Guide To The Aquatic Heteroptera Of Singapore And Peninsular Malaysia. Xi. Infraorder Nepomorpha- Families Naucoridae And Aphelocheiridae
Author
Polhemus, Dan A.
Author
Polhemus, John T.
text
Raffles Bulletin of Zoology
2013
2013-08-30
61
2
665
686
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.5352700
2345-7600
5352700
Aphelocheirus
(
Aphelocheirus
)
grik
D. Polhemus & J. Polhemus, 1989
(
Figs. 47–52
)
Aphelocheirus grik
D. Polhemus & J. Polhemus, 1989: 218
Material examined
.
—
MALAYSIA
,
Perak
: 50 brachypterous males, 50 brachypterous females,
Kerunai River
,
9 km
N. of
Grik
,
135 m
,
5°30'53"N
, 101°07'50'E,
19 Aug.1985
, CL 2078, D. A. & J.
T
.
Polhemus
coll. (
paratypes
,
JTPC
); 6 brachypterous males, 6 brachypterous females, stream
58 km
S. of
Grik
,
19 Aug.1985
, CL 2077, D. A. & J.
T
.
Polhemus
coll. (
paratypes
,
JTPC
);
1 female
,
Gerik
[Grik],
17 Feb.1997
, LHK324, coll.
H. K. Lua
coll. (
ZRC
)
.
Diagnosis
.
— Brachypterous forms with length
7.2–7.7 mm
, maximum width (across abdomen) 4.8–5.0 mm (
Fig. 47
); macropterous forms with length
7.9–8.3 mm
, maximum width (across abdomen)
4.9–5.1 mm
(
Fig. 48
). Colouration of brachypterous forms uniformly blackish to brownish, with head dark yellow; colouration of macropterous forms entirely dark brown. This species may be immediately recognised by its relatively small size, the short, truncate female subgenital plate (
Fig. 50
), the projecting tab on the posterior margin of abdominal sternite V in the male (
Fig. 49
), and the male genitalic structures (
Fig. 51
).
Figs. 41–46.
Aphelocheirus
(
Aphelocheirus
)
femoratus
D. Polhemus & J. Polhemus
, structural details, specimens from Malaysia, Pahang, Cameron Highlands. 41. Brachypterous male, dorsal habitus. 42. Macropterous male, dorsal habitus. 43. Male parameres and phallotheca. 44. Female subgenital plate. 45. Male hind femur, ventral view. 46. Proacetabula.
Distribution
.
— Described from peninsular
Malaysia
(
Perak
), with
paratypes
from additional Malaysian localities in that state, and from northern
Thailand
(
Chiang Mai Province
).
Discussion
.
—
Aphelocheirus grik
is the smallest of the species in the subgenus
Aphelocheirus
known to occur in Peninsular
Malaysia
, and may be quickly recognised by the distinctive ventral abdominal characters of both males and females as noted in the diagnosis. Brachypterous specimens of
A
.
grik
exhibit two distinct colour morphs, with some individuals brown, and others black, in each case with the head dark yellow. The macropterous forms also have a distinctive texture on the hemelytral corium consisting of small, raised, shiny dots on an otherwise dull background.