Atyphella kirakira, 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 : 46-47

Atyphella kirakira sp. n.

( Figs 142–146, 148, 149)

Holotype. Male. SOLOMON ISLANDS: Makira Pr., 10.30S, 161.49E, San Cristobal Island, Kira Kira , 0–50m, 10.xi.1964, RS ( BPBM).

Paratypes (4). SOLOMON ISLANDS: Same locality as holotype, 2 males. Central Pr., Florida Group , Tulagi , 6.IX.1960, COB, male. Guadalcanal Pr., 9.35S, 160.12E Guadalcanal, Lame , near Mt Tatuve , 300m, COB, male ( BPBM) .

Diagnosis. A small species (<7 mm long) with uniformly dark brown elytra and orange pronotum with median dark area, LO apparently bipartite in V7, and MPP in V7 short, rounded; distinguished from other Atyphella with bipartite LO by the uniformly coloured elytra and the entire LO in V6.

Male. 6.6–6.9 mm long; 3 mm wide; just over twice as long as wide. Colour: ( Figs 142, 144) Pronotum yellowish orange, semitransparent with fat body showing through cuticle, median dark marking not reaching either anterior or posterior margins, marking almost black in Lame male; MN yellow, MS slightly dingy pale brown; elytra moderately dark brown; head dark brown, antennae and palpi mid-brown; in 2 Kira Kira males all legs pale, abdominal ventrites pre LO mid-brown; one Kira Kira male legs pale with tibiae and tarsi light brown, and abdominal ventrites pre LO moderately dark brown; tergites light brown semitransparent, T8 yellowish; LO in anterolateral areas of V7 closely and narrowly adpressed to dorsal surface, separated between by diffuse fat body extending posteriorly almost to MPP (LO interpreted as bipartite). Pronotum: 1.5–1.6 mm long; 2.3–2.5 mm wide; W/L 1.5–1.6; ¼ as long as body; lateral margins diverge with rounded convergence; posterolateral corners rounded obtuse, projecting a little behind median posterior margin; anterior portion of hypomeron not flat; posterior portion of hypomeron flat, closely adpressed. Elytron ( Fig. 144): margins slightly convex-sided; 5.1–5.3 mm long; 2 defined interstitial lines slightly better defined at their bases than in their apical half in 2/5; epipleuron and suture not continuing around apex as a ridge and neither thickened in apical half. Head: not able to be retracted into prothoracic cavity; GHW 1.6 mm; SIW 0.2 mm; SIW/GHW 1/ 8; ASD<ASW, antennal sockets close but not contiguous; frons-vertex ‘junction’ rounded not well–defined, frons 3 X as high as ASW. Antennal length longer than GHW; 11 segmented. Mouthparts well developed, probably functional; apical segment of labial palpi laterally compressed, like an elongate narrow triangle, with inner longer margin bearing paired elongate teeth at apex only in 3, and 1 apical and 2 subapical teeth in one. Abdomen, ventrites ( Figs 142, 143): LO occupying all of V6; LO in V7 interpreted as bipartite (no information about light production exists and this is a morphological, not functional interpretation), reaching sides but not posterior margin, adpressed areas occupying less than half V7; at least half of V7 posterior to adpressed areas of LO filled with fat body; MPP short, broad. Tergites: T8 as wide as long; anterior prolongations of T8 very short and narrow. Aedeagal sheath ( Figs 145, 148): with posterior margin of ventrite rounded, lacking projection. Aedeagus ( Figs 145–149): L/W 2/1, LL/ML 3.5; LL very slightly shorter than ML, apices rounded, not out-turned, narrower than width of apex of ML; LL diverge along their length, apices well–separated; base of LL broadly truncate, scarcely produced.

Female, Larva. Not associated.

Etymology. The specific name is considered a noun in apposition, and reflects not only the type locality but the use of the name twice highlights the apparently bipartite LO