Medeopteryx elucens (Ballantyne) Ballantyne & Lambkin, 2013

Ballantyne, Lesley A. & Lambkin, Christine L., 2013, Systematics and Phylogenetics of Indo-Pacific Luciolinae Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) and the Description of new Genera, Zootaxa 3653 (1), pp. 1-162 : 88

Medeopteryx elucens (Ballantyne) comb. nov.

Pteroptyx elucens Ballantyne, 1987a: 147 .

Holotype. Male. NEW GUINEA: 146.40E, 7.22S, 4 mi n Wau , elev. c 2800', near Kunai Creek, Lae Road ( ANIC).

Other specimens examined. Listings extend Ballantyne (1987a). NEW GUINEA: 143.35E, 3.35S, Wewak , 2–20m, 13.x.1957, JLG, male. 146.35E, 7.13S, Bulolo , 1010m, 19.viii. 1956, male, light trap, EF. 146.40E, 7.22S, Wau , Morobe Dist., 1200m, male 29.vi.1961, at light, male 22–30.vi.1962, light trap. 146.55E, 8.16S, Tapini, 1000m, 9–12.vii.1968, 2 males, Mena. ( BPBM) .

Diagnosis. 6.5–7.2 mm long; pronotum and MN yellow, MS medium brown; head dark brown; elytral apices rounded; very similar to M. corusca and M. cribellata , from which it can be distinguished by the completely dark dorsal aspect of the abdomen, the outline of the median posterior projection of V7, the ventral surface of T8 including the shape of the flanges, and its simple single flash (the other 2 species have a bimodal flash) ( Ballantyne 1987a Fig. 11 )

Remarks. Lloyd (1973a) recorded it as "abundant at the Namie-Bulolo site near Wau" and sympatric with M. effulgens , M. cribellata , M. sublustris , and 3 Luciola species , and the male flash pattern "a single, short flash with a period of about 5.5 secs".

Figures

FIGURES 9–17. Australoluciola anthracina type male, Cyclops (MNHN). 9, 10 dorsal (9) and ventral; 11 V6, 7 ventral; 12 pronotum dorsal; 13 type labels; 14 aedeagal sheath ventral; 15-17 aedeagus, dorsal (15), ventral (16) and lateral. These figures share scale lines: 15–17.