Zootaxa 2736(11): 1-16. 2011
Heleocoris (Heteroptera: Naucoridae: Laccocorinae) of Thailand, with description
of a new species
Sites, R.W.a
, Vitheepradit, A.b
a
Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri, Enns Entomology Museum, Columbia,
MO 65211, United States
b
Department of Entomology, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
Abstract
The genus Heleocoris in Indochina has languished for more than a century with no substantial
history of taxonomic, biological, or ecological research since the original descriptions of the
species, despite its abundance and ubiquity in streams throughout the region. This is largely
because of the inability to assign specific identities to these insects and the need for
taxonomic revision. Presented here is a comprehensive treatment on the taxonomy and
faunistics of the four species now known to occur in Thailand, including the description of
Heleocoris mcphersoni, n. sp. Diagnostic information, records from Thailand and other
Southeast Asian countries, ecological notes, habitus photographs, and a taxonomic key to
identify the four species are presented.
Keywords: Heleocoris; Indochina; Laccocorinae; Naucoridae; New species; Thailand
Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 58 (2): 329-348. 2010
Recovery of the freshwater lentic insect fauna in Thailand following the tsunami of 2004
Sites, R.W. , Vitheepradit, A.
Enns Entomology Museum, Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia,
MO 65211, United States
Abstract
The tsunami of 26 December 2004 inundated the coastlines of many Southeast Asian
countries, including Thailand. The force of the surge was devastating to the extent that
hundreds of thousands of humans were killed, whereas the effect on non-human biota,
including insects, remains largely unreported. Along the Andaman Sea coastline of Thailand,
we sampled lentic (pond) habitats within the area directly affected by the tsunami and other
reference ponds slightly inland to determine the rate and trajectory of community recovery
following extirpation. Our first samples were taken five months after the tsunami, which
marked the end of a dry season. By that time, many impacted ponds already had substantial
freshwater recharge through rainfall, and conductivity had fallen to approximately 10% that
of seawater. An insect community with a mean richness of 20 taxa was present already,
whereas the unaffected inland ponds had amean richness of 27 taxa. insect tolerance to
salinity in general appears to be greater and taxonomically more widespread than previously
considered. Three additional sampling periods were spaced over the next 12 months. Twoway ANOVA tests for species richness among higher taxa revealed significant differences
among sampling periods for total insecta and four orders separately (Odonata, Hemiptera,
Coleoptera, and Diptera), and six subordinate taxa (Anisoptera, Zygoptera, Gerridae,
Notonectidae, Dytiscidae, and Chironomidae). Patterns of species richness in impacted ponds
across sampling periods were evaluated with Discriminant Function Analysis separately
using ordinal and family richness values. Using ordinal richness values, 55.0% of the ponds
were classified to the correct sampling period, whereas when using family richness values,
92.5% of the ponds were classified correctly. A parsimony analysis was performed to
evaluate community succession and recovery trajectory. Numerous tangential trajectories are
evident, suggesting that the communities of the impacted ponds are not assembling toward
the taxonomic composition of the unaffected ponds, but to one or more alternative stable
states. Taxonomic composition was evaluated also by clustering Jaccard's Similarity scores.
On each of the four sampling dates and overall, fidelity of pond type based on the taxonomic
composition is distinct, suggesting that the community in the impacted ponds has not
demonstrated any signs of shifting toward that of the unaffected ponds. in addition to the
evaluation of inundated and unaffected pond communities, a series of peat swamps that had
been collected in 1994 and 1995 were resampled to obtain comparable post-tsunami data. We
found only 16 of the 33 taxa previously recorded and substantially fewer individuals. ©
National University of Singapore.
Keywords
Species Index: Anisoptera (dragonflies); Arthropoda; Chironomidae; Coleoptera; Diptera;
Dytiscidae; Gerridae; Hemiptera; Hexapoda; Insecta; Notonectidae; Odonata; Zygoptera
Zootaxa 1588: 1-29. 2007
Namtokocoris Sites, a new genus of Naucoridae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) in waterfalls
of Indochina, with descriptions of six new species
Sites, R.W., Vitheepradit, A.
Enns Entomology Museum, Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia,
MI 65211, United States
Abstract
A new genus with six new species of Naucoridae inhabiting waterfalls of Indochina are
described from a decade of aquatic insect collections in Thailand and Vietnam. Namtokocoris
Sites NEW GENUS is diagnosed by a pair of prominent scutellar protuberances, the
prosternai midline bears an expansive, thin, plate-like carina, the forelegs of both sexes
have a one-segmented tarsus apparently fused with the tibia, and a single claw. Prominent
linear series of stout hairs occur on the hemelytra, although this attribute is not unique within
the subfamily. Despite the lack of sexual dimorphism in the forelegs, this new genus
is amember of the subfamily Laccocorinae, an assignment based on other characters
consistent with this subfamily. Character states of this genus are compared with those of
other Asian genera of Laccocorinae. The type species, Namtokocoris siamensis Sites NEW
SPECIES, is widely distributed from northern through eastern Thailand in waterfalls of
several mountain ranges. Namtokocoris khlonglan Sites NEW SPECIES was collected only
at Namtok Khlong Lan at Khlong Lan National Park. Namtokocoris minor Sites NEW
SPECIES was collected at two waterfalls near the border with Burma in Kanchanaburi
Province and is the smallest species known. Namtokocoris akekawati Sites NEW SPECIES
occurs in waterfalls from Kanchanaburi Province south to Ranong Province along the
Burmese border. In Vietnam, Namtokocoris dalanta Sites NEW SPECIES was collected in
Thac Dalanta near Da Lat in Lam Dong Province. Namtokocoris kem Sites NEW SPECIES
was collected from Thac Kem, a limestone waterfall in Pu Mat National Park in Nghe An
Province, as well as in Nan Province of northern Thailand. Few characters are available to
distinguish among the species; however, genitalic features are reliably diagnostic. Copyright
© 2007. Magnolia Press.
Keywords: Heteroptera; Namtokocoris; Naucoridae; New genus; New species; Thailand;
Vietnam; Waterfall
Zootaxa 1478: 1-19. 2007
A review of Eotrechus Kirkaldy (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Gerridae) of Thailand with
descriptions of three new species
Vitheepradit, A., Sites, R.W.
Enns Entomology Museum, Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia,
MO 65211, United States
Abstract
Three new species of Eotrechus Kirkaldy were collected from vertical rock surfaces of
waterfalls in northern and central Thailand. Eotrechus siamensis sp. n. was collected at Doi
Inthanon and Doi Suthep National Parks in Chiang Mai Province, northern Thailand.
Eotrechus elongatus sp. n. and Eotrechus romglao sp. n. were collected from waterfalls in
Phu Hin Rongkla National Park in Phetchabun Province, central Thailand. These new species
are described and illustrated here as is the female of Eotrechus petraeus Andersen. In
addition, Eotrechus kalidasa Kirkaldy was discovered for the first time in Thailand. Finally,
diagnostic and distributional information of all known species of this genus in Thailand are
given.
Keywords: Eotrechus; Gerridae; Heteroptera; New species; Thailand
Annals of the Entomological Society of America 100( 2): 139-151. 2007
Systematics: A review of Ptilomera (Heteroptera: Gerridae) in Thailand, with
descriptions of three new species
Vitheepradit, A., Sites, R.W.
Enns Entomology Museum, Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia,
MO 65211, United States
Abstract
Three new species of Ptilomera (P. jariyae, P. kra, and P. tennaserim) were collected from
mountain streams in western and southern Thailand, and they are described and illustrated
herein. These new species bring the number of described species of this genus in Thailand to
seven. In addition, the winged form of P. fang Polhemus is described. Diagnoses for males
and females are provided for all seven species occurring in Thailand, along with
distributional records and maps.
Keywords: Gerridae; Heteroptera; New species; Ptilomera; Thailand