Pygatyphella huonensis ( Ballantyne, 1968 )

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 : 83-84

Pygatyphella huonensis ( Ballantyne, 1968)

( Figs 23–26, 61, 62, 256, 267)

Luciola (Pygatyphella) huonensis Ballantyne, 1968:116 . Lloyd 1973b:995 (light production); 1977:178–9 (light production). Ballantyne 1987a:179,182,183.

Atyphella huonensis (Ballantyne) . Ballantyne and Lambkin, 2000:15; 2001:364, 2006: 30.

Holotype. Male. PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Morobe Pr., Huon Peninsula, Pindiu , 950–1200m, 7.iv.1963, JS ( BPBM).

Material examined. PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Morobe Pr., 3.46S, 143.52E, 4mi n Wau elev c. 2800', nr Kunai Creek, Lae Rd, 16.xi.1969, J.E. Lloyd, 2 males (G609, 612 both with orange label)( JELC) . Madang Pr., 5.55S, 146.4E, Finisterre Mts, Budemu , c. 4000 feet, 15–24.x.1964, stn No. 51, M. E. Bacchus, 7 males, 1 female ( NHML) . Morobe Pr., 6.6S, 147.85E, Finsch Haven Wareo, L. Wagner 16 males, 11 females ( SAM) ; 6.45S, 147.51E, Huon Peninsula, Pindiu , 950–1200m, 17.iv.1963, JS paratype male ( BPBM) ; Huon Pen, Bulang , 100 m, 29.1.1977, W. C. Gagné, 4 males ( BPBM) ; 6.72S, 146.99E, Busu River E of Lae, 100m, 14.ix.1955, c, paratype male ( BPBM) . INDONESIA IRIAN JAYA: 1.45S, 136.15E Japen Island, SSE Sumberbaba, Dawni River , x.1962, N. Wilson 1 male ( BPBM) . Cyclops Mountains , 3400–4500 feet, iii.1936, L Cheesman, male, female ( NHML) .

Code name. Luciola 6 ( Lloyd, 1973b)

Diagnosis. A moderate sized (8.5–12.0 mm long) species similar to, but distinguished from peculiaris and eliptaminensis , by the extent of the apical dark elytral marking ( Figs 21–26, 256, 267), the apical excision of the MPP ( Figs 21–26), the deep posterior emargination of the LO of V7 ( Ballantyne, 1968, Figs 91, 92), the strong arching of V7 especially posterior to the LO ( Figs 61, 62), and the lack of dorsal protuberances on V7. Macropterous, similarly coloured females are associated on the basis of label data.

Female. Macropterous. 10–10.6 mm long. Coloured as for male except creamy white LO restricted to V6 and abdominal ventrites and tergites 7, 8 brown-yellow, more heavily sclerotised than preceding segments. V7 with deep oval depressions in anterolateral areas (probably corresponding to positions of D–V muscles), and posterior margin widely and moderately deeply emarginate, posterolateral corners rounded; median posterior margin of V8 narrowly emarginate; T8 with lateral margins converging posteriorly, narrowing before posterior margin, which is not indented in median line.

Remarks. Pygat. huonensis was sympatric with Pygat. peculiaris "at the Namie–Bulolo site" ( Lloyd, 1973b:995), where "they emitted series of single short flashes with a flash period of 1.5 sec", contrasting with the single flashes of. peculiaris with a flash period of 0.5 sec. Lloyd (1977:179) commented, "The fireflies of the L. peculiaris (sic) group (New Guinea) emit continuous trains of flashes…… The feeble nature of alter- nate flashes in L. huonensis suggests that these are being lost and that originally the timing was more like that of L. peculiaris ."

Ballantyne (1968) described this species from 3 specimens from Pindiu and Busu River near Lae. Ballantyne (1987b Fig. 2 g –k) described and figured muscle attachments of the terminal abdomen, aedeagus within the aedeagal sheath, and (page 183) discussed their significance. The two males from Irian Jaya are tentative associations only.