Convexa, Ballantyne & Lambkin, 2009

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 : 54-56

Convexa gen. n.

( Figs 12–14, 73, 74, 186–191)

Type species. Atyphella wolfi (Olivier) .

Diagnosis. Similar to many Atyphella especially in outline of pronotum, distinguished by its dorsal colouration of orange pronotum and dark brown elytra with pale orange lateral margins, pale apex and part of suture; male pronotum wider than width across elytral humeri, hypomeron not strongly adpressed in anterior half; pronotal punctation small, sparse, areas between punctures very smooth and shiny; elytra convex-sided. Aedeagus with ML constricted preapically and apex thus appearing slightly bulbous. Female macropterous, coloured as for male; larva not associated.

Male. Pronotum ( Figs 12, 186, 187) dorsal surface lacking irregularities in posterolateral areas and longitudinal groove in lateral areas; punctation small and widely separated. Anterior margin not explanate. Pronotum wider across posterior area than rest, pronotal width greater than humeral width. Anterolateral corners rounded obtuse; lateral margins in anterior half divergent posteriorly; lateral margins in posterior half diverge then converge with rounded convergence; lateral margins lacking indentation at mid-point, or sinuousity in either horizontal or vertical plane, indentation near posterolateral corner, and irregularities at corner; posterolateral corners rounded obtuse; posterolateral corners projecting beyond median posterior margin and separated by shallow emargination.

Hypomeron closed. Median area of hypomeron not elevated in vertical plane, lateral margins not sinuate from above; anterior area of hypomeron not flat to side of head, posterior area widely flat and strongly adpressed; anterior raised area of hypomeron sloping smoothly to posterior flat area; pronotal width/ GHW index 1.6.

Elytron ( Figs 12, 13, 186) with punctation dense, not linear, not as large as pronotum, nor widely and evenly spaced; apices not deflexed; epipleuron and suture extending beyond mid-point of elytron, not extending as ridge around apex, not thickened in apical half; 0 or 2 interstitial lines, none exceeding suture; elytral carina absent; viewed from beneath with specimen horizontal epipleuron at elytral base wide, covering humerus, viewed from above epipleuron arising anterior to posterior margin of MS; epipleuron a ridge along most of length; sutural margins approximate along most of length in closed elytra; lateral margins convex.

Head ( Fig. 13) moderately depressed between eyes; moderately exposed in front of pronotum, not capable of complete retraction within prothoracic cavity; eyes moderately separated beneath at level of posterior margin of mouthpart complex; eyes above labrum close; frons-vertex junction rounded, no elevation in median area; posterolateral eye excavation not strongly developed, not visible in resting head position; antennal sockets on head between eyes, not contiguous, separated by <ASW; clypeolabral suture present, flexible, not in front of anterior eye margin when viewed with labrum horizontal; outer edges of labrum reach inner edges of closed mandibles. Mouthparts functional; apical segment of labial palpi non-lunate, strongly flattened, like a wide triangle, inner edge dentate, with 2 elongate ‘teeth’. Antennae 11 segmented; length greater than GHW to twice GHW; no segments shortened, flattened or expanded; pedicel not produced; FS1 not shorter than pedicel; all FS longer than wide.

Legs ( Fig. 13) with inner tarsal claw not split; lacking MFC; no femora or tibiae swollen or curved; no basitarsi expanded or excavated.

Abdomen ( Fig. 13) lacking cuticular remnants in association with aedeagal sheath; no ventrites with curved posterior margins, nor with anterior margins extending into emarginated posterior margin of anterior segment; LO in V7 entire, occupying half V7, sometimes less; LO reaching to sides but not posterior margin; neither anterior nor posterior margin of LO medially emarginated; posterior area of V7 behind LO not arched or swollen, muscle impressions not visible in this area; LO in V6 entire occupying almost all V6. MPP present, symmetrical, apex rounded, entire, not laterally compressed, short or L=W; MPP not inclined dorsally nor engulfed by T8 apex; lacking dorsal ridge, ventral longitudinal trough. V7 lacking median carina, median longitudinal trough, narrow anteromedian depression on anterior face of LO, lacking PLP, incurving lobes or pointed projections, median ‘dimple’ or reflexed lobes. T7 lacking prolonged posterolateral corners. T8 symmetrical, wider than long in visible posterior area with lateral margins rounded, never subparallel-sided; visible posterior area not narrowing abruptly, lacking median posterior emargination, median posterior projections, not inclining ventrally nor engulfing posterior margin of V7 nor MPP, not extending conspicuously beyond median posterior margin of V7; T8 ventral surface lacking flanges, lateral depressed troughs, asymmetrical projections, median posterior longitudinal ridge, median longitudinal trough; concealed anterolateral arms of T8 longer than visible posterior portion, narrow horizontally, expanded dorsoventrally, not laterally emarginated before origins, apices lacking bifurcation of inner margin and bases lacking ventrally directed pieces; lateral margins of T8 not enfolding sides of V7; transverse band of darker cuticle across posterior ventral margin appears ridge like.

Aedeagal sheath (Figs 190, 191) never> 4 times as long as wide; lacking paraprocts; asymmetrical in posterior area where sheath sternite emarginated on right side from point of attachment of tergite; sheath not angulate on R or L sides; not subparallel-sided, not evenly emarginated on either side preapically, anterior half of sheath sternite broad, apically rounded, usually with slight median depression; tergite lacking lateral arms extending anteriorly and widely to sides of sternite; tergite not subdivided, lacking lateral projecting pieces along posterior margin of tergite 9; anterior margin of tergite 9 lacking transverse band; with curved pointed slightly sclerotised cuticular piece projecting on left side only (Figs 190, 191) and attaching to muscles arising from anterior portion of T8.

Aedeagus (Figs 188, 189) L/W<3/1; LL lacking lateral appendages, visible from beneath at sides of ML; LL/ML wide; LL of equal length; slightly shorter than ML; LL diverging along inner margins and separated there by> half their length; LL base width not =LL apex width which is subequal to ML, apices not expanding horizontally, not out–turned; dorsal base of LL symmetrical, not excavated, median margin prolonged, broadly rounded; LL lacking hairy appendages along outer ventral margins; apices of LL not out–turned nor inturned; lacking projection on left lateral lobe; inner margins lack slender leaf–like projection; short length of preapical inner margin of LL obliquely truncate, lacking strongly developed tooth at anterior end of emargination. ML symmetrical, lacking paired lateral teeth, single tooth to left side, not strongly arched, apex not in arrowhead shape, apex bulbous, not inclined ventrally. BP not very wide, not strongly sclerotised, not strongly emarginated along anterior margin, not hooded.

Female. ( Fig. 14) Macropterous and assumed capable of flight. Pronotum lacking irregularities in posterolateral areas of dorsal surface; punctation small widely separated, not as large as elytron; pronotum always wider across posterior margin; lacking indentation of lateral margin and irregularities at posterolateral corner; pronotal width> humeral width; outline as for male. Elytral punctation not as large as pronotum, nor evenly spaced; interstitial lines 0 or 2; elytral carina absent; convex-sided. Head with eyes smaller than male, of winged female form, can be retracted within prothoracic cavity; antennae on head between eyes; clypeolabral suture present and flexible. No legs or parts thereof swollen and /or curved. LO in V6 only, lacking any elevations or depressions or ridges on V7.

Larva not associated.

Etymology. Convexa is a feminine noun latinised from the English word convex, highlighting the convex–sided elytra.

Remarks. Previous analyses have hinted at the distinctiveness of this species. Ballantyne and Lambkin (2000) grouped this species with a marginipennis , costata and majuscula complex, separate to most of the Australian Atyphella , and (2006) with a flammans – olivieri (Australian) complex.