Gilvainsula similismessoria, 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 : 60-61

Gilvainsula similismessoria sp. n.

( Figs 193, 194, 197, 198)

Holotype. Male. PAPUA NEW GUINEA: 8.40S, 148.24E, Buna Bay , C T McNamara ( BPBM).

Paratypes (13). PAPUA NEW GUINEA: 8.40S, 148.24E, Buna Bay , C T McNamara (4 males 4 females SAM; 2 males BPBM) . 9.30S, 150.40E, Fergusson Is H K Bartlett, 1 male ( SAM) . 10.38S, 152.44E, Misima Is (= St Aignan), H K Bartlett, 1 female; R Andrew 1 male ( SAM) .

Male. 9.9–11.7 mm long; 3.0– 5.2 mm wide; W/L 0.3–0.4. Colour: Coloured as for G. messoria with these differences: apical 1/5 or less of elytral apex dark brown; elytra in Fergusson male light orange brown. Pronotum: 1.9–2.3 mm long; 3.5–4.5 mm wide; W/L 1.8–2.2; pronotal width greater than hypomeral width in 3 males (Fergusson Is, Misima Is and Buna Bay). Elytron: 8.0– 9.4 mm long; two inner interstitial lines approach the suture in development. Head: GHW 2.2–2.8; SIW 0.3–0.4; SIW/GHW 0.1; ASD<ASW. Apical segment of labial palpi irregular not dentate, both bisinuate along outer margin (Buna Bay and one Misima Is male), right palp slightly indented preapically with left palp with shallow median indentation (Misima Is male), and very feebly trisinuate in apical area (Ferguson Is). Aedeagal sheath: apex of sheath sternite curved dorsally, broadly pointed, pale coloured; anterior margin of sheath tergite not with darker anterior band, differentiated from posterior area as it is slightly sclerotised; cuticular piece on left side of tergite barely distinguishable.

Female. 11–15mm long. Macropterous and assumed capable of flight. Coloured as for male except for pale semitransparent V7, 8. Pronotal outline as for male. Head of winged female form, can be partially retracted within prothoracic cavity. Median posterior margin of V7 broadly and shallowly emarginated, with posterolateral areas of posterior margin straight and very slightly oblique; median posterior margin of V8 narrowly emarginated. Lateral margins of T8 converge posteriorly with posterior margin rounded.

Larva. Not associated.

Etymology. The specific name ( similis Latin alike) emphasizes the similarity of this species to G. messoria .