Pygatyphella okapa, 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 : 96-97

publication ID

1175­5334

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5324454

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/0394D665-BE73-FFDC-FF3C-56E6262BEFFA

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Pygatyphella okapa
status

sp. nov.

Pygatyphella okapa View in CoL sp. n.

( Figs 283, 285, 293–295, 302, 303, 309, 310, 314)

Holotype. Male. PAPUA NEW GUINEA: E Highlands Pr., 6.0 S, 147.0 E, Okapa , c 5000 ft, 20.xii.1964, R Hornabrook ( BPBM). GoogleMaps

Paratypes (4). Female labelled as for holotype ( BPBM). Eastern Highlands Pr., 6.08S, 145.39E, 10.2 mi E Goroka, 22.x.1969, J Lloyd, males (G384, 385, 387) ( JEL) GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis. One of the ‘ obsoleta complex’, distinguished by the trisinuate tip of the MPP, and the slightly projecting and angulate posterolateral corners of V7.

Male. 7.7–9.9 mm long; 2.8–3.6 mm wide; W/L 0.3–0.4. Colour ( Figs 283, 285): Pronotum pale brown, either with well–defined dark posteromedian brown area (Goroka), or with posteromedian area very slightly darker than rest of pronotum (Okapa); pronotum appearing paler than elytra because of semitransparency and underlying pale fat body, MN pale brown with median brown areas attaining anterior margin, not reaching inner margin; MS light brown with wide median dark marking; elytra pale brown, semitransparent, with broad triangular basal marking and two small spots preapically; fat body irregularly distributed in small clumps; head very dark reddish brown, antennae and palpi slightly lighter; under surface of thorax brownish with metasternum and metepisternal plates very dark brown, metepipleural plates pale; legs largely brown (fore and middle coxae pale, hind coxae brown), with paler apices of femora and base of tibiae (giving appearance of pale ‘knees’); apical 2/3 tibiae and tarsi very dark brown; ventrites 2–5 dark brown (basal ventrites irregularly lighter brown laterally; LO creamy white, posterior area of V7 yellowish, semitransparent (muscle impressions visible); tergites light brown, terminal two tergites semitransparent, yellow, heavily sclerotised. Pronotum ( Fig. 285): 1.4–1.9 mm long; 2.7–3.2 mm wide; W/L 1.7–1.9; lateral margins divergent posteriorly with angled convergence on both sides in 2/3 (Okapa 1, Goroka 1), rounded convergence in 1/3 (Goroka); posterolateral corners narrowly angulate, inclined obliquely to median line; slight kink in lateral margins on both sides in 2/3 (Okapa 1, Goroka 1), absent from either side in one Goroka male. Elytron: parallel-sided; 6.3–8.0 mm long; with 2 well–defined interstitial lines. Head: can be partially retracted within prothoracic cavity but remains moderately exposed from above; GHW 1.5–2.0 mm; SIW 0.15–0.2 mm; SIW/GHW 0.1; ASD<ASW (sockets very close but not contiguous). Abdomen, ventrites ( Figs 309, 310): LO in V7 reaching sides, not posterior margin and projecting posteriorly slightly in the middle of its posterior margin; posterior area of V7 arched not swollen; posterolateral areas of V7 narrowly rounded projecting slightly posteriorly (scored as PLP present). MPP as long as wide, dorsal surface lacking ridge; posterior margin trisinuate. Tergites ( Figs 313, 314): T8 width subequal to length, lateral margins converge gently posteriorly; median trough present on ventral surface of T8, slightly asymmetrically margined, margin more strongly thickened in anterolateral left; anterolateral prolongations elongate, narrow, expanded vertically and lacking flanges. Aedeagal sheath: emargination of right side of sternite begins at point of attachment of tergal arms laterally. Aedeagus ( Figs 293–295, 302, 303): L/W>3/1; LL/ML moderate; LL moderately divergent along their length dorsally, little shorter than ML at apices; outer preapical area of LL produced angulate; inner apical area of LL prolonged, elongate narrow; base of LL asymmetrically produced (to left); ML lacking lateral teeth.

Female. Associated by similarity of label data only. Coloured as for male with these exceptions: pronotum lacking defined brown markings (median area appears diffusely slightly darker); median dark marking on MS narrow and extends to mid-point only; fat body in elytra not obvious; V6 with creamy white LO; V7, 8 pale yellow and semitransparent; posterior margin of V7 widely emarginated with small narrow emarginations just inside lateral margin on each side across posterior margin; posterior margin of V8 narrowly emarginated; lateral margins of T8 converge posteriorly, posterior margin straight.

Larva. Not associated.

Etymology. The specific name, the type locality, is considered as a noun in apposition.

Remarks. Interpretation of the posterolateral ‘corners’ of ventrite 7 as slightly and narrowly prolonged was made when the shape was retained after soaking the abdomen in water.

BPBM

Bishop Museum

JEL

Latvian Agricultural Academy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Coleoptera

Family

Lampyridae

Genus

Pygatyphella

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