Colophotia miranda Olivier, 1886

Ballantyne, Lesley & Jusoh, Wan F. A., 2021, The strange case of Colophotia miranda Olivier, 1886 (Coleoptera: Lampyridae: Luciolinae), Insecta Mundi 2021 (857), pp. 1-9 : 3

Colophotia miranda Olivier in Baer, 1886

Colophotia miranda Olivier in Baer 1886: 186; Olivier 1902: 76; 1913: 59. McDermott 1966: 116. Ballantyne and Lambkin 2013: 64. Ballantyne et al. 2019: fig. 474−483.

Type. Not located in MNHN during LB’s visit in 2013.

Specimen examined. PHILIPPINES as Philippine islands, no collection date nor collector. Male determined Colophotia miranda Olivier by KG Blair ( NHMUK).

Summary of diagnostic features. Dorsal colour pale brown; 15.8 mm long; light organs in ventrite 7 bipartite and widely separated; median posterior area of ventrite 7 terminated by a single elongate slender apically acute ‘appendage’ which is considered to conform to Olivier’s (1886) description.

Male. 15.8 mm long; 6.8 mm wide measured at region of pin through right elytron.

Colour ( Fig. 1A, B ): Dorsal surface very pale brown; pronotum semitransparent with fat body showing irregularly through cuticle; head between eyes light brown, semitransparent, with fat body visible; left antenna with pale brown scape and remaining segments darker brown; right antenna colour ventral surface scape pale brown, pedicel and apical two segments dark brown, dorsal surface as for left; ventral surface of thorax and legs pale brown; abdomen in original state before immersion in any fluids with dorsum pale brown semitransparent and fat bodies visible beneath cuticle in all but terminal tergite; ventral surface with V 2−4 pale brown semitransparent, V 5 slightly paler, V 6 with LO plaques adhering to lateral areas of ventrite appearing mid brown and intervening area semitransparent with irregular distribution of fat body beneath; anterior area of V 7 in dry specimen with lateral brown LO plaques and an apparent posterior margin separating this from the posterior area which is encircled by paler brown PLP incurving, and was covered in light brown material of unknown origin; after soaking in KOH all of the ventral surface of the MPP and PLP, and a narrow area anterior to the emarginations appears to be clumped fat body beneath. Pronotum ( Fig. 1A, B ): 3.0 mm long, 4.7 mm wide; anterior margin broadly rounded scarcely projecting beyond the rounded obtuse anterolateral corners; lateral margins diverging in anterior half and pronotum widest across middle; lateral margins converge posteriorly with slightly angulate posterior corners not behind anterior corners but to the sides; posterior corners slightly obtuse; median posterior margin shallowly emarginated and projecting a little beyond the posterior corners; most of dorsal surface smooth with flattened and widely explanate lateral margins; median area of disc a little elevated and shallow depressions just behind anterior margin behind head, and across and in front of posterior margin, not extending to laterally explanate region; pronotal width slightly less than humeral width. Elytra ( Fig. 1A ): 12.8 mm long; no elevated interstitial lines; lateral margins slightly convex sided; with wide epipleuron extending laterally just behind anterior margin of hypomeron and diminishing in width towards elytral apex. Head ( Fig. 1A ): GHW 2.3 mm; SIW 0.9 mm; ASD subequal to ASW; vertex barely depressed between eyes. Antennae ( Fig. 1A ): 11 segmented, three times as long as GHW, with elongate scape, small pedicel and all flagellar segments longer than wide; FS 1–7 four times as long as wide; FS 8 ¾ as long as FS 7, and FS 9 ¾ as long as FS8. Mouthparts ( Fig. 1A ): well developed and male can probably feed; apical labial palpomere in the form of an elongate slender triangle (L 4–5 × W) with inner margin entire. Legs ( Fig. 1A ): no tibiae swollen or curved; hind femora stout slightly wider than femora 1 and 2. Abdomen ( Fig. 1D , 2 ): V 6: appears to have no light organs in the median area and they may be emarginated in this segment, or the median area devoid of light organ is a consequence of some aspect of dehydration and the dissection, as there are no obvious muscle attachments in the median area of V 6; V 7: with broadly and evenly emarginated anterior margin (not obvious in intact specimen); lateral margins converging posteriorly; posterior margin trisinuate ( Fig. 2A, B ) with oblique PLP which are half the length of the MPP and curve inwards partly embracing the MPP in dried specimen ( Fig. 1D ); deep slightly irregular emarginations separate MPP and PLP; MPP broad and deep with concave dorsal surface; apically truncated with a single elongate very slender apically acute appendage arising from the left side of the apex, and remaining margins densely hairy; dorsal surface V 7 with brown facing cuticle covering sides of MPP and around emarginations to the PLP. Muscle attachments ( Fig. 2A, B ): a large block of longitudinal muscles attach on the median area of V 7 between light organ halves and narrow to a median band along the dorsal median surface of the MPP; in the anterior portion these muscles split into two wide bands attaching to the anterior margin on either side of the anterior emargination of V 7; small lateral bands reach the sides anterior to the PLP; T 8 ( Fig. 2 D–F ): lateral margins straight converging slightly posteriorly; median posterior margin with a deep and narrow emargination, margined by acute corners, and further shallow lateral emarginations between median area and rounded posterolateral corners; dorsal surface with deep median longitudinal emargination which houses the aedeagus and sheath in repose and distinct acute margins separating this median channel from flat side areas which have no spines; there is no muscle attachment posterior to the flanges in T 8; strongly sclerotized and dark flanges with obliquely truncated apices each projecting posteriorly arise at the anterior end of the acute margins of the median trough; anterolateral paired prolongations of T 8 rounded and slightly shorter than the median length of the entire posterior portion. Muscle attachments ( Fig. 2 E, F ): strong bands of longitudinal muscles attach onto the basal portion of the flanges. Aedeagal sheath Fig. 3 A–C ): elongate slender about 7 × as long as wide; tergite of sheath in two sections; anterior margin evenly emarginated. Aedeagus ( Fig. 3 D–F ): elongate slender about 6 × as long as wide; appearing slightly asymmetrical (basal piece is turned to one side); lateral lobes very short scarcely separated.

Figures

Figure 1. Colophotia miranda male. A) Habitus dorsal and ventral with epipleuron arrowed; B) Detail head and pronotum, with arrows at margins of the median elevated area of disc; C) Specimen label; D) Dried specimen before dissection, abdominal ventrites showing actual number of ventrite, with T8, LO situated on V6 and V7. Figure legends: LO – light organ; T8 – tergite 8; V2 – ventrite 2; V5 – ventrite 5; V7 – ventrite 7.

Figure 2. Abdomen of Colophotia miranda male. A) V6 and V7, dorsal; B) V6 and V7 ventral with single apical appendage (C), muscle attachments (i, ii, iii) indicated; C) posterior view ventrites uppermost, single apical appendage indicated; D–F) Tergite 8. D – dorsal, E – right lateral (flanges indicated, muscles blocks arrowed), F – ventral (muscles blocks arrowed). Figure legends: LO – light organ; MPP – median posterior projection; PLP – posterolateral projection; T8 – tergite 8; V6 – ventrite 6; V7 – ventrite 7; i, ii, iii – muscle attachments.

Figure 3. Genitalia of Colophotia miranda male. A–C) Aedeagal