Memoan ciceroi Silveira & Mermudes

Silveira, Luiz Felipe Lima Da & Mermudes, José Ricardo M., 2013, Memoan ciceroi gen. et sp. nov., a remarkable new firefly genus and species from the Atlantic Rainforest (Coleoptera: Lampyridae), Zootaxa 3640 (1), pp. 79-87 : 84-86

Memoan ciceroi Silveira & Mermudes sp. nov.

( Figs 1–13 )

Etymology. The species is named after the american entomologist Joseph Cicero, whose contribution to firefly research is admirable.

Description (adult, male, n=2). Body length: 4.96–5.20 mm; pronotal length: 0.75–0.90 mm; greater pronotal width: 1.19–1.30 mm; elytral length 4.16–4.30 mm; elytral width 1.25–1.30 mm. Integument overall brown to pale-yellow, including appendices, abdominal segments translucent from eight forward.

Head. ( FIGS 1–6 ) Antennomeres densely and uniformly hairy. Scape nearly twice as long as pedicel, constrained on basal half, enlarging to apex. Pedicel as long as wide. Antennomere III longer than pedicel; III–IX laterally compressed, enlarging towards their apices; III–VI slightly decrease in length; VII–IX subequal in length to VI; X and XI connate; X + XI longer than IX. Maxillary palpomeres cylindrical, I–III transverse, I and III subequal and shorter than II; IV acuminate and membranous at apex, longer than the sum of II and III.

Thorax. (FIGS 4,7) Anterior margin of pronotum with two feebly para-sagital sinuosities. Prosternum medially glabrous, with many lateral bristles. Meso-scutellum sub-pentagonal, with dense and deep punctures; lateral margins convergent posteriad, posterior margin emarginate; with sparse bristles in the anterior region of the punctures. Hypomeron with deep punctures, except for the central region. Mesosternum projecting and rounded posteriad.

Abdomen. ( FIGS 9–13 ) Abdominal segments translucent from eight forward; lanterns occupying most of the venrite area. Pygidium with median lobe slightly acuminate, lateral lobes acute and projected. Terminalia and aedeagus: ( FIGS 12–13 ) sintergite half the sternite IX length, slightly asymmetrical; sternite IX narrowly prolonged anteriorly. Aedeagus almost entirely membranous. Phallobase symmetrical. Parameres basally constricted, with two thirds of phallus length. Apex of parameres and phallus rounded. Phallus slightly wider than a paramere. Ventral plate of phallus present, sides subparallel, slightly constrained medially.

Holotype: adult, male from Brazil, Espírito Santo State, Estação Biológica da Santa Lúcia, Santa Teresa Municipality. 02/IV/2011, Silveira, L; Dumas, L. Nessimian, J. leg.. Paratype: adult, male; same data of the holotype. Abdomen of paratype is missing. Genitalia of both specimens were deformed during the study due to its membranous nature, and we only got presentable illustration of its dorsal view.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 3. Memoan ciceroi gen. et sp. nov., holotype male from Estação Biológica Santa Lúcia, Santa Teresa, Espírito Santo, Brazil: 1, habitus dorsal; 2, habitus ventral; 3, head, frontal view, which shows the fusion of the fronto-clypeus and the labrum.

FIGURES 4 – 5. Memoan ciceroi gen. nov. et sp. nov.: 4, head and thorax, ventral. Note the subcontiguous eyes and the conspicuous sutures between mesosternum and mesanepisternum, and between the mesanepisternum and mesanepimerum. 5, Mouthparts. Note the one-segmented labial palps.

FIGURES 6 – 8. Memoan ciceroi gen. nov. et sp. nov.: 6, apical antennomeres. Note the fusion between the two apical-most antennomeres. 7, pronotum and elytral base, dorsal. Note the deep punctuation all along the pronotum, scutellum and elytra; and the pronotal parassagital, posterior elevations. 8, right wing.

FIGURES 9 – 13. Memoan ciceroi gen. nov. et sp. nov.: 9, abdomen, left lateral; 10 abdomen, ventral (anterior end to left of page). 11, Detail of the abdomen, dorsal (arrows shows the dorsal spiracles); 12, aedeagal sheath: sintergite, dorsal and sternite IX, ventral (anterior ends to bottom of page). 13, aedeagus, dorsal.