Pseudovelia curvata Hecher, 2006

Pelingen, Arthien Lovell, Zettel, Herbert, Pangantihon, Clister V, Aldaba, Kyra Mari Dominique, Fatallo, Earl Kevin, de Leon, Jemillie Madonna & Freitag, Hendrik, 2020, Contributions to the knowledge of water bugs in Mindoro Island, Philippines, with a species checklist of Nepomorpha and Gerromorpha (Insecta, Hemiptera, Heteroptera), Biodiversity Data Journal 8, pp. 56883-56883 : 56883

Pseudovelia curvata Hecher, 2006

Materials

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: individualCount: 2 males (ap); Taxon: scientificName: Pseudoveliacf.curvata; Location: island: Mindoro; country: Philippines; municipality: Roxas; locationRemarks: HBCg; Event: eventDate: 30.06.2017 Type status: Other material. Occurrence: individualCount: 1 female (ap); Taxon: scientificName: Pseudoveliacf.curvata; Location: island: Mindoro; country: Philippines; municipality: Roxas; locationRemarks: TDR1h; Event: eventDate: 04.07.2017 Type status: Other material. Occurrence: individualCount: 1 female (ap); Taxon: scientificName: Pseudoveliacf.curvata; Location: island: Mindoro; country: Philippines; municipality: Roxas; locationRemarks: THCe; Event: eventDate: 07.07.2017 Type status: Other material. Occurrence: individualCount: 6 males (ap); Taxon: scientificName: Pseudoveliacf.curvata; Location: island: Mindoro; country: Philippines; municipality: Roxas; locationRemarks: TIR1b; Event: eventDate: 22.09.2017

Distribution

The typical form is only known from the Mountain Province in northern Luzon ( Hecher 2006). See Fig. 7 for the collecting sites of the slightly varying Mindoro material.

Taxon discussion

The specimens (Fig. 6 E) closely resemble those of Pseudovelia curvata Hecher, 2006 following the key in Hecher (2006), displaying the following characters: first metatarsal segment devoid of a tuft of very long setae basally; first and second metatarsal segment with a row of long setae over entire length; and metatarsus about half as long as metatibia. However, the pygophore of males has long, bristle-like setae on its caudo-lateral margin like P. gapudi Hecher, 2006. Given the lack of any records, except for the specimens in hand and the type material from northern Luzon, it must remain unsolved if the material is conspecific or represents a new, but related species. This variation is only recognised in our specimens from Mindoro.

Habitat

The specimens were found at banks of creeks and rivers, both in calm and flowing sections.

Figures

Figure 6. Selected habitus illustrations of Gerromorpha of Mindoro A. Hebrus sp.; B. Mesovelia vittigera; C. Hydrometra mindoroensis; D. Microvelia douglasi; E. Pseudovelia cf. curvata; F. Strongylovelia mindoroensis; G. Rhagovelia mindoroensis; H. Rhagovelia raddai. Scale bars 1 mm.

Figure 7. Distribution of the collecting sites of Gerromorpha material (part 1) treated in this study.