Laccotrephes archipelagi ( Ferrari, 1888 )

Polhemus, Dan A. & Polhemus, John T., 2013, Guide To The Aquatic Heteroptera Of Singapore And Peninsular Malaysia. X. Infraorder Nepomorpha-Famlies Belostomatidae And Nepidae, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 61 (1), pp. 25-45 : 41

Laccotrephes archipelagi ( Ferrari, 1888)

( Figs. 32 , 37 )

Nepa archipelagi Ferrari, 1888: 183

Laccotrephes archipelagi: Chen et al., 2005: 411

Material examined. — MALAYSIA, Johor: 1 male, Mawai Sedili , 21 Aug.1960, coll. G. M. ( ZRC) ; 2 males, 1 female, Mawai, Gunung Panti foothills, 2 Dec.1998, coll. H. K. Lua, LHK420 ( ZRC) ; 1 female, Mawai Stream , 7 Jun.1989, P. Ng ( ZRC) ; 1 male, 1 female, 6 mi. Sedili Road , new pond, 2 Mar.1960, coll. unk. ( ZRC) .

Extralimital material examined. — MALAYSIA, Sarawak: 1 female, Borneo , Serian, Sungai Kubas, 10 Jun.1999, THH9938, coll. H. H. Tan, ( ZRC) ; 1 female, Borneo, Long Nawang, O. Borneo, coll. Mjoberg ( JTPC) ; 1 female, Semangoh Forest Reserve , 15 mi. S. of Kuching, 20 Sep.1966, J. F. G. & T. M. Clarke coll. ( USNM) . INDONESIA, Sumatera Utara Prov. : 1 male, Sumatra, Tanjung Morawa, 19 Oct.1951, coll. unk. ( JTPC) . Province uncertain: 1 male, Java, 9167, coll. unk. ( JTPC) .

(Fabricius) and L. tristis Stål , but not to L. archipelagi . The holotype of Nepa archipelagi came from Java, and based on comparison of specimens from Java, Sumatra, Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia (listed below), we conclude that all of our material at hand in this body size class from the Greater Sunda Islands and Peninsular Malaysia is referable to L. archipelagi . In addition, we strongly suspect that Lundblad’s L. occultus will prove to be a junior synonym of Ferrari’s L. archipelagi , but defer final decision on this matter until we can examine the holotype of Lundblad’s species.

This is the only Peninuslar Malaysian Laccotrephes species with a medium sized body length range of 32–35 mm, a parallel-sided body form, and flattened eyes (see pl. 14, fig. 1 in Lundblad [1933] of L. occultus from Sumatra, which shares these same character states). Laccotrephes archipelagi falls in the same general body size class as L. grossus , a species which occurs further to the north in subtropical regions of Diagnosis. — Male body length 30–32 mm, maximum body width (across hemelytra) 8–9 mm, length of respiratory siphon 26–29 mm. Female body length 35 mm, maximum body width (across hemelytra) 10 mm, length of respiratory siphon 32 mm. Colouration medium brown on head and prothorax, reddish brown on hemelytra with membrane dark brown, legs light brown to yellowish brown with faintly indicated, irregular transverse annulation centrally on fore femur. Antennal segment III about 0.8× the length of segment II, outer margin bearing ~20 long setae, the lengths of these setae 2.0–1.5× the width of the segment, becoming shorter distally; inner margin bearing numerous shorter setae, lengths of these setae about 0.80× as long as the width of the segment. Prosternal keel forming a broadly rounded tumescence when viewed laterally, posterior section level ( Fig. 32 ). Length of respiratory siphon distinctly less than that of the body. Male paramere with apex forming a stout hook with a blunt apex ( Fig. 37 ).

Distribution. — Originally described from Java ( Ferrari, 1888), with additional specimens noted from Sumatra, Borneo, and “East India ” (the latter possibly not conspecific), and subsequently recorded from Peninsular Malaysia (Fernando & Cheng, 1974, as L. grossus ).

Discussion. — This species seems to have been consistently overlooked since its original description by Ferrari (1888), with no reference to it in the works of Montandon or Distant. Lundblad (1933), in the chapter on Nepidae in his treatment of the aquatic Heteroptera of Sumatra, Java and Bali provides a list of all the nepid species occurring in the Malay Archipelago region, but this list does not include L. archipelagi , which he apparently missed. In this same work Lundblad described Laccotrephes occultus from Sumatra, a species of similar form and dimensions to L. archipelagi , and provided a table comparing various morphological characters of his new species to those exhibited by L. grossus Asia. As a result, we consider the previous records of L. grossus from Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia (Fernando & Cheng, 1974) to in fact represent L. archipelagi .

Figures

Figs. 31–34. Laccotrephes species, prosterna, left lateral views (FC = fore coxa, PS = prosternum, PP = propleuron). 31, L. pfeiferiae. 32, L. archipelagi, specimen from Malaysia, Johor. 33, L. simulatus, specimen from Malaysia, Johor. 34, L. longicaudatus, specimen from Malaysia, Johor.

Figs. 35–38. Laccotrephes species, male parameres, left lateral views (all to same scale). 35, L. longicaudatus, specimen from Malaysia, Johor. 36, L. simulatus, specimen from Malaysia, Johor. 37, L. archipelagi, specimen from Malaysia, Johor (paramere apex only). 38, L. pfeiferiae, specimen from Laos, Vientiane Prov. (paramere apex only).