Major Group: Insecta Order: Hemiptera Family: Gerridae Genus: Rheumatometra |
Descriptive Features: adults apterous or macropterous
body suboval (male) or broadly oval (female), moderately dorso-ventrally flattened, blackish, partly covered with grey pruinose pubescence
pronotum dark with median yellowish mark
head short and broad
antennae only 0.4-0.5X body length, with preapical spinous hair on segments 1-3, segment 1 longest, segments 2-4 subequal in length, segment 4 oval
fore wings (macropterous) dark brownish, largely membranous, extending far beyond end of abdomen
mesonotum about 2x (male), or more than 3X pronotum length, with longitudinal depression in middle (female)
mesosternum 6-7X as long as metasternum
structure of fore legs sexually dimorphic
male femora incrassate, strongly curved, tibiae curved, with elongate dark pad on apical spur
female femora thickened but not curved, tibiae straight
abdomen relatively short, subequal in length to thorax, tergites 1 and 7 longest
male genital segments small, at most slightly protruding from pregenital abdomen, proctiger small, parallel-sided
Total length: (m) 2.5 mm (f) 4.2-4.5 mm |
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Rheumatometra philarete |
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Taxonomic Checklist: Species Rheumatometra dimorpha Andersen & Weir Rheumatometra philarete Kirkaldy
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Distribution: Tas, Vic, NSW, ACT, Qld
Functional Feeding Group: predators |
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Murray River, Jingellic Vic |
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Information Sources: Andersen & Weir 1998, Cassis & Gross 1995, Lansbury & Lake 2002, Hawking & Smith 1997 Key to Species: Andersen & Weir 2004 |
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