Ptilomera (P.) tigrina Uhler, 1860

Jehamalar, E. Eyarin, Chandra, Kailash, Basu, Srimoyee & Selvakumar, C., 2018, Review of Ptilomera (Ptilomera) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Gerridae) from India, with description of a new species, Zootaxa 4370 (5), pp. 501-518 : 512

Ptilomera (P.) tigrina Uhler, 1860

( Figs. 5A–J )

Ptilomera tigrina Uhler, 1860 . Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 12, 230 (type locality: Hong Kong).

Material examined. INDIA, ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS, South Andaman District, 1 apt. ♀, 2 nymphs, Wimberleygunj, Jan. 1930, Coll. Not mentioned ; 2 apt. ♀, 1 nymph, Humphrygunj , 7.iii.1964, Coll. B.S. Lamba ; 4 apt. ♂, 8 apt. ♀, Mannar Ghat, Wright Myo, 24.iii.1964, Coll. B.S. Lamba; 1 apt. ♂, 6 apt. ♀, 1 nymph, South Andaman , Shoalbay-8, 30.xii.2013, Coll. G. Srinivasan ; 1 apt. ♂, 7 apt. ♀, South Andaman, Aniket near Mazad Pahad , 31.xii.2013, Coll. G. Srinivasan. North and Middle Andaman District, 4 apt. ♂, 1 mac-da ♂, 3 apt. ♀, 1 nymph, Saddle Peak National Park, 16.xii.2013, Coll. G. Srinivasan. Reg. No. 4042/H15 to 4044/H15 and Reg. No. 5743/H15 to Reg. No. 5745/H15.

Repository. The specimens are deposited in the National Zoological Collection, Hemiptera Section , Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

Diagnosis. Body length of apterous male 12.33–15.01, apterous female 11.74–13.46. Males of Ptilomera tigrina can easily be distinguished from those of all known congeners from India by the long abdominal tergum VIII and pygophore ( Figs. 5A, C, D ); the posteromedian process of the proctiger not exceeding its lateral process ( Figs. 5A, C, I ); the basal half of the male mid femur with thin and short setae and the apical half with intertwined slightly thick swimming setae ( Fig. 5G ); the apex of the lateral process of the male pygophore is pointed, without a setal tuft, and lies above and does not exceed the lateral process of the proctiger ( Fig. 5A, C, D ). Females can be identified by the presence of a bilobed lateral process of sternum VII ( Fig. 5H ) and the connexival process with a straight base ( Fig. 5E ).

Distribution. India: Andaman & Nicobar Islands (Andaman) ( Polhemus & Starmühlner 1990 and Jehamalar & Chandra, 2013b), see Fig. 8B . Elsewhere: China, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam ( Polhemus 2001).

Remarks. This species has been reported as P. harpyia Schmidt, 1926 from the Andaman Islands by Polhemus & Starmühlner (1990), which was synonymised to P. tigrina Uhler, 1860 by Polhemus (1991).

Figures

FIGURES 5A–J. Ptilomera tigrina Uhler (A, C, D, G, I, J: apterous male; B, E, F, H: apterous female): A, B, habitus, dorsal view; C & E, abdominal apex, dorsal view; D & F, same,ventral view; H, same, lateral view; G, mid femur, ventrolateral view; I, proctiger, dorsal view; J, paramere, lateral view.

FIGURES 8A–B. Distribution in India of: A, P. nagalanda Jehamalar and Chandra, new species; B, P.tigrina Uhler (Yellow triangles denote locality details from literature; red squares denote locality details of materials examined inthe present study).