Aneurocoris insolitus Montandon, 1897

Mbogho, Aaron Y. & Sites, Robert W., 2013, Naucoridae Leach, 1815 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) of Tanzania, African Invertebrates 54 (2), pp. 513-513 : 520-521

Aneurocoris insolitus Montandon, 1897

Figs 15 , 30

Aneurocoris insolitus: Montandon 1897 a: 437 .

Diagnosis: Aneurocoris insolitus can be distinguished from other species of Naucoridae in Tanzania by the entirely coriaceous hemelytra which are devoid of claval and embolar sutures and membrane ( Fig. 15 ). It is relatively small for the family, measuring 5.8– 7.4 mm in length. All specimens examined for hindwing condition lacked hindwings. Material examined: TANZANIA: Kigoma Region: Lake Tanganyika , Kigoma, 4°54.719'S 29°37.989'E, 772m, 28.vii.2010, R.W. Sites & A. Mbogho, rootmats of matete on waveswept sandy shoreline, L-1166 ( UMC; 26♂, 13♀, 74 nymphs); same locality, 4°55.319'S 29°40.256'E, 773 m, 28.vii.2010, R.W. Sites & A. Mbogho, dense rootmats of matete in heavy wave action, L-1167 ( UMC; 18♂, 15♀, 18 nymphs). Rukwa Region: Lake Tanganyika , Karema, 6°49.694'S 30°26.646'E, 780 m, 31.vii.2010, R.W. Sites & A. Mbogho, heavily wave swept roots of reed grass, L-1189 ( UMC; 3♀, 2 nymphs); Lake Tanganyika , Kasanga, 8°26.746'S 31°08.642'E, 773 m, 2.viii.2010, R.W.Sites & A. Mbogho, waveswept reed grass clumps, L-1203 ( DHJC, NHMW, NMSA, SANC, TMSA, UMC, WSUC; 98♂, 96♀, 203 nymphs); Tanganyika Terr., Kirando [Kiranda?], 14.x.1926, Dr C. Christy Exp., B.M. 1927-203 / under stones on water line / 427 ( BMNH; 1♀) .

Extralimital material examined: [ DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO]: “Museum Paris, Tanganyika (Mpala), Oberthür 99-96 / Type / Aneurocoris insolitus Montand type 1897” ( MNHN; ♀) .

Distribution: Aneurocoris insolitus is limited to Lake Tanganyika. In Tanzania, we collected it from Kigoma to the southernmost point of the lake. Streams and rivers which flow into the lake were not found to harbour this species. Its distribution in the lake is not continuous, but apparently restricted to the isolated patches of reed grass, Phragmites mauritianus , where the insects live among the rhizomes and root mats. The type specimen in the Paris Museum is labelled “Tanganyika (Mpala)”. In 1897, Tanganyika could have referred to the lake or the country. Villages named Mpala occur in both Democratic Republic of the Congo ( DRC) and Tanzania. Mpala in Tanzania is not near Lake Tanganyika, but is in Iringa Region 415 km southeast of Lake Tanganyika and 70 km northeast of Lake Malawi, whereas Mpala in DRC is on the western shoreline of Lake Tanganyika, almost directly west of Karema in Tanzania. Thus, we interpret Mpala, DRC to be the type locality of this species. Although the species has been recorded from Lake Tanganyika and because the type locality is in DRC, reported here is the first record of its occurrence in Tanzania.

Discussion: In addition to Coulter (1991) and Irvine & Donohue (1999) suggesting association with a stony substrate, label data of older museum specimens indicated that A. insolitus was collected from rocks in Lake Tanganyika. However, during our collections it was not found among rocks despite collecting intensively in rocky substrates at several locations near Kigoma. Rather than living under or among rocks, this species was associated consistently with root mats of reed grass (matete in Swahili), Phragmites mauritianus Kunth , in the four sites where it was collected. At all other sites with sand and rock substrates that also were sampled, A. insolitus was not found.

Figures

Figs 15, 16. (15) Aneurocoris insolitus male from L-1203, (16) Ctenipocoris africanus male from Namanve Swamp, Uganda.

Fig.30.Distribution maps of13 speciesof Naucoridae known from Tanzania.Notincluded is Neomacrocoris usambaricus, which was recorded from West Usambara. (Map for N. bondelaufa and N. vuga is reproduced from Sites & Mbogho (2012), with permission by Magnolia Press.)