Atyphella guerini (Ballantyne, 2000)

Ballantyne, Lesley A. & Lambkin, Christine, 2009, Systematics of Indo-Pacific fireflies with a redefinition of Australasian Atyphella Olliff, Madagascan Photuroluciola Pic, and description of seven new genera from the Luciolinae (Coleoptera: Lampyridae), Zootaxa 1997, pp. 1-188 : 45-46

Atyphella guerini (Ballantyne, 2000)

( Fig. 126)

Luciola guerini Laporte, 1833:151 . Masters, 1886:288; 1888:327. McDermott, 1966:105 (Partim); Nomen nudum.

Lampyris australis F. (misid.). Boisduval, 1835:125. Motschulsky, 1854:53 (Partim).

Lampyris australis Guérin-Méneville, 1838:74 . Nec Fabricius, 1775:201; 1787:162; 1792:102; 1801:104.

Luciola australis Guérin-Méneville. Lacordaire, 1857:337 .

Luciola australis (F.). Olivier, 1883:330; 1885:362; 1902:74; 1907:52; 1909b: lxxxi; 1913:417. Lea, 1909:108 (Partim); 1921a:197. Misidentification.

Luciola (Luciola) australis (F.) McDermott, 1966:105 (Partim).

Luciola guerini Ballantyne, 1988:164 .

Atyphella guerini (Ballantyne) . Ballantyne, 2000: 117.

Type. Not located.

Material examined. PAPUA NEW GUINEA: New Ireland Pr. , New Ireland: 6.00S, 147.00E, No other data, identification label '‘ Lampyris australis '’ authority obscured, male ( MNHN) . 3.13S, 151.56E, Kandan, 1.i.1960, W. W. Brandt, male ( BPBM) . Gilingil Plantation , 2 m, VII.4.1956, E. J. Ford jnr, male ( BPBM) . SOLOMON ISLANDS: Western Pr., New Georgia : 8.25S, 157.60E Munda, 30.VIII.1965, Tilley (Roy. Soc. Exped. BM 1966–1) male ( NHML) . INDONESIA: 1.68S, 127.88E Halmahera, Djilolo, ex Standinger, male ( MNHN) .

Diagnosis. One of three species from this study area with uniformly orange pronotum and dark brown elytra; distinguished from Pygat. salomonis and Ll. majuscula as follows (extended from Ballantyne, 2000):

A. guerini : basal abdominal ventrites mid-brown; V5 very dark brown; all abdominal tergites pale; V7 with MPP apically rounded, not considerably prolonged; aedeagus with basal piece not hooded, median lobe lacking pointed projection at sides of ejaculatory orifice; elytral interstitial lines 1, 2 as well–defined as suture; LO occupies more than half V7, area posterior to LO in V7 not arched or swollen; ventral face of T8 lacks median longitudinal groove or posterior asymmetrical curved ridge; not Australian.

Pygat. salomonis : basal abdominal ventrites pale; V5 very dark brown; all abdominal tergites pale brown; V7 with median posterior projection considerably prolonged, parallel-sided, and apically truncate, often obliquely; aedeagus lacking hooded basal piece, median lobe with pointed projections at sides of ejaculatory orifice; elytral interstitial lines faint, not as well–defined as suture; LO occupies about half or less of V7; area posterior to LO in V7 somewhat arched; ventral face of T8 with single curved ridge to left of median line; not Australian.

Ll. majuscula : all abdominal ventrites (except for pale LO in 6 and 7) very dark; all abdominal tergites dark except for pale tergites 7, 8; V7 with median posterior projection moderately produced, apically rounded, not parallel-sided; aedeagus with basal piece hooded; all 4 elytral interstitial lines as well–defined as suture; LO occupies most of V7; area posterior to LO small, not arched; ventral surface of T8 with median longitudinal groove; Australian.

Remarks. Ballantyne (1988) resolved the identities of Luciola australis F. and L. guerini Laporte , which was treated as a nomen nudum. While guerini was not part of Ballantyne and Lambkin’s (2000) cladistic analysis, Ballantyne (2000) indicated that it differed from A. majuscula in only one male character and its position is confirmed here. Ballantyne (2000) assigned guerini to Atyphella and described 31 males and two possible larvae (associated only by similarity of label data), from New Ireland. The single male from New Georgia is in poor condition and covered in mould and is a tentative association only, as is the Halmahera male, which was not dissected.