FIRST RECORD OF XEROBION HORTOBAGYI (SZELEGIEWICZ 1978) FROM KAZAKHSTAN WITH NOTES ON ITS BIONOMICS (HEMIPTERA: APHIDIDAE, APHIDINA)

The systematics and taxonomy of xerophilous aphid genera within the subtribe Aphidina—Protaphis Börner, 1940; Brachyunguis B. Das, 1918; and Xerobion Nevsky, 1928—remain a subject of considerable relevance, particularly in the context of Central Asia. Species of these genera are widely distributed in Kazakhstan, inhabiting clay, sandy, rocky, and saline deserts, as well as steppe and forest-steppe zones. The genus Xerobion is native to arid regions of the southern Palearctic and currently comprises 21 recognized species globally. Of these, 15 have been recorded in Kazakhstan. All known species are either narrow oligophages or monophages, typically found on plants of the families Chenopodiaceae and Asteraceae, where they live openly on above-ground parts. In 2022, multiple specimens of Xerobion hortobagyi (Szelegiewicz, 1978) were collected for the first time in Kazakhstan, on Seriphidium sublessingianum in the Syntas area of the northern slope of the Tarbagatai Range. Previously, this species was known only from the steppe regions of Slovakia and Hungary. A morphological description of X. hortobagyi is provided, along with notes on its bionomics, potential distribution, and newly compiled distribution maps.