Xiphovelia Lundblad 1933

Xiphovelia Lundblad, 1933

Xiphovelia Lundblad, 1933: 364. Type species by original designation: X. ensis Lundblad, 1933.

Xiphovelia: Esaki & Miyamoto, 1959: 92; Nieser, 1995: 85; Chen et al. 2005: 262; Zettel, 2012: 100.

Diagnosis. Small-sized veliids (1.50–2.30 mm), apterous or macropterous form; body in apterous morph with elongate in male and broadly oval in female; dorsum colour dark grey to black, thorax and abdomen dorsally with distinctly silvery pubescence; antennae relatively thin but not flagelliform; pronotum of apterous morph very short, mesonotum the largest and transverse, broadly fused with metanotum in the middle; hemelytra of macropterous form with four or five closed cells, reaching abdominal apex; legs relatively stout, middle legs usually longer than hind legs, claws of fore and hind tarsi subapical and short, claws and ventral arolium of middle tarsal segment II leaf-like (Fig. 20) and relatively long; posterolateral region of male pygophore with a broad ear-like projection on each side (Figs. 26–29), which in caudal view are round or ear-shaped, paramere rudimental. This genus can be easily separated from all other genus of this subfamily by second middle tarsi with three leaf-like subapical structures (modified claws and ventral arolium).

Habitat. Xiphovelia species are usually inhabits at the slow moving areas of small streams or springs (eg. Figs. 33–36).

Distribution. China, Indonesia (Sumatra, Sulawesi), Japan, Philippines, Sri Lanka.