Abscondita perplexa (Walker) Walker, 2013

Ballantyne, Lesley, Fu, Xinhua, Lambkin, Christine, Jeng, Ming-Luen, Faust, Lynn, Wijekoon, W. M. C. D., Li, Daiqin & Zhu, Tengfui, 2013, Studies on South-east Asian fireflies: Abscondita, a new genus with details of life history, flashing patterns and behaviour of Abs. chinensis (L.) and Abs. terminalis (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Lampyridae: Luciolinae), Zootaxa 3721 (1), pp. 1-48 : 30-32

Abscondita perplexa (Walker) comb. nov.

Fig. 18

Colophotia perplexa Walker, 1858:282 .

Luciola Dejeani Gemminger, 1870:1651 . Masters, 1886: 289. Olivier, 1902:77; 1907:51; 1910:42. Luciola dejeani Gemminger. Olliff, 1890:652 . Lea, 1909:108; 1921a:197; 1921b:66.

Luciola (Luciola) dejeani Gemminger. McDermott, 1966:103 . Calder, 1998:179. Ballantyne & Lambkin, 2000:59 (synonymy). Luciola perplexa (Walker) . Olivier, 1902:84. Gorham, 1903: 327.

Luciola dubia Olivier, 1903:11 . Gardner, 1947:125. Ballantyne & Lambkin, 2000:59. Luciola praeusta Kiesenwetter sensu Barua et al., 2007:287 (Identification reassessed byBallantyne).

Type. Luciola dubia Olivier. Syntype series (11 males, 8 females) INDIA: labelled as follows: 1. Printed Barway P. Cardon; 2. Handwritten Determ. E Olivier; 3. Red printed “ Type ” (IRNSB).

Colophotia perplexa Walker. CEYLON ( SRI LANKA): male (NHML).

Luciola dejeani Gemminger. Not located by Ballantyne & Lambkin 2000:59.

Diagnosis. One of four Abscondita species with pale dorsum and black tipped elytral apices, distinguished from both chinensis and terminalis , which both have very dark terminal abdominal tergites, by the pale terminal abdominal tergites in the male, and from Abs. anceyi which has no dark abdominal markings, by the dark markings on V5. Larvae that may be those of Abs. perplexa from Sri Lanka have reddish markings laterally on protergum, thoracic tergum 3 and abdominal tergum 6.

Other specimens examined. INDIA: no further locality or collector, 17 males, 32 females (ANIC). Bandhavearth National Park, L. Buschman, 1999 2 males (ANIC). Assam Guwahati, Gauhati University Campus, 13–15 July 2012 A. G. Barua 7 males, female (ANIC). SRI LANKA: Colombo 7.xii.1961 Y Haneda 9 males (ANIC). Peradenia Botanical Gardens 10.xii.1961 Y Haneda 12 males, female (ANIC). See also Table 8 for specimens collected in Sri Lanka by Wijekoon.

Male redescription 7.0– 10.1 mm long (see Table 9 for measurements). Colour: Pronotum orange yellow semitransparent and underlying fat body is visible; MS MN and elytra orange yellow, (except for apical dark brown area occupying ¼ to 1/3 length of elytron): head between eyes almost black except for brown (10/17) or yellow labrum (7/17) in Indian specimens; antennae and palpi mid brown; ventral thorax orange yellow; all legs orange yellow except for dark brown apical 2/3 of tibiae and all of tarsi; abdomen orange yellow with brown markings in V5 (very narrowly separated in the middle in 2 Bandearth and 2 Indian), separated by less than their width but not almost contiguous (markings almost black in 7 Assam, 4 Indian); separated by their width (9 Indian, 20 Sri Lankan); V4 and V3 with small posterolateral brown markings in 2 Bandearth N Pk); LO in V6, 7 very white, with very narrow white lateral and posterior margins of V7; Indian specimens in ANIC were placed on card points following prolonged immersion in ethanol and V7 light organ retraction may reflect that; T8 always paler than rest either pale clear yellow (4/17 Indian) or dusky brownish yellow in 20 Sri Lankan; both T7, 8 paler than rest in 4/17 Indian; T6, 7 dark brown in Bandearth N Pk; T6 brown in 20 Sri Lankan, black in 7 Assam.

Males

GHW SIW Length PN length PN width Elytron length Body width Locality

2.1–2.3 0.4 7.8–10.1 1.5–2.2 2.0–3.7 6.3–8.5 India no locality

2.3–2.6 0.4 8.6–8.9 1.6–1.8 2.8 7.0–7.1 3.5–3.7 India Assam

1.6 2.8 7.1–8.1 3.5–3.7 India Bandhavearth N. Pk.

2.0–2.4 0.3–0.4 8.4–8.9 1.5–1.6 2.5–2.9 6.8–7.4 2.9–3.6 Sri Lanka Peradenia

2.2–2.3 0.3–0.4 7.0–7.7 1.2–1.5 2.3–2.6 5.8–6.2 2.9–3.3 Sri Lanka Colombo

Females

1.7 0.5–0.6 8.8–9.9 1.7–1.9 3.0–3.1 7.1–8.0 3.1–3.2 India no locality Pronotum: 1.5–2.2 mm long; 2.0– 3.7 mm wide; W/L 1.4–1.8. Elytron: 6.3–8.5 mm long. Head: GHW 2.1–2.3; SIW 0.4; ASD <ASW. Mouthparts: apical labial palpomeres with differing numbers of teeth along inner margins of right and left palpi (2–5) except for single Indian male (both palpi with 2 teeth) and two Columbo males (both palpi with either 3 or 4 teeth). Tergite 8 with median emargination either well defined (9), scarcely defined (7), or absent (1) (emargination may be a consequence of dehydration); lateral margins of T7 depressed indicating position of dorsoventral muscle attachments.

Female. 8.8–9.9 mm long; 3.1–3.2 mm wide; (see Table 9); macropterous and assumed capable of flight. Colour: as for male with these exceptions: labrum yellow (3) or brown; V5 either uniformly brown, or with brown markings restricted to posterolateral corners, or with posterior margin only narrowly very dark brown; V6 LO narrowly margined in dark brown in one specimen. Pronotum: 1.7–1.9 mm long, 3.0– 3.1 mm wide. Elytron: 7.1– 8.0 mm long. Head: GHW 1.7 mm; SIW 0.5–0.6 mm; ASD> ASW; antennae almost always slightly longer than 2 x GHW. Mouthparts: apical labial palpomere with three teeth along left and 4 or 5 in right.

Larva. Not reliably associated. Larvae that may be those of Abs. perplexa from Sri Lanka have reddish markings laterally on protergum, thoracic tergum 3 and abdominal tergum 6 (Wijekoon observations).

Other specimens examined. The Indian specimens from Bandhavearth Nat. Park were recorded as ‘single flashing in an open area during the dry season’ (Buschman pers. com.). They had been in a ziplock bag since collection and were not dissected (one specimen is missing a head and the other has head damaged). The abdomen has the V5 dark markings almost contiguous in the middle, with V3 and 4 having small lateral dark patches; T6, 7 are moderately dark brown with T8 pale brown.

Ecological remarks. Wijekoon indicated that in Sri Lanka this species is nocturnal and seems active in open grasslands, fresh water associated areas, forests and cultivated lands, and was collected in both wet and dry climatic conditions. Eggs which do not luminesce are laid as clusters on dry leaves and among leaf litter. Larvae are nocturnal, glow weakly, and were recorded from terrestrial habitats, living among plant debris and leaf litter.

Remarks. Present regulations of the Indian government do not permit ready borrowing of their fauna without payment of a substantial fee, and most comments on Indian specimens are made using mainly dead museum specimens. This species may be both more widespread and more variable than this treatment indicates and it is very possible that Luciola chinensis could have been based on similar specimens (Ballantyne obs.). Abs. perplexa has abdominal colouration approaching that of Abs. chinensis as characterised here, with paler, but coloured T6 and 7.

Gardner (1947) described larvae found in weed on a stream bank and from which an adult was reared. The larval morphology he illustrated is consistent with what we describe here for Abscondita species.

Ballantyne and Lambkin (2000:59) redescribed Luciola dejeani from two specimens, one from the Northern Territory which they considered was probably mislabelled, as it has not been represented in collections since (Olliff, 1890; Lea 1909, 1921b), and thought it was probably based on specimens of Luciola dubia Olivier from India. We formalize this association here. The otherwise yellow abdomen of the two specimens they examined had irregular dark markings across the posterior half of V5, and an aedeagal complex similar to those figured here for Abscondita gen. nov. The aedeagal sheath was not dissected from one specimen and the second considered too fragile to attempt dissection.

Figures

FIGURE 18. Luciola perplexa Walker A, B (type male NHML). Luciola dubia Olivier C, D (type male NHML), E, F female (NHML). A, C, E dorsal; B, D, F ventral.