Convexa wolfi (Olivier, 1910)

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 : 56-57

Convexa wolfi (Olivier, 1910)

( Figs 12–14, 73, 74, 186–191)

Luciola wolfi Olivier, 1910a:343 ; in Heyden, 1915:167.

Luciola (Luciola) wolfi (Olivier) . McDermott, 1966:114.

Atyphella wolfi (Olivier) . Ballantyne & Lambkin, 2000: 87.

Holotype. Female. SOLOMON ISLANDS (Museé Senckenberg, Frankfurt).

Other material examined. PAPUA NEW GUINEA: North Solomons Pr. , Bougainville: 5.40S, 154.56E Mutahi 18 km SE Tinputz, 900 m 1–7.iii.1968, RS, 1 male; 1100m in malaise trap, ii.1968, Tawi, 2 males ( BPBM) . 5.40S, 154.56E Torpanos, 200m, 6 km W of Tinputz , malaise trap, 22 –29.ii.1968, RS, 6 males ( BPBM) . 5.55S, 154.59E, Togerao, 18–21.iv.1965 RS, 2 males ( BPBM) . 5.59S, 154.59E Kukugai village, 150m, x–xii.1960, W. Brandt, 4 females, 6 males. 5.59S, 154.59E Kokure, near Crown Prince Range, 900m, 11.vi.1956, JS, male. 6.44S, 155.40E Konga village (Buin), 6.ii–21.iii.1961, W. Brandt, male ( ANIC) . SOLO- MON ISLANDS: Western Pr., Choiseul : 7.10S, 156.95E Kitipi R 80m, malaise trap, 13.iii.1964, PS, 3 males ( BPBM) ; Malangona, 10m, malaise trap, 8.iii.1964, PS, 1 male. Kolombangara 7.95S, 157.05E, Kolombangara R 80m, malaise trap, 20.iii.1964, PS, 3 males ( BPBM) . Isabel Pr., Santa Isabel : 8.23S, 159.48E SE Tatamba 0–50m, 5–15.ix.1964 RS, 1 male (malaise trap), 1 female ( BPBM) . Central Pr. , 9.08S, 160.25E, Florida Group, Nggela Is: Haleta, 0–300m, 4.x.1964, RS, 2 males, 1 female ( BPBM) . Guadalcanal Pr., 9.35S, 160.12E Guadalcanal: Lavoro Plantation, 1924, C. Hart, male ( AMS) ; Poha River , 22.viii.1954, E. Brown, female ( NHML) . Lame near Mt Tatuve , 300m 18.v.1960, COB, male ( BPBM) . Sol Is Lunga R (bridge) 4.ix.1960 COB 2 males; Poha R 5 m, 2.vii.1956 JLG, male; Suta, 500–1200 m 27.vi.1956, JLG 2 males, female (female in light trap) ( BPBM) .

Diagnosis. Males are associated here. This is one of four similarly coloured species from the Solomons. Pygat. limbatipennis and Pygat. limbatifusca have LO retracted into anterior half of V7 and posterior area of V7 arched, MPP often obliquely truncate, posterior area of T8 venter with curved ridge slightly to one side of middle, and ML of aedeagus with paired lateral teeth. M. limbata has a black MS, lacks the flattened posterior area of the hypomeron and the pronotal punctures are close.

Male redescription. 9.9–13.2 mm long; 4.8–6.3 mm wide; W/L approximately 2/1. Colour ( Figs 12–14, 73): Pronotum bright, shiny orange yellow, (semitransparent where fat body is retracted); MS, MN yellow; elytra dark brown, lateral margin broadly yellow, extending around apex, suture narrowly yellow in at least apical 1/3; head, antennae, palpi dark brown; ventral aspect of thorax pale yellow–brown, legs yellow–dingy orange with tibiae yellow or brown, tarsi brown; basal abdominal ventrites yellow, V5 very narrowly brown across posterior margin; LO creamy in V6, 7; posterior ½ or more of V7 semitransparent, yellow; tergites yellow (7, 8 paler than rest); T7 narrowly dark along posterior margin. Pronotum: 2.1–3.0 mm long; 3.8–4.8 mm wide; W/L 1.6–1.7; surface of pronotum very smooth and shiny; punctures very small, shallow, separated by 1–2 X width of puncture. Elytra: 7.5–10.3 mm long; interstitial lines not as well–defined as suture, 4 lines usually visible (except for Kukugai–1, Mutuhi–1, Togerao–2, Torpanos–1, and Choiseul –3, where only the inner one or two lines approach the suture). Head: GHW 2.1–2.8 mm; SIW 0.2–0.3 mm; SIW/GHW 0.09–0.12; ASD<ASW, sockets close not contiguous; frons 5 x ASW, frons-vertex junction rounded. Mouthparts with apical segment of labial palpi flattened, like a wide triangle, pattern of teeth varying sometimes from L to R palp and within and between different island locations (base of palp with broad blunt tooth, median narrower tooth and apical broad bluntly rounded tooth on both palpi from Kukugai, Mutahi, Togerao, Choiseul, Poha, Santa Isabel, Malangona, Haleta, Suta and Lame; left palp entire or with one incision, right palp with 3 teeth as described above in some Kukugai, Torpanos; right palp entire, left palp with 2 teeth in Mutahi; right palp with 3 teeth, left palp with 2 in some Torpanos; right and left palp with one broad preapical incision appearing as two teeth, basal one very broad in some Choiseul, Haleta; left palp with 3, right palp as above in some Choiseul). Aedeagal sheath: (Figs 190, 191) lacking median depression of anterior margin of sternite in Guadalcanal (Lunga R) and Santa Isabel male.

Female. ( Fig. 14) Macropterous. 13–15 mm long (usually longer and wider than males). Coloured as for male except for pale V7, 8. V7 with median posterior margin broadly and shallowly emarginated and posterolateral corners broadly rounded; median posterior margin of V8 narrowly emarginated; T8 with lateral margins converging gently posteriorly and posterior margin rounded.

Remarks. Assignment of males to this species is supported by the colouration, the distinctively shiny pronotum with small and well–separated punctures, and the very convex-sided elytra, all consistent with the type female, as well as the geographical location. Four species ( M. limbata , C. wolfi, Pygat. limbatipennis and Pygat. limbatifusca sp. n.) with similar dorsal colouration of pale margined elytra, occur in the Solomon Islands (see Table 7). Only C. wolfi has elytra margined along three sides, and it occurs in the more northerly part of the range from Bougainville, to Choiseul, through Gizo and Kolombangara to Santa Isabel with the most southerly records from Guadalcanal. With the exception of Vella Lavella and Malaita its distribution parallels that of Pygat. salomonis , which lacks the pale margined elytra.