Rupisalda thailandana ( Cobben, 1986 ) Polhemus & Polhemus, 2012

Polhemus, John T. & Polhemus, Dan A., 2012, Guide To The Aquatic Heteroptera Of Singapore And Peninsular Malaysia. Viii. Leptopodomorpha, Families Saldidae, Leptopodidae, And Omaniidae, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 60 (2), pp. 329-341 : 336-337

Rupisalda thailandana ( Cobben, 1986) , new combination

( Figs. 17 , 18 )

Saldula thailandana Cobben, 1986: 226

Material examined. — MALAYSIA, Selangor: 1 male, Gombock River below Genting Highlands , 750’, 10 Mar.1983, coll. R. T . Schuh & B. Massie ( JTPC) . Penang: 1 female, near Georgetown , 16 Jan.1983, coll. H. C. Chapman ( JTPC) . Kelantan: 4 males, 3 females, Pergau River at upper bridge, 24 km W of Jeli, CL 2082, 20 Aug.1985, coll. J. T . & D. A. Polhemus. Johor: 4 males, 2 females, Johor, Kota Tinggi Waterfall, 16 km NW of Kota Tinggi, CL 2056, 13 Aug.1985, CL 2056, coll. J. T . & D. A. Polhemus ( JTPC) .

Extralimital material examined. — THAILAND, Nakhon Nayok Prov.: 1 female, S. Banna, Nakhon, 108 m, 5–10 May 1958, coll. T . C. Maa (paratype, JTPC) . HONG KONG, New Territories: 1 male, 1 female, Great Falls, Kadoorie Experimental Farm , 23 Nov.1985, CL 2209, coll. D. A. & J. T . Polhemus ( JTPC) .

Diagnosis. — Male length 3.50–3.80, maximum width (across hemelytra) 1.35–1.40; female length 3.90–4.00, maximum width (across hemelytra) 1.45–1.50. General colouration black, sparingly marked with pale yellow and white ( Fig. 17 ). Head shining black, eyes and ocelli red, vertex with a creamy white spot present to either side of midline in space between eyes and ocelli, antennae with segment I creamy white, segments II and III black, segment IV brown at extreme base and on distal 1/4, central section white; pronotum and scutellum uniformly shining black; hemelytra black, outer margin of corium broadly creamy white basally, this marginal pale colouration narrowing distally, basal section of inner corium dark pruinose grey, bearing 3 white patches, posterior section of inner corium dull black, bearing 2 small white patches near claval apex and another much larger white patch posterolaterally ( Fig. 18 ), clavus dull black, bearing 2 small white patches at anterior and posterior extremities, membrane blackish fumate, each wing cell bearing 2 pale areas; legs pale yellowish-white, blotched with dark brown; thoracic venter shining black, abdominal venter dark brown with intersegmental membranes contrastingly pale.

Distribution. — Originally described from Nakhon Nayok Province in southern Thailand ( Cobben, 1986), with subsequent records from Hong Kong, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, and Peninsular Malaysia provided by J. Polhemus & D. Polhemus (1999). We provide the first specific records for the Malaysian states of Selangor, Penang, Kelantan, and Johor.

Discussion. — This species was previously known from West Malaysia. Although originally described in the genus Saldula ( Cobben, 1986) , the lack of a secondary hypocostal ridge on the ventral hemelytron, coupled with its general habitus and preference for rheocrenes, places this species in the genus Rupisalda .

Figures

Fig. 17. Rupisalda thailandana, dorsal habitus. Specimen from Malaysia, Kelantan, Pergau River, CL 2082.

Fig. 18. Rupisalda thailandana, left hemelytron (after Cobben, 1986).