Amemboa (Amemboides) pilifera, Zettel & Yang & Tran, 2007

Zettel, Herbert, Yang, Chang Man & Tran, A. D., 2007, Two New Species Of Amemboa Subgenus Amemboides (Heteroptera: Gerridae) From China And Laos, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 55 (2), pp. 223-229 : 226-227

Amemboa (Amemboides) pilifera , new species

( Figs. 6–10 )

Material examined. – Holotype (macropterous male): China, Yunnan Prov., Mengyang, clear forest stream, Km 13, Menglun to Mengyang, coll. L. Cheng, 22 May.2000, LC 018 ( ZRC).

Paratypes: 1 female (macropterous), same label data as holotype ( ZRC) ; 1 male (macropterous), Laos, Champasak Prov., Bolavens Plateau, nr. Tat Phan Waterfalls, Ban Itou , 900 m, coll. P. Schwendinger, 26 Dec.1996 ( NHMW) .

Description. – Macropterous male: Size (largest specimen is holotype): body length inclusive of wings 5.6–6.1 mm, exclusive of wings ca. 4.7–5.0 mm; width of head across eyes 0.94–0.97 mm; maximum width across mesacetabula 1.42–1.52 mm; length of second antennomere: 0.95–0.97 mm; length of mesofemur 3.9–4.2 mm.

Colour: Colour pattern in specimen from Laos more distinct, but slightly faded in holotype (which was previously stored in alcohol). Head and pronotum (inclusive of lobe) dorsally light brown, with more distinct yellowish midline; head dorsally with four brownish stripes, and with pair of black stripes from base of antenna to anterior eye margin; pronotum infuscated laterally and especially posteriorly, pronotal lobe anteriorly next to yellow midline with small black (brown) areas, narrow margin from humeri to apex leucine. Mesopleura with one narrow black stripe lined with silverish pilosity ventrally; acetabula more or less infuscated; mesopleura with very large, pro- and metapleura each with small dot of shiny silverish pilosity. Mesosternum medially with paired large faded brownish areas, mesosternum with blackish area; sternites yellow, tergites strongly infuscated. Fore wings dark brown, but lighter brown apically and along hind margin. Dorsal surface with numerous very short golden setae, more dense at base of pronotal lobe and on forewings. Antennae and legs yellowish, apices of antennomeres 1–3, whole antennomere 4, and tarsi blackish, apices of femora and tibiae more or less infuscated.

Structural characteristics: Antenna longer than body; length of antennomeres 1–4: 1.2: 1.0: 1.2: 1.3. Relative lengths of leg segments (in percent of mesofemur): profemur: 40; protibia: 39; protarsus 4 + 6; mesofemur 100; mesotibia: 65; mesotarsus: 18 + 11; metafemur: 88; metatibia: 44; metatarsus: 10 + 9; foreleg without modifications, profemur 5.0 times as long as wide ( Fig. 6 ); first mesotarsomere 1.7 times as long as second. Pregenital abdominal venter ca. one-eight of body length; sternite 7 with deep, roundish emargination at middle of hind margin, length along midline as long as sternites 4– 6 combined.

Male genital segments relatively small and very slender. Eight segment 2.1 times as long as wide. Pygophore slender, posteriorly rounded, posterolaterally with a pair of very distinct tufts of hairs ( Figs. 7–8 ). Proctiger elongate and simple, without lateral projections ( Fig. 9 ). Paramere simple, 0.22–0.25 mm long, straight bar-shaped, tapering slightly toward rounded apex ( Fig. 10 ).

Macropterous female: Size: body length inclusive of wings 6.0 mm, exclusive of wings 6.9 mm; width of head across eyes 1.04 mm; maximum width across mesacetabula 1.91 mm; length of second antennomere 0.96 mm; length of mesofemur 4.5 mm.

Colour as in male holotype.

Structural characteristics: Relative length of antennomeres 1–4: 1.1: 1.0: 1.3: 1.3. First mesotarsomere 1.7 times as long as second. Connexival corner of sternite 7 obtuse and slightly rounded; sternite 7 with evenly rounded ventral margin; median length of sternite 7 slightly longer than combined lengths of sternites 5 and 6. Hind corners of tergite 8 with tufts of hairs; these hairs long, black and with whitish apex.

Etymology. – This species is named after the conspicuous pilosity on the pygophore of the male.

Distribution. – Yunnan, China, and Champasak, Laos.

Habitats. – The type locality of this species in Yunnan (LC 018) has been described under A. yunnana , new species.

Remarks. – Amemboa pilifera is similar to A. velaris , but differs in both sexes from this and all other species of the subgenus Amemboides in having a relatively long mesotarsomere 1. Males can be further distinguished by their longer and more slender genital segments, slightly smaller paramere, and especially by the long pilosity laterodistally on the pygophore. Zettel (1998) had misidentified a single male of this species from Laos as A. velaris (subspecies uncertain), a widely-distributed species which now, preliminarily, has to be excluded from the fauna of Laos. This author noted the obvious pilosity of the pygophore, but not the unusual length of the mesotarsomeres, because the left mesotarsus of the specimen was deformed and an aberrative length was assumed also for the right mesotarsus.

Figures

Figs. 6–10. Amemboa (Amemboides) pilifera, new species: 6, male fore leg; 7, 8, pygophore: 7, lateral view; 8, ventral view; 9, proctiger; 10, left paramere; Scale bars: 6–9 = 0.5 mm; 10 = 0.1 mm.