Laccotrephes longicaudatus Nieser, Zettel & Chen, 2009

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 : 43

Laccotrephes longicaudatus Nieser, Zettel & Chen, 2009

( Figs. 34 , 35 )

Laccotrephes longicaudatus Nieser, Zettel & Chen, 2009: 17

Material examined. — MALAYSIA, Selangor: 1 female, rice field ditch, 15 May 1991, coll. Jeffrey and Karprill ( ZRC) . Malacca: 1 male, Bukit Selankor , 25 Jul.1962, coll. L. Cheng ( JTPC) ; 1 male, Rd. 1 mile near Jasin, 4 Nov.1959 ( ZRC) ; 1 female, Bukit Sabukor Road , 6 Apr.1960, coll. unk. ( ZRC) . Terengganu: 1 male, pool at Km. 94 on road from Kuala Terengganu to Kota Bahru , south of Jerteh , 5°32'38.5"N, 102°43'43.9"E, water temp. 26°C., pH 6.7, 19 Mar.1992, coll. H. K. Lua ( ZRC) ; 1 male, 1 female, Marang , 30 Dec.1994, W. G. Ullrich coll. ( USNM) . Johor: 1 female, at about 300 m . S. of 174 Km, marker on Johor Bahru–Kuantan road ( Sungai Triang Besar ), N. of Mersing , 19 Oct.1991, coll. P. K. L. Ng et al. ( ZRC) ; 1 male, 1 female, 2 immatures, Mawai, Gunung Panti foothills, 2 Dec.1998, coll. H. K. Lua, LHK420 ( ZRC) . Kedah: 1 female, Alor Star , 5 Dec.1955, coll. D. S. Johnson ( ZRC) .

Extralimital material examined. — VIETNAM, Hoa Binh Prov.: 2 males, Hoa Binh, J. De Cooman coll. ( MNHN) .

Diagnosis. — Male body length 16.0–17.0 mm; maximum width (across hemelytra) 4.0–4.5 mm, length of respiratory siphon 22.0–22.5 mm. Female body length 19.0 mm; maximum width (across hemelytra) 5.0 mm, length of respiratory siphon 26.0 mm. Colouration dark brown dorsally, forelegs uniformly dark brown with femur and tibia lacking annulations, middle and hind femora and tibiae yellowish brown mottled with darker brown, venter medium brown. Antennal segment III very slightly shorter than segment II, outer margin bearing numerous long setae, the lengths of these setae 1.5× the width of the segment, inner margin bearing scattered shorter setae, lengths of these setae about two-thirds as long as the width of the segment. Prosternal keel with an angular projection anteriorly ( Fig. 34 ). Length of respiratory siphon 1.5× longer than the length of the body. Male paramere with a slender, downward-curving apical process ( Fig. 35 ).

Distribution. — Originally described from Vietnam, and not previously recorded outside of that country. The records provided below are the first for Peninsular Malaysia, and include specimens from Johor, Malacca, Terengganu, Selangor, and Kedah.

Discussion. — A small species, similar in body size to L. simulatus but easily separated by the long respiratory siphon which is 1.5× the length of the body, by the presence of an angulate projection at the anterior margin of the prosternal keel when viewed laterally (compare Figs. 33, 34 ), and by the very distinctive shape of the male paramere (compare Figs. 35, 36 ). Previous records of Laccotrephes maculatus from Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia (Fernando & Cheng, 1974) are in fact referable to this species, or to L. simulatus .

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).