Micronecta (Micronecta) ornitheia, Nieser & Chen & Yang, 2005

Nieser, Nico, Chen, Ping-ping & Yang, Chang Man, 2005, A New Subgenus And Six New Species Of Nepomorpha (Insecta: Heteroptera) From Yunnan, China, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 53 (2), pp. 189-209 : 197-200

Micronecta (Micronecta) ornitheia , new species

( Figs. 32-41 )

Material examined. - Holotype ( CAS) - macropterous male, CHINA: Yunnan, Xishuangbanna, Mengla , 55th stream, 30 May.2002, coll. C. M. Yang & P. Chew ( YCM303 ).

Paratypes (adults only) - Same data as holotype, 4 males, 13 females ( CAS, ZRC) , 3 males, 3 females ( NCTN) ; Yunnan, Xishuangbanna, 119 km from Jinghong to Mengla , rocky stream, 1 May.2002, coll. C. M. Yang & P. Chew, 1 male ( ZRC) ; Yunnan, Xishuangbanna, forest stream, 9 km from Mengla road to Menglun , 18 May.2000, coll. L. Cheng (LC003), 5 males, 13 females ( ZRC) , 2 males, 4 females ( NCTN) ; Xishuangbanna, Menglun, stream near Manpao village , km 57 Menglun to Jinhong , 21 May.2000, coll. L. Cheng, 4 males, 2 females, 1 larva ( ZRC) , 1 male ( NCTN) ; km 10 Menglun to Mengyang , 21 May.2000, coll. L. Cheng (LC014), 1 male ( ZRC) ; Menglun , small waterfall near 55 power station, 21 May.2000, coll. L. Cheng (LC015), 10 males, 9 females ( ZRC) , 4 males 4 females ( NCTN) ; pool at waterfall 65 power station, 21 May.2000, coll. L. Cheng (LC016), 25 males, 14 females ( CAS, ZRC) , 8 males, 8 females ( NCTN) ; Xishuangbanna, clear forest stream, km 13 Menglun to Mengyang , 22 May.2000, coll. L. Cheng (LC018), 1 male, 4 females ( ZRC) ; Yunnan, Morhan, ditch by rice field near army base, 2 km from Laotian border, 23 May.2000, coll. L. Cheng (LC021), 3 males, 2 females ( ZRC) ; Yunnan, Shangyong, river by roadside, Dalongha village , 23 May.2000, coll. L. Cheng (LC025), 1 male ( ZRC) ; Mengla, river by Jing Meng Yuan village near Mengyuan , 24 May.2000, coll. L. Cheng (LC033), 7 males 4 females ( ZRC) , 3 males 2 females ( NCTN) . All macropterous .

Description. – Macropterous form, based on specimens in alcohol. In dorsal view, generally a light brown, small, elongate ovate species with its greatest width at the level of the caudal apex of claval commissure.

Dimensions. Length, male <x> 1.75, s 0.031 {1.78}, <x> female 1.78 s 0.048; width, male <x> 0.77, s 0.018 {0.79}, female <x> 0.80, s 0.027; width of head, male <x> 0.63, s 0.011 {0.64}, female <x> 0.65, s 0.012; synthlipsis, male and female <x> 0.30; posterior width of an eye, male <x> 0.19, female <x> 0.20; width of pronotum, male <x> 0.68, s 0.021, female <x> 0.71, s 0.008; ocular index, male <x> 1.82, s 0.11 {1.76}, female <x> 1.75, s 0.06.

Colour. Dorsally generally light brown; head yellowish with an elongate orange spot medially between eyes, eyes castaneous; pronotum unicolorous light brown except for caudolateral angles and posterior margin narrowly yellow. Hemielytra light brown with irregular reddish markings on costal third of corium, most distinctly in apical half, in addition, indistinct slightly darker reddish brown to brown patches on corium and membrane, some of which form a broken transverse zigzag band halfway corium; embolium with a longitudinal dark greyish stripe, two medium brown patches at costal margins, one just caudally of nodal furrow and one at base of membrane; hyaline mark at base of clavus short, about 0.1 long not V-shaped and marked with reddish. Thorax and abdomen ventrally and legs yellowish, in male most of abdomen medium brown and aedeagus blackish, in female ovipositor with brown marks; dorsal scent glands black.

Structural characteristics. Ratio length/width of body males 2.3, females 2.2. Head slightly narrower than pronotum, synthlipsis 1.5 times as wide as the posterior margin of an eye. Pronotum well developed, dorsally convex with well developed lateral margins; 2.4 times as wide as long (W/L male 0.68/0.28, female 0.71/0.30). Spines laterally on abdominal segments: VI two short, one long, one very long ( Fig. 34 ); VII three short, two long, one very long; VIII five short two very long hair-like. Pala ( Fig. 39 ) with three dorsal bristles; upper row and ventral row of palm each with about 17 bristles; the apical two bristles of both upper and lower row are somewhat thicker than the remaining bristles in their row. Leg measurements as in table 1.

Male. Fore leg ( Fig. 39 ): femur with two apical spines, one in apical third and two in basal half; tibia with three spines in apical third. Palar claw a simple clavate flap ( Fig. 40 ). Prestrigilar lobe ( Fig. 36 ) well differentiated; strigil ( Figs. 34, 35 ) oval, with a distinct stalk and one comb with about 55 densely packed teeth. Median lobe of seventh abdominal sternite ( Fig. 41 ) short, with an acute apex and three to four rather weak bristles on its surface. Free lobe of left part of segment eight ( Fig. 38 ) elongate, gradually broadening towards apex; with about 18 bristles in lateroapical part. Right paramere ( Fig. 32 ) with a widened apex, vaguely reminding a bird head, basal process with about 30 stridulatory ridges. Left paramere broad with a distinct notch in basal part ( Fig. 33 ).

Female. Fore leg with the same set of spines as male; palar claw bristle-like, distinctly more strongly developed than the bristles in the palmar rows. Receptaculum seminis clubshaped ( Fig. 37 ).

Brachypterous form unknown.

Etymology. – Ornitheios (Greek adjective: from a bird, birdlike) refers to the characteristic apical part of the right paramere which is vaguely resembling a bird head.

Comparative notes. – With the key to SE Asian species ( Nieser, 2000) this species might run to M. pocsi Wróblewski, 1967 , from Vietnam, which is slightly smaller (length 1.55- 1.72 for males and 1.61-1.78 for females), and its right paramere is with a different shape: with the shaft broader in its middle part, the apical part less widened, and with a notch at its base. The left parameres of M. ornitheia , M. pocsi , M. hummeli Lundblad, 1934 , from China (Sichuan) and M. singhpruthii Lundblad, 1933b , from India (Punjab) are quite similar, but the latter two have the apex of the right paramere hooked and not widened. The only species with a similar right paramere is M. sanctaecatherinae Hutchinson, 1940 , from India and Sri Lanka. However, this species is larger (length 2.2-2.4), and has reddish spots on pronotum and hemielytra, moreover, it has a totally different left paramere with a widened tip giving it a club-shaped appearance.

Figures

Figs. 32-38. Micronecta ornitheia, new species, paratypes; 32-36 male; 32) right paramere; 33) left paramere; 34) right part of tergite VI; 35) strigil, scale: 0.05mm; 36) prestrigilar lobe; 37) female, receptaculum seminis; 38) male, free lobe of left part of tergite VIII. Figs. 32- 34, 36-38. scale: 0.1 mm.

Figs. 39-41. Micronecta ornitheia, new species, paratype, male; 39) fore leg; 40) apex of pala; 41) mediocaudal lobe of sternite VII. Scale: 0.1 mm.