Ranatra longipes longipes Stål, 1861

Tran, A. D. & Polhemus, Dan A., 2012, Notes On Southeast Asian Ranatra Heteroptera Nepidae, With Description Of A New Species From Singapore And Neighbouring Indonesian Islands, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 60 (1), pp. 101-107 : 101-102

Ranatra longipes longipes Stål, 1861

( Figs. 1–4 , 9 , 11 )

Ranatra longipes Stål, 1861: 203 .

Ranatra longipes longipes Lansbury, 1972: 332 .

Material examined. — INDONESIA: Jawa Barat Prov.: 20 males, 13 females, Java , Buitenzorg [Bogor], Apr.–Dec.1896, coll. D. G. Fairchild ( USNM) ; 1 male, 1 female, same locality as above but 1919, coll. W. C. Heurn ( USNM) ; 1 male, Java, Ciapus Dist., rocky river, waterfall and tribs. at Curug Luhur recreation area, 750 m, water temp. 22°C, coll. D. A. & J. T. Polhemus, 5 Sep.1991, CL 2579 ( USNM) . Jambi Prov.: 1 male, Sumatra, Sungai Alai at 28 km on road from Muara Bungo – Muara Tebo, coll. M. Kottelat & H. H. Tan, 30–31 May 1994 ( ZRC.6.22207) . Bengkulu Prov.: 1 female, Sumatra, Pauh River , 25 km SE of Muaraaman, 600 m, 3°16'05"S, 102°22'47"E, water temp. 23°C, coll. D. A. & J. T. Polhemus, 8 Sep.1991, CL 2584, ( JTPC) . Sumatera Barat Prov.: 1 male, West Sumatra , coll. Fruhstorfer ( USNM) . Kalimantan Timur Prov.: 21 males, 12 females, Borneo, Mahakam River basin, small spring in sandstone 3 km NE of Kota Bangun, coll. J. T. & D. A. Polhemus, 28 Aug.1985, CL 2092 ( JTPC) ; 4 males, rice paddies 11 km NE of Samarinda , coll. D. A. & J. T. Polhemus, 27 Aug.1985, CL 2090 ( JTPC) ; 2 males, 1 female, Borneo , stream 4 km NE of Kota Bangun on Samarinda road, coll. D. A. & J. T. Polhemus, 29 Aug.1985, CL 2097 ( JTPC) . SINGAPORE: 1 male, fish pond near Kranji Reservoir, coll. K. L. Yeo ( ZRC.6.15744) ; 1 male, Seletar Reservoir Park , coll. K. L. Yeo, 7 Nov.1990 ( ZRC) ; 1 male, 1 female, Nee Soon swamp forest, pump house, 1 st stream, coll. K. Lim & K. L. Yeo, 31 Oct.1990 ( ZRC.6.15745–15746) ; 2 males, 1 immature, Nee Soon swamp forest, nr. pump house, coll. K. L. Yeo, 20 Sep.1993, Y843 ( ZRC) ; 1 male, 2 immatures, Nee Soon swamp forest, beside pump house, coll. K. L. Yeo, 26 Aug.1993, Y840 ( ZRC.6.22223) ; 1 male, 4 females, Sg. Buloh , coll. L. Hendrich, 5 Dec.1996 ( ZRC.6.22206) ; 1 male, Lorong Banir , coll. K. L. Yeo & M. Balke, 21 Apr.1998, NS0235 ( ZRC) ; 2 males, 1 female, 3 immatures, Lorong Banir , coll. M. Balke et al., 28 Apr.1997, NS236 ( ZRC.6.22236) ; 2 males, 16 immatures, beside Nee Soon pond habitat, coll. K. L. Yeo, 19 Sep.1991, Y771 ( ZRC.6.15666–15684) ; 1 female, Sime Road , coll. H. H. Ng et al., 30 Oct.2008 ( ZRC) ; 1 male, 2 females, Nee Soon Pumphouse , coll. K. L. Yeo, 6 Dec.1996, Y892 ( ZRC) ; 1 male, Nee Soon swamp forest, coll. H. K. Lua, 29 Sep.1990 ( ZRC) ; 2 males, 1 female, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve , coll. H. K. Lua et al., 13 Dec.1995, NS214 ( ZRC) ; 1 male, 1 female, Selatar Reservoir, Mandai Lake Road , 16 May 1994, NS134A ( ZRC) ; 2 males, 3 females, MacRitchie Reservoir inlet “Cc” to stream, coll. Y. H. Lim, 7 Jun.1994, NS153 ( ZRC) ; 2 females, Lorong Banir Stagnant pond, coll. T. B. Lim et al., 10 Jun.1994, NS157F ( ZRC) ; 1 female, Lorong Banir , pond 3, coll. H. K. Lua et al., 14 Jul.1995, NS199 ( ZRC.6.18386) ; 1 female, Chestnut Ave., stream flowing into Seletar Reservoir , coll. H. K. Lua et al., 26 May 1994, NS142D ( ZRC) ; 1 male, 1 female, 1 immature, Pulau Tekong Reservoir , edge, coll. C. M. Yang & R. Tan, 20 Dec.2001, YCM0282A ( ZRC.6.22221) ; 2 males, 1 female, 2 immatures, Bukit Batok Town Park, coll. H. K. Lua et al., 23 Apr.1997, NS232 ( ZRC) . MALAYSIA: Sabah: 1 male, Borneo , small slow stream in oil palm plantations, 52 km NW of Kota Belud, coll. D. A. & J. T. Polhemus 4 Aug.1985, CL 2030 ( JTPC) ; 2 males, 1 female, Borneo, swamp 5 km N. of Tamparuli , coll. D. A. & J. T. Polhemus, 5 Aug.1985, CL 2034 ( JTPC) . Johor: 1 male, Malay Peninsula , clearwater flowing stream, coll. H. H. Tan et al., 11 Mar.1998, THH9818 ( ZRC) ; 1 male, 1 female, Ayer Hitam , coll. C. M. Yang, K. Lim & K. L. Yeo, 23 May 1991 ( ZRC) ; 1 male, Sungei Kayu , coll. H. H. Tan & O. S. K. Chia, 12 Mar.1998, THH9823 ( ZRC.6.22235) ; 1 male, Johor, Kota Tinggi, Gg. Panti foothill, track 266, swampy stream, coll. M. Kottelat & P. K. L. Ng, 22 Jan.1991 ( ZRC.6.15743) ; 6 males, 5 females, Ayer Hitam, stream with vegetation from Parit Botak Batu Pahat , 131 km from Mersing, coll. C. M. Yang, K. Lim & K. L. Yeo, 23 May 1991 ( ZRC.6.15760–15770) ; 2 males, 1 female, Layang Layang stream I, muddy water with vegetation on side, coll. ZRC staff, 6 Feb.1991 ( ZRC.6.15751–15753) ; 1 male, 2 females, Malay Peninsula, swamp forest stream 61 km N. of Johor Bharu on Mersing Road , coll. D. A. & J. T. Polhemus, 16 Oct.1986, CL 2220 ( JTPC) .

Discussion. — The status of the various subspecies of Ranatra longipes remains confusing and uncertain. The nominate form was described from Java ( Stål, 1861), with subsequent records from Sumatra ( Lundblad, 1933), Borneo ( Lansbury, 1972), and Peninsular Malaysia (Fernando & Cheng, 1974); as noted below, the latter Malaysian records are largely if not entirely referable to R. thai Lansbury , new status (see next section). Lansbury (1972) also described the subspecies R. longipes celebensis from the southwestern peninsula of Celebes. Nieser & Chen (1991), when providing further records of R. longipes from the southeastern peninsula of Celebes, specifically noted that their specimens did not conform to the diagnosis of R. longipes celebensis , and instead represented the nominate subspecies; these authors also made passing reference to additional specimens of R. longipes they had seen from Bali.

The series listed above from Java, collected by Fairchild, includes a male specimen bearing a label reading “ Ranatra longipes Stål det Montandon 1909”. The male from Java collected by Heurn has the male genital capsule dissected and mounted on a card beneath the specimen, allowing ready examination of the male paramere, which displays the same distinctive small subapical tooth on the inner curve of the distal hook as shown in Figs. 2 and 4 for specimens from Singapore and Borneo.

Overall, R. longipes may be recognised by its slender, delicate form, and its relatively small size in the context of the Southeast Asian Ranatra assemblage. Within any given population, males are noticeably smaller than females, and represent the smallest species of Ranatra occurring in Peninsular Malaysia and adjacent Greater Sunda Islands.

Distribution. — Southern Peninsular Malaysia (Johor), Singapore, Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Bali, southwestern peninsula of Celebes (Sulawesi Tenggara).

Figures

Figs. 1–8. Ranatra species, male left parameres with details of paramere apex. 1, 2: R. longipes longipes, specimen from Indonesia, Borneo, East Kalimantan (CL 2092). 3, 4: R. longipes longipes, specimen from Singapore, Nee Soon Swamp Forest (Y843). 5, 6: R. thai, specimen from Thailand, Chiang Mai Prov (CL 2201). 7, 8: R. rafflesi, specimen from Singapore, Seletar Reservoir (TAD0830).

Figs. 9, 10. Ranatra species, male phallotheca, left lateral view. 9: R. longipes longipes, specimen from Singapore, Nee Soon Swamp Forest (Y843). 10: R. rafflesi, specimen from Singapore, Upper Seletar Reservoir (TAD0830).

Figs. 11, 12. Ranatra species, left foreleg, outer lateral view. 11: R. longipes longipes, male specimen from Singapore, Nee Soon Swamp Forest (Y843). 12: R. rafflesi, specimen from Singapore, Upper Seletar Reservoir (TAD0830).