Magnalata carolinae ( Olivier, 1911 )

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 : 68-69

Magnalata carolinae ( Olivier, 1911)

( Figs 225, 226, 233, 234, 237)

Atyphella carolinae Olivier, 1911:173 . Wittmer, 1958:67. Blair, 1940:134.

Ballantyne & Lambkin, 2000:15.

Luciola (Luciola) carolinae (Olivier) . McDermott, 1966:100. Ballantyne & Buck, 1979:121.

Holotype. Male. REPUBLIC OF PALAU: labelled (Fig. 237) 1. Type ; 2. ♂; 3. Caroline Is., F. W. Christian, 98–200; 4. Lai near Gorgor Point, South Yap; 5. handwritten ‘ carolinae Ern Oliv. ’ ( NHML).

Other material examined. REPUBLIC OF PALAU: 9.30S, 138.10E, Yap Island: 3 males, Yap Hill, behind Yap town , 3.xii.1952, 50 m, light trap, JLG (one male no collector or light trap); Balabat, 16.v.1936, Z. Ono, 1 male; 80 (sic). ix.1987, Y Haneda, 1 male (det. W. Wittmer) . 7.00S, 134.00E, Angaur Island , 16.iv.1936, Y. Kondo, 3 males (I male det K. G. Blair). ( BPBM)

Diagnosis. Males exist in three colour variations: 1. Dorsal surface of elytra and pronotum entirely brown to dark brown ( Fig 225), or pronotum may be mottled brownish orange ( Fig. 226). 2. Pronotum, MS and MN orange with extensive darker brown markings, elytra dark brown. 3. Pronotum MS and MN orange with no darker markings; elytra dark brown. Colour pattern 1 similar to Bourgeoisia hypocrita Olivier , which has a black dorsal surface, very shiny elytra (dull in carolinae ), no flat lateral pronotal areas (posterior half flat in carolinae ), a pale ventral surface, no apparent LO in V7, paired LOs in V6 (full LOs in both these ventrites in carolinae ), and posterolateral eye excavations (missing in carolinae ). Distinguished from Atyphella aphrogeneia by the variations in pronotal colouration, the pronotal width/humeral width ratio, and elytral apical modifications in aphrogeneia .

Male. 8.0– 9.2 mm long; 3.0– 3.5 mm wide, approximately 3 X as long as wide. Colour ( Figs 225, 226): Three colour varieties exist: 1. (Type) entirely very dark brown except for pale LOs and pale tergites 7, 8. 2. Yap Island Yap Hill males (3), Balabat (1) –pronotum orange with overall brown markings (more obvious on margins of punctures), all margins slightly paler dingy orange, median area paler dingy orange in 1/ 3 males; MN dingy with darker median brown spot; MS coloured like pronotum; elytra mid-brown, dull; head dark brown, antennae, palpi apices and labrum pale brown (except in Balabat male where labial palpi are pale yellow); ventral thorax orange with metasternum brown (semitransparent); legs orange except for brown tibiae, tarsi and coxae 3; tergites dark brown except for 7, 8. 3. Yap Island (Haneda) male, Angaur Island 3 males –pronotum, MS, MN orange, all legs yellow except for dingy brown tips of tibiae and all of tarsi; elytra with lateral margin narrowly light brown and semitransparent; ventral abdomen (except for V6 and V7) yellow with V5 brown. Pronotum. 2.7–3.0 mm wide; 1.4–1.8 mm long; W/L 1.6–1.9; dorsal surface smooth, densely punctate, punctures contiguous over most of surface; posterolateral corners rounded obtuse, projecting a little behind median posterior margin, and separated from it by shallow emarginations; anterior portion of hypomeron not flat; posterior portion of hypomeron flat. Elytron ( Figs 225, 226): convex-sided; 5.3–6.3 mm long; 4 well–defined interstitial lines. Head: GHW 1.8–1.9 mm; SIW 0.2 mm; SIW/GHW 1/9; ASD<ASW, antennal sockets very close but not contiguous; frons-vertex junction rounded, frons 2 X ASW. Mouthparts well developed, probably functional; apical segment of labial palpi laterally compressed, subtriangular, inner longer margin irregular in outline, having a basal wide truncate projection, a wide median emargination and a slightly narrow apex. Antennal length subequal to GHW; 11 segmented. Abdomen, ventrites: LO occupying all of V6; LO in V7 entire; reaching sides but not posterior margin, occupying most of the area of V7. Tergites: T8 as wide as long; posterior half as wide as anterior half; anterior prolongations of T8 much shorter than rest of T8, pointed. Aedeagal sheath (Figs 240, 241) with posterior margin of sternite rounded, with no projection. Aedeagus L /W 3/1, LL/ML 2.8; lateral margins subparallel; LL slightly shorter than ML, apices rounded, out-turned and subequal to width of apex of ML, slightly wider than base of ML, and lacking tooth on their preapical inner margins; LL diverge along their length but not widely separated at their apices; base of LL produced anteriorly and broadly rounded .

Female and larva unknown.

Remarks. Ballantyne and Buck (1979) highlighted the colour similarity of this species to Luciola (now Atyphella ) aphrogeneia , which is presently known only from coral outcrops along the New Guinea coastline, and is readily distinguished by the elytral characteristics. Blair’s (1940) specimens (examined here) were from Angaur and Yap Islands. Nothing is known of the biology and ecology of M. carolinae . This study distinguishes Wittmer’s subspecies palauensis as a distinct species and it is transferred to Atyphella .