Belgian Journal ofEntomology 5 (2003) : 3-36 • Male genitalia in Miridae (Heteroptera) and their significance for suprageneric classification of the family. Part 1: general review, Isometopinae and Psallopinae by FEDoR V. KONSTANTINOV Department of Entomology, Faculty of Biology & Soil Sciences, St Petersburg State Univer sity, Universitetskaya emb. 719, 199034 St Petersburg, Russia, (e-mail: :fkonstan
[email protected]). Abstract The paper starts a series of works on the structure of the ectodermal part of the male genital apparatus in Miridae and is based on the investigation of nearly two hundred species of Miridae, belonging to 31 tribes from all subfamilies. A general review of the structure and functioning of the main genitalia elements in various groups of Miridae is given. A list of terms used by previous researchers for different homologous structures is presented and an attempt to stabilize this tenninology is made. Detailed description of genitalia structure in subfamilies Isometopinae and Psallopinae is given. Characters, valuable for the recognition of monophyletic taxonomical groupings are discussed. Keywords: Miridae, Isometopinae, Psallopinae, genitalia, morphology, systematics. Introduction The structure of external genitalia is widely used in the taxonomy ofMiridae. A number of high ranked groups, e. g. subfamily Phylinae or tribe Halticini, can be clearly defined only on the base of genitalia structure (ScHUH, 1974, 1984, 1995). Phylogenetic relationships of Dicyphini and Pilophorini were revealed only after this set of data was taken into consideration (WAGNER, 1955; ScHUH, 1974, 1976, 1995). Nevertheless, the structure of genitalia is still used mainly for differentiation of closely related species. Morphological works on genitalia of Miridae are scarce and usually based on taxa common in the Northern Hemisphere.