Nine new species of Enithares (Heteroptera: Notonectidae) from New Guinea, with distributional notes on other species and an updated world checklist
Author
Polhemus, Dan A.
text
Zootaxa
2020
2020-05-07
4772
1
132
182
journal article
22330
10.11646/zootaxa.4772.1.5
b14b0d0d-cf67-4895-965c-12792c622b21
1175-5326
3814079
B497198A-08CD-4A21-AE04-14390499853B
Enithares loria
Brooks
(
Figs. 40
,
62
,
63
)
Enithares loria
Brooks 1948: 45
.
Material examined
.
INDONESIA
,
Irian Jaya Prov
.
[
Papua Prov.
],
New Guinea
:
4 males
,
1 female
, ponds next to airstrip at PTFI
Siewa
exploration camp,
60 m
.
,
3°02′13′′S
,
136°22′34′′E
, water temp. 28.5° C.,
3 April 1998
, 10:30–11:15 hrs. and
17 April 1998
, 09:30–11:00 hrs., CL 7085, D.
A
.
Polhemus
(
USNM
,
BPBM
);
4 males
,
2 females
,
1 immature
, roadside pond,
1.2 km
. N. of PTFI
Siewa
exploration camp along old logging road,
60 m
.
,
3°01′45′′S
,
136°22′08′′E
, water temp. 30° C.,
9 April 1998
, 12:00–13:00 hrs., CL 7093, D.
A
.
Polhemus
(
USNM
,
BPBM
);
1 female
, pools in sandy overflow channel branching from
Tiri River
(trib. to
Doorman River
),
4.5 km
.
SW of Dabra
,
80 m
.
,
3°17′30′′S
,
138°34′53′′E
, water temp. 25 °C.,
9–13 September 2000
, CL 7141, D.
A
.
Polhemus
(
USNM
)
.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
,
Western Prov
.
:
5 males
,
6 females
,
1 immature
,
Bossett’s Lagoon
,
11 October 1985
,
K. Hortle
(
USNM
)
.
SOLOMON ISLANDS
,
Malaita Prov
.
:
4 males
,
3 females
,
1 immature
,
Malaita
, pond in cattle pasture,
11 km
. N. of
Auki
on road to
Dala
,
10 m
.
,
8°40′23′′S
,
160°40′57′′E
, water temp. 31° C.,
31 July 2005
, 13:00–14:00 hrs., CL 7414, D.
A
.
Polhemus
(
USNM
)
.
AUSTRALIA
,
Western Australia
:
1 male
,
Kimberly Plateau
,
Drysdale River
at
Kalumburu Road
,
395 m
.
,
15°41′05′′S
,
126°22′44′′E
,
23 August 2004
, CL 4993, D.
A
.
Polhemus
and
J. T. Polhemus
(
USNM
)
.
Discussion
.
Enithares loria
is a small species with prominent, rounded eyes (
Fig. 62
), and is easily recognized by the vertically produced PL of the male genitalia, which is covered with coarse spinules (
Fig. 40
). In comparison to
E. bakeri
, the PL is elongate vertically in
E. loria
, versus broad and stout in
E. bakeri
(compare
Figs. 39, 40
), although bearing short, stout, spine-like setae in both species. In addition, the distal portion of the LABP, although showing some clear similarities, is more elongate and finger-like in
E. loria
.
This is the species treated as “
Enithares
sp. undet #1′′ by D.
Polhemus (2000)
in the Conservation International rapid assessment report covering surveys in the Wapoga River Basin of north Indonesian New
Guinea
. It is also the species listed by D.
Polhemus (2002)
as “
Enithares
sp. undet.′′ in the Conservation International rapid assessment report covering surveys in the Cyclops Mountains and Mamberamo River areas of north Indonesian New
Guinea
.
Ecological notes
.
Enithares loria
is a widespread but localized lowland species (
Fig. 63
) that was originally described from a series of
5 specimens
taken by Lamberto Loria of the Genoa Museum in the
Rigo district
, southeast of Port Moresby, in what is now
Papua New Guinea
. Brooks listed additional material collected by
L. E. Cheesman
from Mafulu, in the
Auga River
basin to the northwest of Port Moresby, as well as from
Australia
, and
Lansbury (1968)
subsequently provided further records from the
Solomon Islands
(
Russell Island
) and other areas of
Australia
(Queensland, Northern Territory). The collections reported here from the Siewa and
Dabra
areas in Indonesian New Guinea, represent a considerable range extension within that island, given that this species had not been previously known from north of the island’s high central east-west drainage divide. New records are also provided for
Western Australia
, and the island of
Malaita
in the
Solomon Islands
. Despite its wide range,
E. loria
is only sporadically encountered in the
Melanesian region
, indicating it may have specialized habitat requirements
At the PTFI Siewa mineral exploration camp (CL 7085) in the Wapoga River basin, located at the former site of a defunct logging operation,
E. loria
was taken from rain-filled borrow pits next to a graded gravel airstrip. These ponds had an average depth of ~
1.5 m
, with the margins considerably shallower, and also harbored several species of
Anisops
notonectids, but were devoid of fish. The author’s field notes for the Tiri River locality (CL 7141), further to the east in the Mamberamo River basin, note that: “This small-sized species was present in low numbers in the uppermost pools along sandy side channels at the Tiri River. Both immatures and adults were present, indicating that the species is breeding in these habitats. The absence of fish, and possibly current, seems to be necessary for the presence of this species.′′
On the island of
Malaita
, in the
Solomon Islands
,
E. loria
was taken from an artificial pond in a grassy lowland cattle pasture. As at the Siewa airstrip, the species was again in this case utilizing an anthropogenically-created habitat, and thus seems tolerant of disturbance.