FIRST OR RARE RECORDS OF HETEROPTERA SPECIES IN SLOVENIA
Andrej GOGALA1, Janez KAMIN2, Miroslav KASTELIC3, 
Duša VADNJAL4 & Marko ZDEŠAR5
1 Prirodoslovni muzej Slovenije, Prešernova 20, p.p. 290, SI - 1001 Ljubljana; 
agogala@pms-lj.si
2 Gradnikove brigade 47, SI - 5000 Nova Gorica
3 Cesta na Markovec 3, SI - 6000 Koper
4 Generala Levičnika 46h, SI - 6000 Koper
5 Brezje pri Dobrovi 32, SI - 1356 Dobrova
Abstract – Four species are recorded for Slovenia for the first time: Xylocoris galac-
tinus (Fieber), Pachytomella passerinii (A. Costa), Lygaeus creticus Lucas and Pi-
cromerus conformis (Herrich-Schaeffer). Heterocordylus erythropthalmus (Hahn)
was recorded earlier, but is absent from national checklists. Monosteira unicostata
(Mulsant & Rey) is found in Slovenia for the first time without doubt as the record
for Virovitica refers to Croatia. Halyomorpha halys (Stål) is an invasive alien species,
already established in Nova Gorica. One species, Phytocoris hirsutulus Flor, is omitted
from the list of Slovenian Heteroptera due to misidentification.
KEY WORDS: Hemiptera, Heteroptera, fauna, Slovenia
Izvleček – PRVI ALI REDKI PODATKI O VRSTAH STENIC (HETEROPTERA)
V SLOVENIJI
Štiri vrste so prvič najdene v Sloveniji: Xylocoris galactinus (Fieber), Pachytomella
passerinii (A. Costa), Lygaeus creticus Lucas in Picromerus conformis (Herrich-
Schaeffer). Vrsta Heterocordylus erythropthalmus (Hahn) je že bila zabeležena, a
manjka v pregledih vrst v državi. Vrsta Monosteira unicostata (Mulsant & Rey) je v
Sloveniji prvič najdena brez dvoma, saj podatek za Virovitico pripada Hrvaški. Ha-
lyomorpha halys (Stål) je invazivna tujerodna vrsta, ki se je že ustalila v Novi Gorici.
Ena vrsta, Phytocoris hirsutulus Flor, je umaknjena s seznama slovenskih stenic
zaradi napačne določitve.
KLJUČNE BESEDE: Hemiptera, Heteroptera, favna, Slovenija
55
ACTA ENTOMOLOGICA SLOVENICA
LJUBLJANA, JUNIJ 2018                    Vol. 26, øt. 1: 55–62
Introduction
Since our last contribution to the faunistics of Slovenian Heteroptera (Gogala et
al. 2016), a new alien invasive species was found in Slovenia by M. & D. Jurc (2017):
Corythucha arcuata (Say, 1832). Another alien invasive species, Halyomorpha halys
(Stål, 1855), was found in Nova Gorica by the Institute of agriculture and forestry
Nova Gorica (Rot et al. 2018). We have also detected some species for the first
time in Slovenia. Several of them were found by Janez Kamin on containers for
waste in front of his home in Nova Gorica. The containers of yellow and other colours
(green, blue and white) may act as yellow traps, well known to attract insects, or,
maybe, bugs were discarded into containers together with various plant material.
Amateur nature photographers Duša Vadnjal and Miroslav Kastelic also contributed
two important finds. Specimens, photographed first, were later collected in the same
spots. We report here also on a correction of identification which caused one species,
Phytocoris hirsutulus Flor, 1861, to be omitted from the list of Slovenian Heteroptera
species.
Specimens, identified by A. Gogala, are preserved in the collection of the Slovenian
Museum of Natural History in Ljubljana (PMSL). To avoid misinterpretation of the
localities, coordinates of the 10 x 10 km UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator) grid
are added (Sivec 1980).
List of species
Tingidae
Monosteira unicostata (Mulsant & Rey, 1852)
Koper, Bertoki, Bertoška bonifika, VL04, 1. 8. 2016, 1 adult, photo Miroslav Ka-
stelic, 27. 8. 2016, 1 nymph, photo Miroslav Kastelic, 3. 5. 2017, 1♀ on Populus, M.
Kastelic leg., 8. 5. 2017, 2♀3♂, M. Kastelic leg.
The species was reported for Gorica (Gorizia) by Montandon (1886), but only
now undoubtedly found on the Slovenian coast. Miroslav Kastelic first photographed
an adult and a nymph and later collected specimens on a poplar tree which is known
as a foodplant of the species. It can be found also on other Salicaceae, Betulaceae and
arborescent Rosaceae (Péricart 1983). It is an important pest of almond trees in the
Mediterranean area (Neal & Schaefer 2000, Sánchez-Ramos et al. 2015) and was in-
troduced to North America (Scudder 2012). The record of this species for Slovenia
by Péricart (1983) after Horváth is wrong. The locality Veröcze (Virovitica) is in
Slavonia, Croatia.
Anthocoridae
Xylocoris galactinus (Fieber, 1836)
Nova Gorica, Ledine, UL99, 10. 7. 2017, 1♀, J. Kamin leg., 14. 8. 2017, 1♀, J.
Kamin leg.
This predaceous species lives among fermented vegetation with high humidity
and temperature like compost, manure or hay heaps and also in grain silos where
Acta entomologica slovenica, 26 (1), 2018
56
small nymphs attack mites, while adults and larger nymphs prefer larvae of the co-
leopteran Laemophloeus ferrugineus (Péricart 1972). Two specimens were found by
Janez Kamin on containers for waste in front of his home in Nova Gorica.
Miridae
Pachytomella passerinii (A. Costa, 1842)
Nova Gorica, Ledine, UL99, 22. 11. 2016, 1♀, 27. 11. 2016, 5♀, 22. 4. 2017, 1♀,
25. 4. 2017, 1♀, 10. 11. 2017, 1♂, J. Kamin leg.
Mediterranean species with brachypterous females and macropterous males, living
on Thapsia garganica (Wagner 1973). Janez Kamin found several females and one
male on containers for waste in front of his home in Nova Gorica. The species was
known from Trieste in Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Italy), Dalmatia and Kvarner island
Lošinj (Croatia) (Namyatova 2010, Furlan & Gogala 1995), but had not been recorded
in Slovenia before. In Slovenia, a similar species Pachytomella parallela is also
present, but the distribution areas of both species are well separated as the latter
species is known only from the Alps (Gogala 2006).
Heterocordylus erythropthalmus (Hahn, 1833)
Brezje pri Dobrovi, 337 m, VL49, 16. 6. 2016, 1♀, M. Zdešar leg.
A rare Euro-Mediterranean species living on Rhamnus cathartica (Wagner 1952).
One specimen was collected by Marko Zdešar in Brezje near Dobrova, Central Slo-
venia. This is not the first record for Slovenia, as Wagner (1952) listed Logatec
(Loitsch in Krain) in the distribution of the species. However, this record was over-
looked in later national checklists like Gogala (2006).
Lygaeidae (s. l.)
Lygaeus creticus Lucas, 1854
Koper, Olmo, VL04, 14. 6. 2016, on Lavandula, 1 adult, photo Duša Vadnjal, 18.
3. 2018, on Lavandula, 1♂, Duša Vadnjal leg., 26. 3. 2018, 1 adult, photo Duša Vad-
njal
Nova Gorica, Ledine, UL99, 10. 4. 2018, 1♀, J. Kamin leg., 26. 4. 2018, 1♀, J.
Kamin leg.
Ponto-Mediterranean species living principally on Nerium oleander and found
also on some Sorbus species. In recent years it was reported for the first time from se-
veral Italian regions, France and Albania (Cianferoni et al. 2018, Cornuel-Willermoz
& Dusoulier 2017, van der Heyden 2017). So it seems it is spreading to new territories.
One specimen was photographed on lavender in the garden by Duša Vadnjal in Koper
at the Slovene coast in 2016 and then also collected in 2018. In 2018, two specimens
were collected also in Nova Gorica by Janez Kamin. These are first records for the
country.
Pentatomidae
Picromerus conformis (Herrich-Schaeffer, 1841)
Nova Gorica, UL99, 17. 3. 2017, 1♂, J. Kamin leg.
Andrej Gogala, Janez Kamin, Miroslav Kastelic, Duøa Vadnjal, Marko Zdeøar: First or rare records of Heteroptera species
57
Ponto-Mediterranean predaceous species, distributed from Switzerland, Italy and
Algeria to Azerbaijan (Péricart 2010). One specimen was collected by Janez Kamin
in Nova Gorica. As the species is recorded for all neighbouring countries, the record
for Slovenia is not surprising.
Halyomorpha halys (Stål, 1855)
Nova Gorica, Ledine, UL99, 20. 9. 2017, 1♀, J. Kamin leg., 5. 10. 2017, 1♂, J.
Kamin leg., 12. 10. 2017, 1♂, J. Kamin leg.
The brown marmorated stink bug is native to East Asia (Japan, Korea and eastern
China) (Rider 2006). After the introduction to North America (USA) in 1996, it was
detected in Europe first in 2004 in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It spread fast and
was detected in Germany and Greece in 2011 (Milonas & Partsinevelos 2014), in
France and Italy in 2012, in Serbia in 2015 (Šeat 2015), in Spain in 2016 (Dioli et al.
2016). It is also known from Austria, Hungary, Romania and Russia. Halyomorpha
halys is extremely polyphagous and a pest attacking numerous agricultural and orna-
mental plants (Milonas & Partsinevelos 2014, Maistrello et al. 2017). When searching
for wintering shelters, it enters houses. As it had been already widely distributed in
northern Italy, it was expected to reach Slovenia as well. Nova Gorica, situated at the
border, is a place where several invasive species had already been detected. Halyo-
morpha halys was found there by the Institute of agriculture and forestry Nova
Gorica (Kmetijsko gozdarski zavod Nova Gorica) (Rot et al. 2018). We publish
here some additional records from the same city. Janez Kamin collected also
nymphs of all five stages in front of his home and reared two of them into adult-
hood.
Acta entomologica slovenica, 26 (1), 2018
58
Fig. 1: Monosteira unicostata (Mulsant &
Rey), a male from Koper, photo A. Gogala.
Andrej Gogala, Janez Kamin, Miroslav Kastelic, Duøa Vadnjal, Marko Zdeøar: First or rare records of Heteroptera species
59
Fig. 2: Heterocordylus erythropt-
halmus (Hahn), a female from Brezje,
photo A. Gogala.
Fig. 3: Lygaeus creticus Lucas on Lavandula in Koper, photo Duša Vadnjal.
Species omitted from the list of Slovenian Heteroptera
Miridae
Phytocoris hirsutulus Flor, 1861
Floren & Gogala, 2002: misidentification!
Because the ecological preferences of the species do not correspond with the pri-
mary forest, two preserved specimens were reexamined by Helga Simon who conc-
luded the correct identification of the specimens from Rajhenavski Rog is Phytocoris
dimidiatus Kirschbaum, 1856. This species was already known from the area. Phyto-
coris hirsutulus is thus omitted from the list of Slovenian Heteroptera.
Acta entomologica slovenica, 26 (1), 2018
60
Fig. 4: Picromerus conformis (Her-
rich-Schaeffer), a male from Nova Go-
rica, photo Janez Kamin.
Fig. 5: Halyomorpha halys (Stål),
a female from Nova Gorica, photo Ja-
nez Kamin.
Conclusions
Four species are recorded for Slovenia for the first time: Xylocoris galactinus (Fie-
ber), Pachytomella passerinii (A. Costa), Lygaeus creticus Lucas and Picromerus
conformis (Herrich-Schaeffer). Heterocordylus erythropthalmus (Hahn) was recorded
earlier (Wagner 1952), but is absent from national checklists like Gogala (2006). Mo-
nosteira unicostata (Mulsant & Rey) was recorded for Gorica (Gorizia) on the border
with Italy (Montandon 1886) and is now found in Slovenia for the first time without
doubt as the record for Virovitica (Péricart 1983) refers to Croatia. Halyomorpha
halys (Stål) is an invasive alien species, already established in Nova Gorica (Rot et al.
2018) and expected to expand its distribution area further. One species, Phytocoris
hirsutulus Flor, is omitted from the list of Slovenian Heteroptera due to misidentification.
Together with recently found Corythucha arcuata (Say) (M. & D. Jurc 2017), the
number of Heteroptera species recorded for the territory of Slovenia reached 751.
Acknowledgements
We are greateful to Helga Simon, who identified one male Phytocoris dimidiatus,
previously misidentified as Ph. hirsutulus. Thomas Friess provided some additional
references.
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