Pentacora malayensis ( Dover, 1929 )

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 : 334-335

Pentacora malayensis ( Dover, 1929)

( Fig. 11 )

Salda malayensis Dover, 1929: 398

Saldula malayensis: Drake & Hoberlandt, 1951: 8

Pentacora malayensis: Drake, 1958: 307

Saldula korangiensis Hamid & Sultana, 1972: 282 ; syn. by Cobben, 1980: 117

Material examined. — SINGAPORE: 2 males, 8 females, S. Sembawang, mangrove swamp, KLY, 7 Oct.1994, collector unknown ( JTPC) . MALAYSIA, Pahang: 1 male, Maku waterfall, Pulau Tioman, 20 Jun.1994, coll. C. M. Yang ( ZRC) . Kelantan: 3 males ,

1 female, brackish lagoon behind Beach of Passionate Love, near Kota Bharu, 20 Aug.1985, CL 2083, coll. D. A. & J. T. Polhemus ( JTPC). Kedah : 1 male, West Coast, Langkawi Is., 14 Apr.1928, collector unknown ( JTPC) .

Diagnosis. — Male length 3.50–3.60, maximum width (across hemelytra) 1.60–1.70; female length 4.25, maximum width (across hemelytra) 1.85. Head with vertex black, frons dark yellow marked with a pair (1+1) of longitudinal dark stripes to either side of midline; pronotum dark centrally, dark yellow laterally; scutellum mostly black, apex dark yellow; hemelytra dark brown, extensively marked with dark yellow on outer corium external to vein R + M, clavus and inner corium each with 2–3 large dark yellow spots, hypocostal ridge present and well-developed ( Fig. 13 ); wing membrane including veins dark brown, marked with a few dark yellow patches basally; legs pale yellow with black spines; antennae with segments I and II pale brown, segments III and IV dark brown.

Distribution. — Originally described from Kuala Langkat, a district of southwestern Selangor ( Dover, 1929), with subsequent records from Pakistan (Hamid & Sultana, 1972, as Saldula korangiensis ). New records are provided above for Singapore, and the Malaysian states of Pahang, Kelantan and Kedah.

Discussion. — Recognised among the regional assemblage of Saldidae by the 5 closed cells in the membrane of the forewing, the well-developed hypocostal ridge ( Fig. 13 ), the relatively pale color pattern ( Fig. 11 ), and a preference for saline habitats.

Ecological notes. — This is a halophilic species that occurs on damp sand beaches and firm alluvial shorelines bordering

saline estuaries and mangrove swamps. Dover (1929) noted in his original description that this species was “common at the edges of pools in mangrove swamp about half a mile from the sea-beach”.

Figures

Fig. 11. Pentacora malayensis, dorsal habitus. Specimen from Malaysia, Kelantan, E. of Kota Bharu, CL 2083.

Figs. 12–14. Hypocostal ridge structures of saldid genera: 12, Saldula; 13, Pentacora; 14, Rupisalda (all after J. Polhemus, 1985).