Gilvainsula, 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 : 58-59

Gilvainsula gen. n.

( Figs 192–203)

Type species: Atyphella messoria Olivier.

Diagnosis. One of only two genera of the Atyphella ‘complex’ with pale dorsal colouration, and elytral apices pale or dark. Distinguished from Aquilonia by its geographic location ( Aquilonia is restricted to Australia), the divergent lateral margins of the pronotum that converge in the posterior area with rounded convergence, and the paler colour.

Male. Pronotum ( Figs 15, 196) dorsal surface lacking irregularities in posterolateral areas and longitudinal groove in lateral areas; punctation dense. Anterior margin not explanate.

Pronotum ( Fig. 196) wider across posterior area than rest; pronotal width subequal to or> humeral width. Anterolateral corners rounded obtuse; lateral margins in anterior half divergent posteriorly, lateral margins in posterior half diverge then converge with rounded convergence; lacking indentation at mid-point, or sinuousity in either horizontal or vertical plane; lacking indentation in lateral margin near posterolateral corner, and irregularities at corner; posterolateral corners rounded; rounded corners obtuse, posterolateral corners project beyond median posterior margin and separated by shallow emargination.

Hypomera closed. Median area of hypomeron not elevated vertically; anterior area of hypomeron not flat to side of head, posterior area flat but not closely adpressed; pronotal width/ GHW index 1.6.

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, do not extend as a ridge around apex and without any further expansion of either; 0 or 2 interstitial lines, inner two not exceeding suture; elytral carina absent; viewed from below with specimen horizontal epipleuron at elytral base wide, covers humerus from below, and viewed from above arises anterior to posterior margin of MS; epipleuron developed as lateral ridge along most of length; sutural margins approximate along most of length in closed elytra; lateral margins slightly convex-sided.

Head moderately depressed between eyes; moderately 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, separated by <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, in the shape of a wide triangle, with inner edge irregular not dentate. Antennae 11 segmented; length subequal to GHW up to twice GHW; no segments flattened, shortened, or expanded; pedicel not produced; FS1 not shorter than pedicel; in very short antennae FS may be subequal in length and width.

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

Abdomen 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, reaching sides but not posterior margin and occupying most of V7; posterior half of V7 not arched or swollen, muscle impressions not visible in this area; LO present in V6, occupying almost all V6. MPP present, apex rounded, entire, not laterally compressed, short, not inclined dorsally nor engulfed by T8 apex, lacking dorsal ridge and 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, nor 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 present, not as long as visible posterior portion of T8, and broad, not laterally emarginated before their origins, not expanded dorsoventrally, apices lacking bifurcation of inner margin and bases lacking 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 ventrite emarginated on right side from point of attachment of tergite; sternite not angulate on L or R sides, not subparallel-sided, posterior margin entire, not emarginated on either side preapically, and rounded; anterior half of sternite broad, apically rounded (with a short median point in specimen standing next to type of messoria ); tergite lacking lateral arms that extend widely anteriorly at sides of sheath sternite; tergite not subdivided, lacking projecting pieces along posterior margin of tergite 9, a narrow band across anterior margin of tergite 9 may be darker than rest; with pale cuticular piece that projects on left side only and attaches to muscles arising from anterior portion of abdominal T8.

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

Female (associated by similarity of colour and label data). Macropterous. Pronotum lacking irregularities in posterolateral areas; punctation moderate to dense; pronotum> humeral width; indentation of lateral margin, irregularities at posterolateral corner, absent; outline as for male. Elytral punctation not as large as that of pronotum nor evenly spaced; 2 interstitial lines; elytral carina absent. Head of winged female form. 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. The generic name, a feminine noun, emphasizes the pale dorsal colouration and the island habitat (gilva from gilvus Latin for pale yellow, and insula Latin for island).