Atyphella testaceolineata Pic, 1939

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 : 53-54

Atyphella testaceolineata Pic, 1939

( Figs153, 158, 164–165)

Atyphella testaceolineata Pic, 1939:370 ; Wittmer, 1939:127

Luciola (Luciola) testaceolineata (Pic) . McDermott, 1966, p.114.

Holotype. Male (head and prothorax missing) INDONESIA: Maluku Islands, 3.24S, 126.40E, Buru Island (Zoology Museum, Amsterdam).

Other material examined. PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Morobe Pr., 8.24S, 147.05E, Erume, 2000 m, 6.viii.1974, T. Fenner, 4 males ( DAPM) . Morobe Dist., 7.20S, 146.42E. 4.5 mi w Wau : Edie Cr. Rd, at Namie Cr. Elev. C 4500'’, November 17 1969, J.E. Lloyd, 1 male (G620), 1 female (G619) ( JELC), 1 male (G621) ( ANIC); 7.20S, 146.42E. Wau, 1600–1700 m, 28.xii.1961, JS , 1 male ( BPBM) .

Code name. Luciola 9 ( Lloyd, 1973b)

Diagnosis. One of eight Atyphella spp. with striped elytra; distinguished from lewisi , brevis , ellioti and lychnus by the flattened and dentate apical palpomere (the other species have an ovoid entire apical palpomere), from flammans and flammulans , which have contiguous antennal sockets, by the separated antennal sockets, and from the only other New Guinean species, lamingtonia , by lacking additional pale lines of fat body between the pale interstitial lines.

Male redescription. 6.6–8.3 mm long; 3.1–3.8 mm wide; W/L 0.4. Colour ( Fig. 153): Pronotum ( Fig. 158) pale clear yellow, semitransparent in areas, with median dark brown area reaching anterior margin, and almost to posterior margin; fat body irregularly retracted beneath cuticle leaving paler areas; MS and MN pale cream; elytra brown with suture, lateral margin including elytral apex and 3 interstitial lines yellow; lateral elytral margin semitransparent, extending to and covering weakly developed interstitial line 4; head very dark reddish brown, antennae and palpi brown, labrum pale brown; ventral aspect of thorax brown; all legs brown except for paler coxae 1 and 2 and trochanters 1, 2 and 3, tibiae and tarsi darker brown than remainder; basal abdominal ventrites black; V6 and 7 uniformly pale cream; all abdominal tergites light brown except for pale yellow T8. Pronotum ( Fig. 158): 1.2–1.5 mm long; 2.3–2.9 mm wide; W/L=1.9; punctures broad, moderately deep, contiguous; lateral margins diverge posteriorly with rounded convergence; posterolateral corners rounded, obtuse, projecting beyond median posterior margin and separated by shallow emarginations; anterior hypomeron not flat to neck; posterior hypomeron flat to neck strongly adpressed. Elytron: convex-sided, bearing 3 moderately elevated interstitial lines. Head: not able to be retracted completely into prothoracic cavity; GHW 1.4–1.6 mm; SIW 0.2mm; SIW/GHW 1/7–1/8; ASD<ASW; antennal sockets very close not contiguous, frons-vertex junction rounded. Mouthparts functional; apical segment of labial palpi laterally compressed, like a wide triangle, inner margin dentate with basal wide tooth and 3 narrower teeth, one at apex. Antennal length slightly longer than GHW; 11 segmented. Abdomen, ventrites: LO occupying V6 completely, in V7 extending to all margins including posterior margin. MPP short, broad and rounded. Tergites: T8 as wide as long; anterolateral prolongations of T8 not as long as posterior (entire) portion, narrow, not expanded vertically. Aedeagal sheath: posterior margin of ventrite rounded, lacking short rounded medial projection. Aedeagus ( Figs 164, 165): L/W<3/1, LL/ML moderate; LL divergent along their length dorsally; LL slightly shorter than ML, apices rounded, not out-turned and narrower than apex ML; LL narrow and parallel-sided in apical half when viewed from above; base of LL produced anteriorly and broadly rounded or truncate.

Female. Associated by similarity of label data only. 6mm long. Fully developed fore wings, hind wings absent; flightless. Only differences from the male are noted: one elytron present, paler than male, with paler interstitial lines still visible (this could be due to absence of hind wings); elytron not covering abdomen completely (T8 protrudes); head not examined; ventral aspect of body blotchy cream, semitransparent; paler LO material apparently restricted to lateral areas of V6; V7 very shallowly and narrowly emarginated along posterior margin; median posterior margin of V8 appears entire, as is that of T8.

Remarks. The incomplete holotype male of A. testaceolineata was not dissected. Specimens assigned here are considered to approach most closely the elytral pattern of the type specimen but are tentative assignments only. Pic’s (1939) 9mm long specimens were from Buru Island, with elytral suture, lateral margins and interstitial lines pale, suggestive to Pic of Luciola olivierius McDermott. If this is a correct association, then this species, and a possible Halmahera record of a male of A. guerini , are the only species of Atyphella known from west of the island of New Guinea. Lloyd’s (1973b) Luciola 9 are tentatively assigned here. Lloyd (1973b:995) described the flashing pattern as “single, short flashes each 1 sec. Occasionally a dim flash was interposed between the bright flashes”.