Nine new species of Enithares (Heteroptera: Notonectidae) from New Guinea, with distributional notes on other species and an updated world checklist
Author
Polhemus, Dan A.
text
Zootaxa
2020
2020-05-07
4772
1
132
182
journal article
22330
10.11646/zootaxa.4772.1.5
b14b0d0d-cf67-4895-965c-12792c622b21
1175-5326
3814079
B497198A-08CD-4A21-AE04-14390499853B
Enithares kasim
new species
(
Figs. 5
,
45, 46
,
52
,
67
)
Type material examined
.
Holotype
, male (dissected):
INDONESIA
,
Irian Jaya Prov
.
[
Papua Prov.
],
New
Guinea, pools in muddy lowland rain forest streambed,
28 km
.
NE of Kasim
on pipeline road,
15 m
.
,
2 October 1991
,
01°15′17′′S
,
131°14′11′′E
, CL 2630, D.
A
.
Polhemus
and
J. T. Polhemus
(
BPBM
)
.
Paratypes
:
INDONESIA
,
Irian Jaya Prov
.
[
Papua Prov.
]:
1 male
,
5 females
, same data as holotype CL 2630, D.
A
.
Polhemus and
J. T. Polhemus
(
USNM
,
BPBM
)
.
Description
.
Male
: Length
8.90 mm
, width across pronotum
3.20 mm
.
Coloration
: Ground color dark brown (
Fig. 45
). Vertex and frons creamy white, with diffuse brown centrally at anterior apex of frons. Pronotum with anterior half creamy white, posterior half dark brown. Scutellum dark brownish centrally, transitioning to yellowish-brown along lateral margins. Hemelytra hyaline, with clavus and corium bluish-grey, longitudinally suffused with black along claval suture, inner portion of corium bordering clavus, and along embolium, overall hemelytral coloration appearing darker due to dorsal abdominal color showing through; wing membrane dark fumate brown. Legs yellowish brown, fore and middle tibiae darkened distally, anterior edge of hind femur narrowly margined with dark brown. Venter brown, with coxal plates tan.
Structural characters
: Head broadly rounded anteriorly when viewed dorsally. Head length 0.95; greatest width 2.55, equal to 0.79 pronotal width; anterior width of vertex 0.80, equal to 0.89× head length. Synthlipsis 0.50, about 0.62 anterior width of vertex and clearly shorter than pronotum. Pronotal length along midline 1.10, humeral width 3.20, lateral margins nearly straight, posterior margin weakly sinuate. Dorsal margin of pronotal fovea directed caudad behind eyes (
Fig. 45
). Nodal furrow curved weakly cephalad, removed by 2.0× its length from membranal suture, length 0.50, distance to membranal suture 1.00.
Front and hind legs typical for genus, lacking unusual modifications. Middle trochanter angular. Middle femur with sharp subapical tooth bearing a sloping shoulder distally with 3 small, black, peg-like teeth. Lengths of leg segments as follows: fore femur–tibia–tarsal 1–tarsal 2 = 1.35/1.35/0.55/0.30; middle femur–tibia–tarsal 1–tarsal 2 = 2.00/1.70/0.60/0.40; hind femur–tibia–tarsal 1–tarsal 2 = 3.10/2.70/1.10/0.80.
Ventral abdomen with metaxyphus triangular, slightly concave, tip acuminate (
Fig. 5
).
Male genitalia
when viewed laterally (
Fig. 52
) with proctiger angular; pygophore with posteroventral angle forming nearly a right angle bearing a prominent setal tuft, posterior lobe broadly curved along posterior margin, dorsal margin truncate, angled slightly anterad; paramere small, crescent-shaped, reaching only halfway to apex of posterior lobe; lateral arm of basal plate broadly expanded distally, dorsal apex nearly straight; aedeagus semicircular, with numerous transverse folds.
Female
: Length 8.0 mm., width across pronotum
3.20 mm
. Similar to male in general structure and coloration, with following exceptions: general coloration yellowish-brown (
Fig. 46
); upper frons with a pair (1+1) of prominent, longitudinally ovate reddish spots to either side of midline.
Etymology
. The name “kasim” is a noun in apposition, and refers to the
type
locality at Kasim, near the furthest western point on the island of New
Guinea
.
Discussion
.
Enithares kasim
is similar in certain respects to
E. megalops
, but is slightly larger and stouter in overall form. The male genitalia will also readily separate the two species. The paramere of
E. megalops
is nearly vestigial, being represented by a small, rounded nub, whereas the paramere of
E. kasim
is somewhat larger, more obvious, and crescent-shaped (compare
Figs. 49, 52
). The PL of
E. megalops
takes the form of a broadly rounded triangle, whereas that of
E. kasim
it is bent anteriorly, with a truncate apex (compare
Figs. 49, 52
). Finally, the LABP of
E. megalops
is gently curved and slightly tapering, with a blunt apex, whereas the LABP in
E. kasim
is broadly expanded distally, with a relatively straight dorsal margin leading to a broadly rounded apex (compare
Figs. 49, 52
). The mesotrochanter of
E. kasim
is also more angular than that of
E. megalops
.
Ecological notes
.
E. kasim
is presently known only from the extreme western portion of the Vogelkop Peninsula (
Fig. 67
), occupying the Vogelkop Lowlands area of freshwater endemism (Areas 4) as defined by D.
Polhemus & Allen (2007)
. The
type
locality was a shaded streambed in lowland swamp forest, with scattered pools connected by hyporheic flow. Collections were made in the dry season, when the water is low and aquatic biota concentrates in such remnant pools; during the wet season the channel would be filled, representing a continuous and far more extensive habitat.