Enithares ripleyana Lansbury, 1968

Polhemus, Dan A., 2020, Nine new species of Enithares (Heteroptera: Notonectidae) from New Guinea, with distributional notes on other species and an updated world checklist, Zootaxa 4772 (1), pp. 132-182 : 172

Enithares ripleyana Lansbury

Enithares ripleyana Lansbury 1968: 402 .

Material examined. INDONESIA, Maluku Utara Prov., Kab. Maluku Utara: 1 male, Bacan Island, small streamlet with waterfalls and pools, trib. to upper Gambasuli River, Mt. Sabela , 450 m. [vic. 0°42′12′′S, 127°29′54′′E], 26 September 1985, CL 2139, D. A . Polhemus & J. T. Polhemus ( USNM, BPBM); 10 males, 10 females, Halmahera Island, Tobelo Dist., Kampung Ruko , [~ 20 m., vic. 1°45′45′′N, 127°57′19′′E], 11 April 1981, A . C. Messer and P. M. Taylor ( USNM; BPBM); 6 males, 10 females, Tidore Island, Kampung Gurabunga , 700 m., [vic. 0°40′29′′N, 127°25′16′′E], 14 July 1981, A . C. Messer ( USNM, BPBM); 1 male, Ternate Island, Air Tege Tege, on Mt. Ga- malama, [~ 700 m., vic. 0°47′28′′N, 127°21′27′′E], 22 September 1985, CL 2132, D. A . & J. T. Polhemus ( USNM) .

Discussion. Enithares ripleyana was described from the island of Bacan, and previously known only from there as a putative endemic. The new records presented here demonstrate that the species in fact occurs more widely, also occupying the islands of Halmahera, Ternate and Tidore. It thus appears to be endemic to the northern Molucca islands as a whole. The species is easily recognized by the backward angling apex of the PL in the male genitalia, which is often visible externally without dissection.