Medeopteryx pupilla (Olivier), 2013

Ballantyne, Lesley A. & Lambkin, Christine L., 2013, Systematics and Phylogenetics of Indo-Pacific Luciolinae Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) and the Description of new Genera, Zootaxa 3653 (1), pp. 1-162 : 91-92

Medeopteryx pupilla (Olivier)

[ Figs 168–176 ]

Luciola pupilla Olivier, 1892:1011 ; 1902:72.

Pteroptyx pupilla (Olivier) . McDermott, 1966:117.

Luciola (Luciola) pupilla Olivier. Ballantyne & McLean, 1970:237 , 268. Nec Ballantyne, 1987a:164, 165, 167; Ballantyne, 1987b:177, 178, 185.

Lectotype. Male designated here. NEW GUINEA: 9.43S 147.45E Central Pr., Ighibirei ( MCSN).

Other Specimens examined. NEW GUINEA: 5.14S, 145.45E, Madang Dist. , Sek Harbor , 10 mi n Madang, Oct. 5, 1969, J.E. Lloyd, 2 males (G148, 141). ( JELC). Mt Lamington District Northern Division, C. McNamara 6 males (1 male v.1927) ( AMSA) .

Diagnosis. One of two Medeopteryx with trisinuate V7 but without deflexed elytral apices; distinguished most from M. similispupillae by the pale terminal abdominal tergites ( Fig. 170 ) and the broader ML (that of similispupillae is very narrow; Fig. 182 ).

Male. 5.3 (lectotype)– 7.7 mm long. Colour ( Fig. 168 ): pronotum dingy orange (finely dark margined in G141); MS dingy orange, marked in brown in anterior half; MN cream; elytra uniformly very dark brown, reddish brown with narrowly pale margins in one Mt Lamington male; head between eyes, antennae and palpi almost black (head of G148 appearing paler brown as semitransparent cuticle reveals underlying fat body); entire ventral surface of thorax, all of legs 1–3 dark brown (coxae and base of femora of legs 1, 2 orange in one Mt Lamington male); basal abdominal ventrites dark brown; V5–7 dirty white (1/4 to ½ of posterior area of V5 pale in Mt Lamington males; T2–6 yellow (lectotype), brownish in Mt Lamington males, semitransparent, T7–8 white, semitransparent. Pronotum: 1.3 (lectotype)– 2.2 mm wide, 1.0 (lectotype)– 1.4 mm long, W/L = 1.4–1.7; punctures shallow, contiguous across anterior and lateral margins, separated by up to their width over central area of disc; midanterior margin broadly rounded, moderately projecting beyond rounded anterolateral corners, with lateral margins subparallel, converging slightly in anterior and posterior third in lectotype; lateral margins divergent slightly posteriorly, with anterolateral and posterolateral corners angulate in Mt Lamington males. Head: GHW 1.1(lectotype)– 1.8 mm, SIW 0.2 mm; ASD slightly <ASW. FS elongate, slender, subequal. Abdomen ( Figs 169, 170, 175, 176 ): LOs occupying all of V6 and 7 except for narrow posterior margin of 7; MPP moderately broad, longer than wide, apically truncate (lectotype) or slightly emarginated, longer and wider than PLP, T8 with broad short rounded flanges in lectotype; flanges about as long as wide and apically truncate in Mt Lamington males ( Fig. 175 ). Aedeagus: ( Figs 171–173 ) ML expanded, and may appear concave in posterior half, 0.7 as wide as LL across narrowest portion of ML; LL inturned at inner apex.

Remarks. Confusion in the literature over the identity of Luciola pupilla is resolved by designation of a lectotype (first in a syntype series). McDermott (1966) incorrectly assigned pupilla to Pteroptyx .

LB tentatively identified Lloyd's (1973a) Luciola species 11 as Luciola pupilla and abdominal modifications were described ( Ballantyne, 1987a, b). This study has revealed two species with similar V7, viz. M. pupilla and M. similispupillae sp. nov.

It is now possible to determine an approximate location for "Ighibirei" which is also the type locality of Medeopteryx cribellata (Olivier) . Helgen et al. (2008) referred to Loria’s collecting locality as either “on the Kemp Welch river some little way inland “or “ just inland from the mouth of the Wanigela River”. The elevation is unknown.

Lloyd's field records for specimen G148 read "slow double pulse signal, one second interval".

Figures

FIGURES 168–176. Medeopteryx pupilla male Mt Lamington (AMUS). 168 dorsal; 169, 170 abdomen ventral (169) and dorsal; 171–173 aedeagus left lateral, dorsolateral and ventral; 174, 175 tergite 8 (174 ventral with aedeagal sheath; 175 from right side, dorsal surface uppermost, flanges arrowed); 176 aedeagal sheath dorsal. These figures share scale lines: 171–173.

FIGURES 177–184. Medeopteryx spp. Males. 177–182 M. similispupillae sp. nov. paratypes. 183 M. torricelliensis. 184 M. sublustris, diagrammatic representation of pronotal sculpturing. 177, 183 dorsal; 178, 179 abdomen, ventral (178) and dorsal; 180–182 aedeagus dorsal (180), left lateral (181) and ventral (182). These figures share scale lines: 180–182