Missimia flavida, 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 : 74-75

Missimia flavida sp. n.

( Figs 21, 22, 27, 29, 30, 32–34, 246–254)

Holotype. Male. PAPUA NEW GUINEA: 7.15 S, 146.48 Morobe Pr., Mt Missim , 1810 m, xi.1981, J. Scott ( BPBM).

Paratypes (3). PAPUA NEW GUINEA: E Highlands Pr: 6.00S, 147.00E, Wanatabe Valley, near Okapa , 5000 feet, taken in light trap, 5.ii.1965, M E Bacchus, male ( BPBM). 6.30S, 145.9E, Aiyura, 5400 feet, 18.xii.1961, in house, J H Barrett, female ( UQIC). 6.52S, 146.43E, Mt Shungol , 1650–2730 m, JS , female (JSC in QM).

Male. 12.2–13.1 mm long; 3.0 mm; W/L 0.2. Colour: dorsal surfaces dingy yellow–light brown; semitransparency of cuticle on dorsal surface allows white fat body to show through irregularly especially in the pronotum; remainder of body including head dark brown except for V6 and 7, which are white in the area of the LO and yellow in posterior area of V7; semitransparent yellow tergites 7 and 8. Pronotum 2.2–2.3 mm long, 2.2–3.0 mm wide; W/L 0.9–1.4. Elytron: 10–10.8 mm long; elytral interstitial lines variable, line 1 well–defined in Missim male and 2 and 3 fainter; lines 1 and 2 clearly defined in Okapa male. Head: GHW 2.0 mm; SIW 0.7–0.9 mm; SIW/GHW 0.35–0.45.

Female. Macropterous and assumed capable of flight. 12.9–13.3 mm long, parallelsided. Coloured as for male except for the white LO in ventrite 6, and light brown ventrites 7, 8. Pronotal outline as for male. Pronotum, head, and abdominal ventrites illustrated ( Ballantyne 1968 Figs 130–132, 134). Ballantyne (1968) incorrectly indicated that the lateral depressions on V7 corresponded with the dorsal spiracles; they more probably represent sites of attachment of D–V muscles.

Etymology. The specific name ( flavida, Latin , = pale) describes the pale dorsal colour.