Pseudovelia yangae, Hecher & Zettel, 2006

Hecher, Ch. & Zettel, H., 2006, Review of the genus Pseudovelia HOBERLANDT 1950 (Heteroptera: Veliidae) on the Malay Peninsula, Linzer biologische Beiträge 38 (1), pp. 701-710 : 705-707

Pseudovelia yangae sp.n. ( Figs. 9-13 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Malaysia: Holotype (apt.): Trengganu, Brang River, 8 Oct. 1997, leg. K.L. Yeo, # YKL 917A ( ZRCS); paratypes: 2 (macr.), 6 (macr.) from same locality as holotype ( ZRCS, 1, 1 NHMW); 4 (macr.), 4 (macr.), Trengganu, Brang River , 21 Oct. 1998, leg. H.K. Lua & C.Y. Tuang, # LHK 401 ( ZRCS, 1, 1 NHMW); 1 (macr.), Kelantan, 47 km N Gerik, unnamed stream, 13 Apr. 1994, leg. W.D. Shepard ( NHMW); 1 (macr.), Selangor, 8 km S K. Kubu Bahru, Sengai Selangor, 11 Apr. 1994, leg. W.D. Shepard ( NHMW); 1 (macr.), Johor, Panti, 31 Aug. 1990, leg. C.M. Yang, # YCM 27 B ( ZRCS); Thailand: 1 (macr.), Narathiwat Prov., Ban Sac, 23 Oct. 1998, leg. H.K. Lua & C.Y. Tuang, # LHK 402 ( ZRCS).

D e s c r i p t i o n: S i z e: Length 2.63 mm (apt.), 2.65-2.85 mm (macr.), 2.97-3.03 mm (macr.), length of tergites 1-7 to width of tergite 4 as 1: 0.25 (apt.

), maximum width across suture between metanotum and laterotergite 1: 0.93 mm (apt.

), width of pronotum 0.90 mm (apt.), 1.07-1.15 mm (macr.), 1.17-1.23 mm (macr.), width of head 0.62-0.68 mm (,).

A p t e r o u s m a l e: Colour. Head black; antenna dark brown. Pronotum dark brown, with short transverse stripe near anterior margin reddish brown; black, irregularly distributed pores on pronotum except on stripe. Metanotum dark brown to black. Legs dark brown, with basal part of femora yellow, change of colour abrupt. Tergites, laterotergite 1, and medial parts of laterotergites 2-7 dark brown, lateral parts slightly lighter. Ventral surface of thorax and abdomen black, stripe on lateral margin of sternites dark brown.

Pilosity. Entire body surface covered with short, decumbent, silvery or light brown hairs. Erect hairs on pronotum, metanotum, and laterotergite 1 short, on antenna, legs, tergites, and laterotergites 2-7 long, but on antenna and legs hirsute. Stout, silvery hairs forming stripes on vertex along margin of eyes, one small patch on base of vertex, and covering almost entire transverse stripe on pronotum, lateral portion of tergite 1, posterior part of tergites 2, 3, and 6, median patch on tergite 7, posterior margin of laterotergite 1, medial parts of laterotergites 3 and 4, and some silvery hairs also on medial part of laterotergite 6. Metatarsal segment 1 with row of long hairs over basal 1 / 2 to 2 / 3 of segment ( Fig. 11 ). Eyes naked except for two ocular setae.

Structural characters. Ventral lobe of head not produced caudad. Antenna 0.68 times as long as body, relative lengths of segments 1-4 as 1.4: 1: 0.9: 1.3 ( Fig. 14 ). Pronotum 0.63 times as long as wide. Grasping comb on protibia 0.62 times as long as tibia; metatarsus 0.57 times as long as metatibia, first segment 0.94 times as long as segment 2. Second tergite 0.90 times as wide as head. Laterotergites slightly raised.

Genital segments. Ventral depression of segment 8 large and circular, along its margin two spines medio-laterally, two tubercles with a tuft of hairs caudo-laterally, and one laterally flattened tubercle with a comb of short bristles caudally ( Figs. 9, 10 ). Proctiger and pygophore covered with dense, short, erect hairs.

M a c r o p t e r o u s m a l e: Colour as in apterous male. Forewing ( Fig. 13 ) dark brown, with two elongate white stripes at base, light brown patches on posterior part of cell between media+cubitus and first anal vein, and on discal cell.

Pilosity as in apterous male except for body parts covered by wings; long, erect hairs on subcosta+radius and on media+cubitus.

Structural characters and genital segments as in apterous male; antenna 0.62-0.68 times as long as body, relative lengths of segments 1-4 as 1.4-1.6: 1: 0.9-1.1: 1.3-1.5, segment 1> segment 4; pronotum 0.81-0.88 times as long as wide; grasping comb on protibia 0.57-0.64 times as long as tibia; metatarsus ( Fig. 11 ) 0.50-0.58 times as long as me-

tatibia, first segment 0.80-0.94 times as long as second; laterotergites slightly raised; wings not surpassing end of abdomen; four males dealate.

Genital segments as in apterous male.

Apterous female: unknown.

M a c r o p t e r o u s f e m a l e: Colour as in macropterous male.

Pilosity as in macropterous male; additionally silvery hairs on tergites 6 and 7, and on medial part of laterotergites 5 and 6.

Structural characters. Ventral lobe of head as in apterous male. Antenna 0.58-0.63 times as long as body, relative lengths of segments as in macropterous male. Pronotum 0.80- 0.84 times as long as wide. Protibia without grasping comb; metatarsus as in macropterous male, first segment 0.72-0.78 times as long as second. Laterotergites and wings as in macropterous male. Six females dealate.

Genital segments. Tergite 8 extending over genital segments in genital segments, but without ending in stout tubercle. Proctiger and gonocoxa 1 covered with dense, short, erect hairs. Structure of genital segments as shown in Fig. 12.

D i a g n o s i s: Body length about 2.6 mm (apt.), 2.7-2.9 mm (macr.), 3.0 mm (macr.); length of tergites 1-7(8) to width of tergite 4 as 1: 0.2-0.3 (apt.,); pronotum length to pronotum width as 0.6: 1 (apt.), 0.8-0.9: 1 (macr.,); length of antenna to body length as 0.6-0.7: 1, relation of antennal segments 1-4 as 1.4-1.6: 1: 0.9-1.1: 1.3-1.5, segment 1> segment 4; width of second tergite to width of head as 0.9: 1 (apt.); length of metatarsus to metatibia as 0.5-0.6: 1 (,), length of first metatarsal segment to second as 0.8-0.9: 1 (), 0.7-0.8: 1 (); length of grasping comb on male protibia to length of protibia as 0.6: 1; vertex with patch of silvery hairs; eye not pilose; ventral lobe of head not produced caudad; first metatarsal segment of male with row of long hairs over basal 1 / 2 to 2 / 3 of segment ( Fig. 11 ); structure of male and female genital segments as shown in Figs. 9-10 and 12 , respectively.

For distinction from other species distributed in the Malay Peninsula see the key. Pseudovelia yangae sp.n. is closely related to P. borneensis ANDERSEN 1983 , but males can be easily distinguished by the wide ventral depession on segment 8 ( Fig. 9 ) and by the relatively short first metatarsal segment ( Fig. 11 ).

E t y m o l o g y: This new species is named in honour of Mrs. Yang Chang Man (Zoological Reference Collection, Singapore), for her valuable contributions to the knowledge on southeast Asian Gerromorpha.

G e n e r a l d i s t r i b u t i o n: southern Thailand, West Malaysia.

Figures

Figs 1-14: (1-4) Pseudovelia hypodonta. (5-8) Pseudovelia lundbladi. (9-14) Pseudovelia yangae sp.n. (1, 5, 9) segment 8 of male, ventral. (2, 6, 10) segment 8 of male, lateral. (3, 7, 11) metatarsus of male. (4, 8, 12) end of abdomen of female, lateral. (13) forewing. (14) antenna of male. Fine, not diagnostic pilosity partly omitted. Homologous structures with identical scale as given for P. hypodonta.