Aquilonia, 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 : 28-30

Aquilonia gen. n.

( Fig. 4)

Type species: Atyphella costata (Lea) by monotypy.

Diagnosis. Aquilonia is distinguished most obviously by its dorsal colour pattern, which is approached in the study area by two species of Gilvainsula gen. n., and Pygatyphella russellia sp. n. It differs from Gilvainsula gen. n. by the parallel-sided elytra and pronotum, and the toothed apical segment of labial palpi, and from Pygat. russellia by the absence of an arched V7 posterior to the LO, and tergite 8 lacking any median ridges. It differs from most Atyphella by its distinctive dorsal colour, the subparallel-sided pronotum, pronotal width subequal to that of elytral humerus, [two features it shares with A. inconspicua ], and it shares with most species of Lloydiella gen. n. an aedeagal complex pattern with lateral lobes not divergent along their dorsal length and their inner preapical margins obliquely truncate, while differing in the colour pattern

Male. Pronotum ( Ballantyne & Lambkin 2000: Fig. 1h) dorsal surface lacking irregularities in posterolateral areas and longitudinal groove in lateral areas; punctation dense. Anterior margin not explanate. Pronotum subparallel-sided; pronotal width subequal to humeral width. Anterolateral corners rounded obtuse; lateral margins in anterior half subparallel-sided; lateral margins in posterior half subparallel-sided; lateral margins lacking indentation at mid-point, or sinuousity in either horizontal or vertical plane; subparallel-sided margins straight; lacking indentation in lateral margin near posterolateral corner, and irregularities at corner; posterolateral corners rounded obtuse; posterolateral corners project as far as median posterior margin and separated from it by shallow emarginations.

Hypomera closed. Median area of hypomeron not elevated in vertical direction; anterior area of hypomeron not flat, posterior area flat, closely adpressed or not; pronotal width/ GHW index 1.4–1.5.

Elytron punctation dense, not linear, not as large as that of pronotum, nor widely and evenly spaced; apices not deflexed; epipleuron and suture extend beyond mid-point, almost to apex but not as ridge around apex, neither thickened in apical half; 2 interstitial lines (1, 2) not exceeding suture; elytral carina absent; in horizontal specimen viewed from below epipleuron at elytral base wide, covering humerus, viewed from above epipleuron arises anterior to posterior margin of MS; epipleuron developed as a lateral ridge along most of length; sutural margins approximate along most of length in closed elytra; lateral margins parallel-sided.

Head moderately depressed between eyes; well exposed in front of pronotum, not capable of complete retraction within prothoracic cavity; eyes moderately separated beneath at level of posterior margin of mouthpart complex; eyes above labrum moderately separated; frons-vertex junction rounded, lacking median elevation; posterolateral eye excavation not strongly developed, not visible in resting head position; antennal sockets on head between eyes, not contiguous, separated by up to ASW; clypeolabral suture present, flexible, not in front of anterior eye margin when head viewed with labrum horizontal; outer edges of labrum reach inner edges of closed mandibles. Mouthparts functional; apical segment of labial palpi non-lunate, strongly flattened, of form of wide triangle, with inner edge dentate (2 teeth). Antennae 11 segmented; length>GHW to twice GHW; no segments flattened, shortened, or expanded; pedicel not produced; FS1 not shorter than pedicel.

Legs with inner tarsal claw not split; lacking MFC; no femora or tibiae swollen or curved; no basitarsi expanded or excavated.

Abdomen ( Ballantyne & Lambkin 2000 Fig. 3 d, e) lacking cuticular remnants in association with aedeagal sheath; no ventrites with curved posterior margins nor extending anteriorly into emarginated posterior margin of anterior segment; LO in V7 entire occupying more than half V7, reaching to sides but not posterior margin [ Ballantyne & Lambkin (2000 Fig 3g) illustrated V 7 withdrawn beneath V 6 thus the full extent of V7 and lateral margins of LO not fully visible]; posterior half of V7 not arched or swollen, muscle impressions not visible in this area; neither anterior nor posterior margin of LO emarginate; LO present in V6, occupying almost all V6. MPP present, symmetrical, apex rounded, entire, not laterally compressed, L=W, not inclined dorsally nor engulfed by T8 apex, lacking dorsal ridge, median longitudinal trough. V7 lacking median carina, median longitudinal trough, anteromedian depression on face of LO, PLP, incurving lobes or pointed projections, median ‘dimple’, or reflexed lobes. T7 lacking prolonged posterolateral corners. T8 not strongly sclerotised, symmetrical, W=L, visible posterior area not narrowing abruptly, lacking prolonged posterolateral corners, median posterior emargination, median posterior projections, not inclined ventrally nor engulfing posterior margin of V7 nor MPP, not extending conspicuously beyond posterior margin of V7; T8 ventral surface lacking flanges, lateral depressed troughs, median longitudinal trough, asymmetrical projections, median posterior ridge; concealed anterolateral arms of T8 very short, not laterally emarginated before their origins, not expanded dorsoventrally, lacking bifurcation of inner margin and ventrally directed pieces; lateral margins of T8 not enfolding sides of V7.

Aedeagal sheath never> 4 times as long as wide; lacking paraprocts; asymmetrical in posterior area where sheath sternite emarginated on right from point of attachment of tergite; sternite not angulate on L or R sides, not subparallel-sided, posterior margin entire, rounded, not emarginated on either side preapically, apex rounded; anterior half of sternite broad, apically rounded; tergite lacking lateral arms extending anteriorly at sides of sheath sternite; tergite not subdivided, lacking projecting pieces along posterior margin of tergite 9, anterior margin lacking transverse band.

Aedeagus L/W 3/1 or shorter; subparallel-sided; LL lack lateral appendages; LL visible from beneath at sides of ML, LL/ML wide to moderate; LL of equal length, slightly shorter than ML, not diverging along inner dorsal margins, separated there by> half their length; LL base width not = LL apex width which is narrower than that of ML; LL apices not expanded in horizontal plane; dorsal base of LL symmetrical, not excavated, median margin prolonged, broadly rounded; LL lacking lateral hairy appendages along their outer ventral margins, not produced preapically nor narrowly on inner apical margin, obliquely truncate along preapical inner margins; apices of LL not inturned, nor out–turned; lacking projection on left LL; inner margins lacking slender leaf-like projection; ML symmetrical, lacking paired lateral teeth and tooth to left side, not strongly arched, apex not shaped like arrowhead, not bulbous, not inclined ventrally; BP not very narrow, not strongly sclerotised, not hooded, not strongly emarginated along anterior margin.

Female. Macropterous and observed in flight. Pronotum lacking irregularities in posterolateral areas; punctation moderate to dense; pronotum subequal to humeral width; lacking indentation of lateral margin, irregularities at posterolateral corner; outline similar to that of male. Elytral punctation not as large as that of pronotum, nor evenly spaced; 2 interstitial lines; elytral carina absent. No legs or parts thereof swollen and /or curved. LO in V6 only, lacking any elevations or depressions or ridges on V7.

Larva not associated.

Etymology. Aquilonia (feminine, from aquilonius Latin, northern) describes the northerly distribution in Australia of the single known species.

Remarks. Aquilonia gen. n. is known from one Australian species, which is unusual in its distribution (restricted to the northern tropical areas in open forest), and its colour. While the dorsal colour pattern of light brown to yellow/orange, often with elytral apices black, is widespread in Asia, it is rare in Australia and New Guinea and seen only in this species, two species of Gilvainsula gen. n., and Pygatyphella russellia sp. n. No Asian species with this colouration investigated thus far (Ballantyne work in progress) conforms with A. costata .