Abscondita Ballantyne Lambkin et Fu 2013

Ho, - Z., 2019, The Luciolinae of S. E. Asia and the Australopacific region: a revisionary checklist (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) including description of three new genera and 13 new species, Zootaxa 4687 (1), pp. 1-174 : 25-27

Abscondita Ballantyne Lambkin et Fu 2013

Figs 39, 40 , 44−49 , 96−138

Abscondita Ballantyne Lambkin et Fu 2013: 1 , figs 1−29. Fu 2014: 92. Yiu 2017: 85.

Type species. Abs. terminalis ( Olivier 1883) .

Diagnosis. A S. E. Asian genus, usually pale yellow or brownish yellow, with black elytral apices; males have an entire LO in V7 occupying almost all of V7, the posterior margin of which is broadly rounded; females have short hooked bursa plates and larvae are terrestrial, with hardened external plates, and are generally similar to larvae of Sclerotia , which differ in being metapneustic. Abscondita belongs to a group of 18 Luciolinae genera (including Atyphella Olliff ) in which males have aedeagal LL widely visible beside the ML; it differs from all other Luciolinae in that the aedeagus has well sclerotised LL fusing along almost all of their median dorsal length, with very short more membranous projections at the outer angles; LL bear elongate, cylindrical, hairy lobes just inside their outer lateral margins; LO entire, occupying almost all of the often very flat V7, which may have a barely developed and very short and wide MPP. The genus is most closely related to certain species of Pygoluciola Wittmer in which neither V7 and T8 median posterior margins are prolonged ( Fu & Ballantyne 2008), and differs from those Pygoluciola most obviously by the very short lateral projections of the outer angles of the LL (in Pygoluciola these are greatly elongated, membranous and much longer than the ML); the LL in Pygoluciola spp. are without the elongate cylindrical lobes. Females are macropterous, some species seen in flight, and have hooked bursa plates. Larvae are apparently terrestrial, with tergal margins thickened and laterotergites not usually visible at sides of body when viewed from above; all tergal plates except the last with four short narrow and apically acute projections along the posterior margins; terminal tergum with sides subparallel; dorsal body plates heavily sclerotised, bearing a profusion of very short spines; no obvious exposed membranous areas visible dorsally; similar to larvae of Pygoluciola qingyu , distinguished in having a single mandibular tooth in all species except Abs. anceyi (both Abs. anceyi and P. qingyu have two), and a rough surface covered in short spines (that of qingyu is smooth) ( Fu & Ballantyne 2008). (Repeated with some modification from Ballantyne et al. 2013). Widely distributed from China through Laos and Thailand to India.

Remarks. Most species of this genus exhibit the very widespread dorsal colour pattern of yellowish brown dorsum with or without black tipped elytral apices, which is very common in Luciolinae fireflies of S. E. Asia. Only Abs. cerata from Taiwan has black elytra. Certain species assigned to this genus by Ballantyne et al. (2013) were distinguished by considerable biological information including flashing patterns. Subsequent assignments made here are based on morphological similarities only. Luciola fissicollis Fairmaire from China is probably close to Abs. chinensis , and is discussed under that heading.

Wijekoon et al. (2016) identified specimens in the National Sri Lankan collection in Colombo as Abs. chinensis , Abs. perplexa and Abs. promelaena .

Not all species are addressed here. Abscondita cerata and Abs. promelaena have no new records and their descriptions can be found in Ballantyne et al. (2013).

Figures

FIGURES 38−43. Key to genera characters 6. 38, 43 Pygoluciola qingyu; 39, 40 Abscondita pallescens comb. nov.; 41, 42 Pygoluciola hamulata type male. 38−40 aedeagal sheath ventral (38, 39) and slightly right lateral (40) (arrows indicate position where lateral tergal arms join the median sternite); 41, 43 terminal abdomen ventral; 42 termnal abdomen left lateral. Figure legends: V7 ventrite 7; T8 tergite 8.

FIGURES 44–49. Key to genera characters 7. Luciola cerata lectotype aedeagus. 44, 47 dorsal; 45, 48 ventral (lobes arrowed); 46, 49 left lateral. Figs 47–49 outline diagrams of photos immediately above. Figure legend: ML median lobe; BP basal piece.

FIGURES 96–100. Abscondita spp. 96 Abs. cerata; 97 Abs. promelaena; 98 Abs. terminalis; 99, 100 Abs. anceyi. 96, 97, 99 dorsal habitus; 98 aedeagal sheath ventral (apical lobes of sheath sternite arrowed); 100 ventral habitus.

FIGURES 101–107. Abscondita berembun Nada sp. nov. (101, 102 holotype male and paratype female; 103–107 paratypes). 101–103 dorsal habitus; 104–107 ventral habitus. Scale line is 2 mm.

FIGURES 108–113. Abscondita berembun Nada sp. nov. paratype males. 108, 109 abdomen: 108 ventral; 109 dorsal; 110 aedeagal sheath ventral (projections at sides of tergite arrowed); 111–113 aedeagus: 111 dorsal; 112 ventral; 113 right lateral. Scale lines are 1 mm.

FIGURES 114–119. Abscondita jerangau Nada sp. nov. types. 114, 115 habitus dorsal (114) and ventral; 116 dorsal abdomen; 117 aedeagal sheath and tergite 8 ventral; 118 aedeagal sheath dorsal; 119 aedeagus ventral. Scale lines are 1 mm.

FIGURES 120–125. Abscondita pallescens females, and male, (123), dorsal habitus. 120 Taman Negara (Prague); 121 Riau (Prague); 122 Sumatra Lampung R. (Prague); 123 Java (Prague); 124 Java coll. Baum (Prague); 125 Terengganu (Prague). Scale line is 1 mm. All figures share scale line.

FIGURES 126–132. Abscondita pallescens males (126, 127, 129–131), and females (128, 132); 126, 127 Perak Cameron Highlands (Prague); 128 Kelantan; 129–132 Perak Larut Hills. 126, 128 dorsal habitus; 127 left lateral; 129, 132 habitus ventral; 130, 131 abdomen: 130 ventral; 131 dorsal.

FIGURES 133–138. Abscondita pallescens male genitalia (Perak male MZUM). 133–135 aedeagus: 133 ventral; 134 left lateral; 135 dorsal; 136–138 aedeagal sheath: 136 ventral (lateral projections of tergite arrowed), 137 dorsal; 138 dorsal detail tergite. Scale lines are 1 mm, these figures share scale lines; 133–135; 136, 137.