Microvelia kyushuensis Esaki & Miyamoto, 1955

Aiso, Takumi & Ishikawa, Tadashi, 2024, A new species of the small water strider genus Microvelia (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Veliidae) from the Ryukyus, Japan, with notes on the distribution of M. kyushuensis, Zootaxa 5468 (2), pp. 350-360 : 358-359

Microvelia kyushuensis Esaki & Miyamoto, 1955

Japanese name: Kasuri-keshi-katabiroamembo

( Figs. 5C, D , 6B )

Microvelia kyushuensis Esaki & Miyamoto, 1955: 181 (new species). Holotype: Apterous male, Kurume, Kyushu, Japan (ELKU).

Specimens examined. [ Japan: Honshu] Zaô , Noda-shi, Chiba-ken, 18 VIII 2020, T. Aiso (2 apterous males and 2 apterous females) ( TUA); Zaô, Noda-shi, Chiba-ken, 3 VII 2020, T. Aiso (1 macropterous female) ( TUA); Kitashinozaki , Kazo-shi, Saitama-ken, 23 IV 2023, T. Aiso (1 apterous male) ( TUA). [ Japan: Kyushu ] Kurume-shi, Fukuoka-ken, 11 III 1952, S. Miyamoto (1 apterous male, holotype ( ELKU); Kurume-shi, Fukuoka-ken, 2 IX 1952, S. Miyamoto (2 apterous males and 2 apterous females, paratypes) ( ELKU); Kurume-shi, Fukuoka-ken, 30 VII 1952, S. Miyamoto (2 macropterous males, paratypes) ( KUM). [ Japan: the Ryukyus: the Okinawa Islands] Gushikawa, Uruma-shi, Okinawa-jima Is., 13 III 2019, T. Ishikawa & K. Takahata (5 apterous males and 5 apterous females) ( TUA). [ Japan: the Ryukyus: the Yaeyama Islands] Ôtomi-rindô , Iriomote-jima Is. , 24 III 2006, T. Ishikawa (5 apterous males and 5 apterous females) ( TUA); near Angaimidouchi , Yonaguni-jima Is., 5 IV 2022, Y. Yamaguchi (1 apterous male and 2 apterous females) ( TUA); Urabu, Yonaguni-jima Is. , 23 III 2023, T. Aiso (2 apterous males, 2 apterous females and 1 macropterous male) ( TUA).

Distribution. Japan: Central and western Honshu, Kyushu, the Ryukyus (Okinawa-jima Island, Iriomote-jima Island, and Yonaguni-jima Island); Taiwan.

Herein this species is recorded for the first time from Okinawa-jima Island, the Okinawa Islands of the Ryukyus. As mentioned in the Remarks of Microvelia minsa sp. nov. above, we found that previous records of M. kyushuensis were often based on misidentification of the present new species. To the best of our knowledge, the localities recorded based on the misidentification of M. minsa sp. nov. include Ishigaki-jima Island ( Miyamoto 1964) and Yonaguni-jima Island ( Hayashi & Miyamoto 2006), the Yaeyama Islands of the Ryukyus. Therefore, these islands should be excluded from the range of M. kyushuensis or are highly questionable in their distribution. However, because we successfully collected several individuals of genuine M. kyushuensis from Yonaguni-jima Island in a recent field survey, the range of this species still includes the island. However, to the best of our knowledge, no specimens of M. kyushuensis have been collected from Ishigaki-jima Island. Therefore, Ishigaki-jima Island should be removed from the range of this species until specimens from the island become available.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Comparison of living adults of Microvelia minsa sp. nov. (A, B) and M. kyushuensis Esaki & Miyamoto (C, D). A, C, apterous male; B, D, apterous female.

FIGURE 6. Scanning electron microscope photographs of right parameres of Microvelia minsa sp. nov. (A) and M. kyushuensis Esaki & Miyamoto (B).