Enithares metallica Brooks, 1948

Nieser, Nico, 2004, Guide To Aquatic Heteroptera Of Singapore And Peninsular Malaysia Iii. Pleidae And Notonectidae, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 52 (1), pp. 79-96 : 94

Enithares metallica Brooks, 1948

Enithares metallica Brooks, 1948 ; Lansbury, 1968 (redescription); Fernando & Cheng, 1974; Fernando & Leong, 1976.

Diagnosis. – Length, male and female 10.2-12.0, width, male and female 3.9-5.5. Pale form (after Lansbury, 1968), vertex, pronotum and scutellum yellowish brown. Clavus and corium translucent appearing grey to black due to underlying dorsal pigmentation. Opaque zone of membrane greyish yellow, remainder of membrane smoky brown.

Dark form, eyes castaneous, remainder of head yellowish, frons and tylus each with a pair of reddish brown spots. Pronotum anteriorly pale yellow with foveae black, posteriorly translucent but appearing dark brown due to underlying pigmentation. Scutellum black with variable yellowish markings along lateral margins. Clavus, corium and membrane largely blackish with a slightly metallic sheen, basal parts of clavus and corium and apical part of membrane translucent.

Head in dorsal view rounded anteriorly, width of head about 2.5-2.8 times anterior width of vertex. Anterior width of vertex 1.7-1.9 times the synthlipsis. Dorsal margin of pronotal fovea directed obliquely caudad before turning laterad. Mesotrochanter rounded. Metasternal xiphus as in Fig. 35 me. Male. Middle leg, femur with a shallow depression covered with long hairs ventrally on inner surface. Genital capsule with lateral arms of basal plate caudally with a comparatively narrow projection ( Fig. 31 ).

Remarks. – This is the largest Malayan species distinguished by the acute tip of metaxiphus.

Distribution. – Thailand, Vietnam and West Malaysia ( Lansbury, 1968). Recorded from Kedah, Perak and Selangor (Fernando & Cheng, 1974; Fernando & Leong, 1976; Lansbury, 1968). In ZRC there is also a sample from Pahang. Notably from mountainous areas.

Figures

Fig. 35. Enithares species, metasternal xiphus. c = E. ciliata, mn = E. mandalayensis, ml = E. malayensis, me = E. metallica.

Fig. 31. Genital capsule of male Enithares metallica, lateral view. b = basal plate of aedeagus, p = paramere.