Atyphella leucura ( Olivier, 1906 )

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 : 48-49

Atyphella leucura ( Olivier, 1906)

( Figs 166–176)

Luciola leucura Olivier, 1906:157 ; 1907:53; 1911:172.

Atyphella leucura (Olivier) . Olivier, 1910b:46; 1913:417. Ballantyne &Lambkin, 2000:15, 2001:364, 2006:30.

Luciola (Luciola) leucura Olivier. McDermott, 1966:108 .

Holotype. Male. PAPUA NEW GUINEA: New Britain Pr., labelled 1. (printed) LIX Nelle-Bretagne ; 2. (printed) Nouv.-Bretagne LIX–1889; 3. (handwritten) leucura Ern. Oliv. (MNHN) .

Other material examined. PAPUA NEW GUINEA: New Britain Pr.: 4.21S, 152.02E, Kerevat : 10.ii.1966, G. Monteith, 2 males ( UQBA); Lowl Exp. Stn., 23.v.1954, J. Szentivany, male ( DAPM) . Gazelle Peninsula: 4.26S, 152.05E. Gaulim 120–140m, 19–28.XI.1962, 3 males, JS ( BPBM); Mt Sinewit , 1100–1200 m, 15–16.XI.1962 JS , male; 4.29S, 152.08E, Upper Warangoi Illugi 230m 12–30.XII.1962, JS, 2 males ( BPBM) .

Diagnosis. Dorsally pale with a large median dark area on pronotum, a dark area on each elytron adjacent to MS and lighter brown markings in apical half. Similar in colouration to many Pygatyphella spp. , differs in extent of LO in V7 and lack of arching of V7. Distinguished by its restricted occurrence on New Britain.

Male redescription. 8.8–10.0 mm long; 4.0– 4.3 mm wide, just over twice as long as wide. Colour Figs 166–169): Pronotum dingy very pale yellowish brown with wide median darker brown area extending from anterior to posterior margin, wider across posterior 1/3, with mottled darker areas (dark brown and reddish brown) outlining darker pattern within ( Fig. 166, 169); in type semitransparent areas indicate retraction of fat body along anterior margin and at sides of median dark area; MN light brown with median darker area; MS entirely light brown (in 2 Gaulim males), or light brown with an anteromedian darker area not reaching sides or posterior margin; elytra pale dingy yellowish, with darker markings, semitransparent with underlying fat body evenly dispersed in small clumps except less in posterior darker area; narrow basal darker brown area running obliquely from interstitial line 2 to inner edge of suture, adjacent to MS, not assuming subtriangular shape here; suture in basal 1/5 pale yellowish brown, suture in next ½ length slightly darker brown; brown band extending irregularly across elytron from anterior margin of darker sutural band, covering most of posterior half of elytron except for lateral margin, and about 1/7 of sutural apex; head, antennae and mouthparts mid–brown; ventral surface of prothorax yellowish, of meso and metathorax brown with metepipleural plates yellow; legs medium brown except for paler brown coxae 1, 2, all trochanters and bases of femora, and darker brown coxae 3; abdomen dingy pale yellowish brown with edges of V3 and 4 more darkly marked, and V6 with irregular dark markings across posterior margin; T 2–4 yellowish in middle, brown at sides, T 5, 6 mottled yellowish brown, T 7, 8 yellowish semitransparent. Pronotum: 1.6–2.0 mm long; 2.7–3.6 mm wide; W/L 1.6–1.8; dorsal surface densely punctate, punctures contiguous over most of surface; lateral margins divergent posteriorly with rounded convergence; posterolateral corners rounded obtuse, projecting little behind median posterior margin, separated by shallow emarginations; anterior portion of hypomeron not flat; posterior portion of hypomeron flat, closely adpressed. Elytron: margins convex–sided; 6.9–8.0 mm long; 4 faintly defined interstitial lines; epipleuron and suture not continuing around apex as a ridge, neither thickened in apical half. Head: not able to be retracted into prothoracic cavity completely; GHW 2.0– 2.2 mm; SIW 0.2–0.25 mm; SIW/GHW 1/10; ASD<ASW, antennal sockets close, not contiguous; frons-vertex ‘junction’ rounded, frons not defined. Antennal length greater than GHW less than twice GHW; 11 segmented. Mouthparts well developed, functional; apical segment of labial palpi laterally compressed, subtriangular, inner longer margin dentate, with 3 elongate slender teeth. Abdomen, ventrites (figs 168, 175): LO occupying all of V6; LO in V7 entire; reaching sides but not posterior margin, occupying most of V7. MPP short apically rounded. Tergites: T8 as wide as long; anterior prolongations very short and narrow. Aedeagal sheath ( Figs 170, 171): posterior margin of sternite rounded, lacking projection. Aedeagus ( Figs 172–174): L/W<3/1, LL/ML 2.4; LL diverging along length, well–separated at apices; apices rounded, slightly out-turned, narrower than width of apex of ML; LL a little shorter than ML, base of LL produced anteriorly symmetrically, relatively acutely, sometimes appearing medianly emarginate.

Female. Not associated.

Larva. Not reliably associated. A single larva taken at Kerevat by Monteith (UQIC) with two males of this species has laterally explanate tergal margins.

Remarks. Olivier (1906) highlighted the glossy apunctate margins to the pronotum, and the ‘mucronate’ last abdominal segment. The lateral margins of the pronotum of specimens listed here are punctate. The colour is similar to that of several mainland New Guinea Pygatyphella species. All other New Britain fireflies have orange pronotum and dark brown elytra ( Ballantyne, 1987a; Ballantyne obs.).