Helotrephinae, Esaki & China, 1927

Zettel, Herbert, ek, Miroslav Papá & Kovac, Damir, 2011, Guide To The Aquatic Heteroptera Of Singapore And Peninsular Malaysia: Vii. Family Helotrephidae, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 59 (2), pp. 171-179 : 177-178

Subfamily Helotrephinae – Tribe Helotrephini

(sensu Polhemus, 1990)

According to the presently accepted classification (Papá ek & Zettel, 2005), the tribe contains seven genera including three in Southeast Asia and the study area. Ascetotrephes contains only eight species in Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo ( Zettel, 2004, 2009). Among them, Ascetotrephes edmundsorum is the only species known from Peninsular Malaysia. Helotrephes and Hydrotrephes are very specious. Three species of Helotrephes and two species of Hydrotrephes have been recorded from West Malaysia, but another four species have been recorded from the better investigated south of Thailand (south of the Isthmus of Kra) and can be expected in Malaysia, too. The discovery of additional undescribed species is likely.

Species of Helotrephini are typically found in bays of streams and rivers, or along banks between tree roots or accumulated plant debris where they live near the water surface, often in large numbers of adults and nymphs.