Atyphella dalmatia, 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 : 43-44

Atyphella dalmatia sp. n.

( Figs 137–141, 147)

Holotype. Male. PAPUA NEW GUINEA: 6.35S, 147.51E, Morobe Pr., Finschhaven (sic), Wareo, L. Wagner ( SAM).

Paratypes (24). Same locality, collector, as holotype, males ( SAM) .

Diagnosis. Distinguished from all other Atyphella by the scattered small pale spots on the brown to dark brown elytra.

Male description. 7.1–8.8 mm long; 2.8–3.4 mm wide; W/L 0.4. Colour: Pronotum largely yellow, usually with small paired median brown areas (20/25) ( Fig. 147), median brown area occupying about half surface area and widening posteriorly (3/25) or occupying more than half of the whole area (2/25); MS, MN yellow; elytra dark brown (24/25, pale brown in one paratype), with paler spots which are concentrated in the inner (sutural) half ( Figs 137–138), minimum of 3 pale spots on left elytron (1/25) to maximum of 18 spots on each elytron; 4 males with spots mostly concentrated around inner two interstitial lines; head, antennae and palpi mid-brown; ventral aspect of pro and mesosterna yellowish to light brown, metasternum dark brown; all legs yellow with tibiae and tarsi dark brown; V2–5 very dark brown, 6 and 7 white; tergites dark brown, T7 pale and slightly darker mottled, T8 pale. Pronotum: ( Fig. 147) 1.5–1.8 mm long, 2.5–3.2 mm wide; W/L 1.6–1.7; lateral margins divergent posteriorly along their length (21/25) with slight rounded convergence in 4/ 25; posterolateral corners <90°, rounded, projecting beyond median posterior margin; anterior half of hypomeron not flat but approaching closely, posterior area widely flat and closely adpressed. Elytron: parallel-sided; 5.6–7.0 mm long; 3 well-defined interstitial lines; epipleuron and suture continue around apex (visible both from above and beneath) neither further thickened in apical half. Head: cannot be retracted into prothoracic cavity; GHW 1.5–2.0 mm; SIW 0.25–0.3 mm; SIW/GHW 0.15–0.16; ASD<ASW (sockets close but not contiguous); frons-vertex junction not defined, this area rounded. Antennae slightly longer than GHW up to almost twice GHW; 11 segmented. Mouthparts functional; apical segment of labial palpi ovoid, longer than wide. Abdomen, ventrites ( Fig. 139): LO entire in V6 and V7, in V7 LO reaching sides but not posterior margin (LO closely following posterior outline and disposition in fresh specimen may be interpreted differently). MPP short, rounded. Tergites: T8 as wide as long; anterolateral prolongations narrow, not as long as posterior exposed portion, not obviously expanded vertically. Aedeagal sheath ( Figs 140, 141): lacking rounded projection along posterior margin of sternite. Aedeagus ( Figs 140, 141): L/W<3/1; LL/ML moderate; LL not divergent along most of length dorsally and slightly shorter than ML; apices of LL rounded, not out–turned, width subequal to that of ML; inner apical area of LL obliquely truncate; base of LL produced, rounded.

Female, Larva. Unknown.

Etymology. The specific name is latinised from the name of the spotted dog (dalmatian) and is a play on words to highlight the ‘spotted’ nature of the dorsal surface.