Medeopteryx corusca (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 : 85-86

Medeopteryx corusca (Ballantyne) comb. nov.

[ Figs 139–142 , 155 , 161, 162 ]

Pteroptyx corusca Ballantyne, 1987a:1387 , Fig. 10 .

Holotype. Male. NEW GUINEA: Eastern Highlands Pr. : 145.22E, 6.02S, 4.7 miles east of Goroka ( ANIC) . Other specimens examined. Listings extend Ballantyne (1987a). NEW GUINEA: 143.35E, 3.35S, Wewak ,

2–20m, 13.x.1957, on palm, JLG, male ( BPBM). 144.45E, 5.53S, Banz, west of Nondugl , 21.vii.1955, light trap, JLG , 1750m, male ( BPBM). Banz, Waghi Valley , 1500m, vii.21.1955, light trap, JLG, 2 males ( BPBM). 144.37E, 5.55S, Western Highlands, Kamang, near Minj , 1840m, 21.v.1966, JLG, male ( BPBM). Western Highlands, Korn farm , 1560m, x.15.1958, light trap. JLG, male ( BPBM). 145.22E, 6.02S, Korifeuga , 22 km SE Goroka , 1200m, 30.vii.1961, malaise trap, JLG, male ( BPBM). 146.40E, 7.22S, Wau , Morobe Distr. , 1200m, 30.vii.1961, malaise trap, JLG, male ( BPBM). 146.55E, 8.16S, Tapini , 1000m, 9–12.vii.1968, Mena, 2 males ( BPBM). 147.13E, 7.52S, Morobe Pr., Garaina , 800m, 15–21.i.1968, J. & M. S., male ( BPBM). 147.44E, 8.52S, Kokoda , iii.20.1956, JLG, light trap, 6 males, (1 male 400m), male 28–29.iii.1956, male at 400m, 14–16.xi.1965 ( BPBM). Eastern Highlands, Simbu Pr., Chimbu district, Kundiu 5 mating pairs, 26–27.xi.1969; 9.xi.1969, sp. samp. #5 MP ‘flasher’(1) ( ANIC). Eastern Highlands, outside Goroka on Lae Road , across from Tech. College, mating pair (G383) ( ANIC) .

Diagnosis. 6–7.5 mm long; yellow pronotum, black MS and elytra; elytral apex rounded ( Fig. 141 ); LOs entire in V7; abdomen with dimple and hump ( Figs 139, 140, 142 ) ( Ballantyne 1987a Fig. 10 ).

Female. 6.8–7.0 mm long. Colour: as for male – pronotum and MN yellow, MS dark brown in posterior 2/3 and dusky brown in anterior 1/3; elytra brown; ventral surface of body including head and legs brown except for pale yellow venter of prothorax and yellow coxae 1, pale light organ, and slightly darker brown posterolateral corners of V7; all abdominal tergites pale brown, T7 slightly darker in lateral third;T7, 8 slightly darker than preceding. Abdomen ( Fig. 155 ): posterolateral corners of V6 rounded, V6 not excavated across posterior margin; posterior margin of V7 broadly, deeply and evenly excavated, with posterolateral corners acutely angled and pointed; V8 not indented in median line. Bursa ( Figs 161, 162 ).

Remarks. Lloyd (1973a) listed all his species by number and his "P. (= Pteroptyx ) species 17" was identified by Ballantyne as P. cribellata . These specimens were subsequently assigned to P. corusca ( Ballantyne, 1987a) , which was the only Highland species recorded. (The improbability of a highland species having been collected around 1890 was pointed out by John Buck and others, who considered that P. cribellata could not have been based on highland specimens.). This species is one of a complex of cryptic species, the ' cribellata complex' of Ballantyne (1987a), who described a female of a mating pair (from Goroka) with lateral pronotal margins finely dark, but otherwise consistent with this description.

"The synchronised flash pattern appeared to be a single simple flash, but actually consisted of 2 modulations a preliminary dim one followed by a brighter one" ( Lloyd, 1973a).

Figures

FIGURES 139–146. Medeopteryx spp. Males (ANIC). 139–142 M. corusca. 143 M. cribellata. 144 M. effulgens. 145 M. fulminea. 146 M. flagrans. 139, 140 abdomen, ventral (139, anterior margin of V4 arrowed) and dorsal; 141 apices of elytra ventral; 142 tergite 8 ventrolateral, flange arrowed; 143–146 terminal abdomen and elytral apices, ventral. These figures share scale lines: 139, 140.

FIGURES 154–159. Medeopteryx spp. female abdomens ventral (not to scale) (ANIC). 154 M. antennata. 155 M. corusca (mating pair Catherine Mission). 156 M. cribellata (G381 mating pair). 157 M. effulgens (Kah New Ireland). 158 M. flagrans (G535). M. fulminea (Kar Kar Island).

FIGURES 160–167. Female Medeopteryx spp. bursa. 160 Medeopteryx antennata female of mating pair Sek Bridge (ANIC). 161, 162 M. corusca female of mating pair Kondiu (ANIC). 163 M. cribellata Kar Kar Island (ANIC). 164–167 M. similispupillae sp. nov. 164 bursa ventral; 165 reproductive system excluding ovaries lateral; 166 median oviduct plate ventral (anterior end to foot of page); 167 anterior plate lateral. Figure legends: 1 median oviduct plate; 2 posterior bursa plate; 3 anterior bursa plate; 4 spermatophore digesting gland.

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.