Fischerotrephinae Zettel, 1994

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

Subfamily Fischerotrephinae Zettel, 1994

The subfamily contains only one genus distributed from southern India to Borneo, and six described species (Papá ek & Zettel, 2005; Chen et al., 2006). In West Malaysia it is represented by a single species, Fischerotrephes jaechi , described from Perak and also recorded from Songkhla, southern Thailand (Sites & Polhemus, 2002). Two further species are described from Thailand ( Chen et al., 2006). Fischerotrephes can easily be recognized by small size, relatively flat body, short cephalonotum, small mesoscutellum ( Fig. 1 ), and tarsal formula 3–3–3. In hindwing-brachypterous specimens, eyes are minute and the antennae are absent – a unique character in adult Insecta. The hemielytron is densely sculptured and matt, with some long, appressed hairs. Fischerotrephes jaechi differs from most congeners in coloration ( Fig. 1 ). Fischerotrephes species are very rarely collected because they are small and live cryptically on sand or fine gravel bottoms in the middle of clean brooks and streams.

Figures

Figs. 1–11. 1–8, Habitus, dorsal aspect; 9–11, frontal aspect.(1) Fischerotrephes jaechi; (2) Platytrephes sitesi; (3, 9) Helotrephes rompinensis; (4, 11) Hydrotrephes benomensis; (5, 10) Ascetotrephes edmundsorum; (6) Idiotrephes chinai; (7) Distotrephes zetteli; (8) Tiphotrephes indicus. (© NHMW Hemiptera Image Collection; published with permission). Images not to scale.