Pacifica Ballantyne 2013

Ho, - Z., 2019, The Luciolinae of S. E. Asia and the Australopacific region: a revisionary checklist (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) including description of three new genera and 13 new species, Zootaxa 4687 (1), pp. 1-174 : 116

Pacifica Ballantyne 2013

Figs 22−29

Pacifica Ballantyne in Ballantyne & Lambkin 2013: 94 . Ballantyne & Lambkin 2009 figs 329–376, 397–440.

Type species. Pygatyphella salomonis (Olivier) .

Diagnosis. Repeated with modifications from Ballantyne & Lambkin (2013). A genus of five species restricted to the Solomon Islands, with most having orange pronotum and black elytra which may be pale margined. Ballantyne & Lambkin (2009) distinguished a group of five species within Pygatyphella (Ballantyne) as “ Pygatyphella B” and this difference was formalised in Ballantyne & Lambkin (2013) with the erection of a new genus Pacifica . It is most closely related to Pygatyphella (Ballantyne) from which it differs as follows: four species have dorsal colouration of orange pronotum (sometimes with median dark mark), and dark brown elytra which may be pale margined (most Pygatyphella spp. have a pattern resembling bird droppings, with light brownish dorsum and brown markings on pronotum, base of elytra at the sides of the MS, and irregularly at or near the elytral apices); only Pac. russellia is completely pale dorsally; pronotum never with angulate convergence along lateral margins, or small depression present just anterior to corner; with irregularities at rounded obtuse posterolateral corners, not projecting strongly if at all beyond median posterior margin; no interstitial lines well-defined; elytral margins convex-sided; posterior area of V7 never reaching into LO (LO not medially emarginated along its posterior margin); apex of MPP rounded, or squarely or obliquely truncate; MPP with dorsal longitudinal ridge; dorsal surface of the posterior area of the MPP faced with cuticle that is not attached to the ventral surface of V7 and ends just behind the area of muscle attachment posterior to the LO; the anterior margin of this cuticle is emarginate and continues along the ventral surface of the MPP as a ridge (e.g. Ballantyne & Lambkin 2009 figs 342–349, especially fig. 358); ventral surface of T8 usually with a curved, slightly off–centre ridge close to posterior margin; T8 outlines in Pac. limbatipennis , limbatifusca and salomonis characterised ( Ballantyne & Lambkin 2009 figs 438–442); T8 with pale partly membranous ventral projections from the bases of the anterolateral prolongations; aedeagal sheath sternite posterior to the lateral tergite articulations subparallel-sided in basal 1/3 to 1/2; aedeagus L/W<3; LL/ML wide; ML never asymmetrical, always with lateral teeth; anterior margin of LL never asymmetrically produced. Females are macropterous. Larvae are not associated.

Figures

FIGURES 22−29. Key to genera characters 4. 22, 23, 26−28 Pacifica salomonis male; 24, 29 Pac. limbatipennis (Guadalcanal BPBM); 25 Pac. limbatifusca paratype male. 22, 24, 25 dorsal; 23 ventral; 26 aedeagus ventral; 27, 28 tergite 8 ventral and from right side showing ventral surface; upper arrows in 27, 28 indicate projections from anterior tergal arms; lower arrow in 27 indicates oblique ridge on ventral surface; 29 aedeagal sheath ventral (upper arrow indicates beginning of emargination, lower arrow indicates emargination.