Aphelocheirus (Aphelocheirus) femoratus D. Polhemus & J. Polhemus, 1989

Polhemus, Dan A. & Polhemus, John T., 2013, Guide To The Aquatic Heteroptera Of Singapore And Peninsular Malaysia. Xi. Infraorder Nepomorpha- Families Naucoridae And Aphelocheiridae, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 61 (2), pp. 665-686 : 682

Aphelocheirus (Aphelocheirus) femoratus D. Polhemus & J. Polhemus, 1989

( Figs. 41–46 )

Aphelocheirus femoratus D. Polhemus & J. Polhemus, 1989: 214

Material examined. — MALAYSIA, Perak: 2 macropterous males, 5 brachypterous males, 7 brachypterous females, Iskandar Waterfall, 24 km W. of Tapah on Cameron Highlands road, 450 m, 4°19'28"N, 101°19'30'E, 18 Aug.1985, CL 2074, D. A. & J. T . Polhemus coll. (paratypes, JTPC) . Selangor: 1 macropterous male, 1 brachypterous male, 1 brachypterous female, 9 mi. S. Gombak road, Jul.1967, D. Tan coll. (paratypes, JTPC) .

Diagnosis. — Brachypterous forms with length 7.4–7.8 mm; maximum width (across abdomen) 4.5–4.8 mm ( Fig. 41 ); macropterous forms with length 7.1–7.2 mm, maximum width (across abdomen) 4.4 mm ( Fig. 42 ). Colouration dull blackish-brown with extensive yellowish markings. Males are easily recognised by the presence of dark, raised swellings on the ventral surfaces of the hind femora and trochanters ( Fig. 45 ), and by the genitalic structures ( Fig. 43 ). Females may be recognised by the shape of the subgenital plate ( Fig. 44 ) and the explanate posterior margins of abdominal tergite VII ( Fig. 44 ).

Distribution. — Described from peninsular Malaysia (Perak), with paratypes from additional Malaysian localities in Selangor, and from northern Thailand. Futher records from Thailand and southwestern China were provided by Sites et al. (1997) and Liu & Ding (2005).

Discussion. — Although originally described from Peninsular Malaysia, A. femoratus has proven to widely distributed in Southeast Asia, and has one of the largest geographic ranges of any Aphelocheirus in this region. The unusual swellings on the ventral surface of the male hind legs are seen in no other Southeast Asian species, although this character state does occur in several Aphelocheirus species from Madagascar (D. Polhemus & J. Polhemus, 1989; Zettel, 2002, 2009).

Figures

Figs.41–46.Aphelocheirus (Aphelocheirus) femoratus D. Polhemus & J. Polhemus, structural details, specimens from Malaysia, Pahang, Cameron Highlands. 41. Brachypterous male, dorsal habitus. 42. Macropterous male, dorsal habitus. 43. Male parameres and phallotheca. 44. Female subgenital plate. 45. Male hind femur, ventral view. 46. Proacetabula.