Ploiaria domestica Scopoli, 1786 - Thread-legged bug - Cyprus

Family: Reduviidae  

Ploiaria is a cosmopolitan genus of thread-legged bugs (Emesinae). There are presently about 130 described species.

The presence of Ploiaria domestica Scopoli, 1786 in Cyprus was confirmed in 2018 with the article in the following link:
http://www.entomology.org.il/sites/default/files/pdfs/Hadjiconstantis_Davranoglou_2018_IJE_PloiariadomesticaCyprus.pdf

Introduction from the above article

   The cosmopolitan emesine genus Ploiaria Scopoli, 1786 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae) is distributed in all zoogeographic regions of the world, and is one of the most species-rich genera of Leistarchini. Members of the genus are ecologically diversified and occupy various habitats ranging from dense tropical forests to scorching deserts. they are typically found on trees and their epiphytes, plant debris such as dead leaves (Blatchley 1929), and sheltered microhabitats under bark, tree trunks and stones (Blatchley 1929; Villiers 1950; Wygodzinsky 1966). Species of Ploiaria exhibit remarkable dispersive potential, which has allowed them to occupy numerous oceanic islands (Wygodzinsky 1966), presumably via rafting on tree trunks. more recently, association of at least two species: P. chilensis (Philippi, 1862) and P. domestica scopoli, 1786 with human habitats has also

contributed to their dispersal across the globe (Putshkov & Moulet 2009). In the Palearctic, most species are found in the Mediterranean region and typically inhabit arid ecosystems (Wygodzinsky 1966). P. domestica, the type species of the genus, is a turano-mediterranean species distributed in southern Europe to Central Asia (Putshkov & Putshkov 1996). It is synanthropic, and is also frequently found under stones, in piles of logs, thatched roofs and bird’s nests; its habitat preferences are reviewed by Putshkov and Moulet (2009). the distribution of this species in Cyprus is ambiguous. It is not mentioned in the works of Lindberg (1948) and Putshkov & Moulet (2009), and its presence in Cyprus is considered doubtful in the Catalogue of the Heteroptera of the Palearctic Region (Putshkov & Putshkov 1996). We have been unable to trace the exact reference that Putshkov &  Putshkov (1996) may have used to determine the possible presence of the species in Cyprus, and major monographs do not mention P. domestica from the island (Oshanin 1912; Dispons & Stichel 1959; Stichel 1960; Putshkov 1987; Maldonado Capriles 1990).

   At least three other species of the genus occur in Cyprus: the endemic P. disponsi Linnavuori, 1965, the eastern Mediterranean P. gutturalis Noualhier, 1895 (Lindberg 1948) and the cosmopolitan P. chilensis, which was almost certainly introduced (Putshkov & Moulet 2009). During a recent collecting trip, a single male specimen of P. domestica was collected, marking the first confirmed record of the species in the island of Cyprus. 

Text from the article: Hadjiconstantis, Michael, & Davranoglou, Leonidas-Romanos. (2018). Confirmed occurrence of Ploiaria domestica (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Emesinae) in Cyprus. Israel Journal of Entomology, 48(1), 63–67. http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1299614

Photos by Michael Hadjiconstantis. 23, October, 2017. At Tsada.