal pronotal edge concave medially; brachypterous, hemelytra pointed, strongly upturned reaching to first abdominal segment (fig. 3); second and third abdominal segments strongly petiolate constricted; connexiva upturned. GENITALIA: Dorsal labiate plate sclerotized laterally (fig. 11); sclerotized rings of dorsal labiate plate large, usually rounded basally and pointed apically; common oviduct sometimes with sclerotized spots laterally; posterior wall with bifurcate interramal sclerites (fig. 11).

HOSTS: Asteraceae, Caprifoliaceae, and Rosaceae. Species of Orectoderus are usually associated with grasses or herbaceous plants. Further, a typical feature for Orectoderus species is their occurrence on the ground in association with ants (Knight, 1941; McIver and Stonedahl, 1987b).

DISTRIBUTION: United States, Canada.

DISCUSSION: Uhler (1876) erected the genus Orectoderus to accommodate the single species, O. obliquus. He mentioned that both sexes have fully developed hemelytra and hind wings, however my study shows that females of Orectoderus are always brachypterous. The taxonomy of Orectoderus has been mainly based on coloration; only Kelton (1980) included the vestiture of the hemelytra in his key to species. Genitalic investigations were conducted on only one species prior to the present study, O. obliquus (Kelton, 1959). Genitalic characters for all Orectoderus species, males as well as females, are discussed herein for the first time.

The features of greatest utility for species discrimination within Orectoderus are the vesica, sclerotized rings, posterior wall, and pronotal vestiture; all exceed the hemelytral vestiture as the most reliable characters. There are three types of pronotal setae: strong, erect setae that are either pale or black and fine, reclining golden, shiny setae. The characteristics of the pronotal calli, sometimes used for species recognition (Knight, 1927; Kelton, 1980), seem to be variable.

Knowledge of the biology of Orectoderus is limited to a detailed study of O. obliquus (McIver and Stonedahl 1987b) from central Oregon.