Kuantana Ballantyne, 2019

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 : 81-82

Kuantana Ballantyne gen. nov.

Figs 14, 15 , 230−245

Type species. Kuantana menayah sp. nov. by monotypy.

Diagnosis. Kuantana gen. nov. is a Malaysian genus known only from four specimens, all having pale brownish yellow dorsum ( Figs 230, 232 ). It is one of two genera where there is an asymmetry of the terminal abdominal tergite allied with a bipartite LO in V7. It differs from Asymmetricata in the following respects (comparable features of Asymmetricata shown in parentheses): the MPP ( Figs 233, 235 ) is elongate slender with apex rounded (broad apically truncated MPP); T8 ( Figs 233−237 ) dorsal surface is symmetrical; the asymmetry comes from a ventral piece prolonged to the left and apically pointed (the whole surface of T8 is emarginated strongly on its left side, and there is no ventral projection); the aedeagal sheath is asymmetrical in the posterior area of the sheath sternite only, where it is slightly emarginated on the left side, with the apex of the sternite with a narrow deep off centred emargination (the posterior area of the sternite is subparallel sided with a shallow broad emargination along its posterior margin).

Male. Pronotum: ( Fig. 230 ) dorsal surface without irregularities in posterolateral areas and longitudinal groove in lateral areas (1, 2); punctation dense; anterior margin not explanate (6); lateral margins divergent, the pronotum being wider across its posterior area than elsewhere (C> A, B); wider than humeral width; anterolateral corners rounded; lateral margins without indentation at mid-point, and sinuosity in either horizontal or vertical plane; without indentation in lateral margin near posterolateral corner, and irregularities at corner (15–18); posterolateral corners rounded, projecting slightly beyond median posterior margin; separated from it by well-defined emarginations.

Hypomera: closed; median area of hypomeron not elevated in vertical direction (27); posterior 2/3 more flattened than elsewhere; pronotal width/ GHW 1.9.

Elytron: ( Figs 230, 232 ) punctation dense, not linear (36), not as large as that of pronotum, nor widely and evenly spaced (34, 35); apices not deflexed (38), not emarginated (43); epipleuron and sutural ridge extend beyond mid-point, almost to apex but not extending around apex, neither thickened in apical half; inner two interstitial lines well defined; elytral carina absent (54); in horizontal specimen viewed from below epipleuron at elytral base wide, covering humerus (48); viewed from above anterior margin of epipleuron arises well anterior to posterior margin of MS; epipleuron developed as a lateral ridge along most of length; sutural margins approximate along most of length in closed elytra; lateral margins convex-sided.

Head: ( Fig. 231 ) very slightly depressed between eyes; well exposed in front of pronotum, not capable of complete retraction within prothoracic cavity; eyes moderately separated beneath at level of posterior margin of mouthpart complex; frons-vertex junction rounded, without median elevation (66); posterolateral eye excavation not strongly developed, not visible in resting head position (61); antennal sockets on head between eyes, close but not contiguous, ASD <ASW; clypeolabral suture present, flexible, not in front of anterior eye margin when head viewed with labrum horizontal; outer edges of labrum reach inner edges of closed mandibles. Mouthparts: functional; apical labial palpomere flattened, shaped like a broad triangle longer than wide, with inner edge dentate. Antennae 11 segmented; slightly longer than GHW; FS simple elongate; GHW/SIW 5.

Legs: with inner tarsal claw not split; without MFC; femora 3 not swollen and curved and tibiae 3 not curved; no basitarsi expanded or excavated.

Abdomen: ( Figs 233−237 ) without cuticular remnants in association with aedeagal sheath (131, 132); no ven- trites with curved posterior margins nor extending anteriorly into emarginated posterior margin of anterior segment (106–109); LO in V7 bipartite, wider along outer edges and narrowing towards middle; occupying less than half V7, and not reaching to sides or posterior margin; no muscle impression visible between LO halves on dorsal surface V7; no PLP but posterolateral corners of V7 defined and rounded; lateral margins subparallel sided; LO present in V6, occupying almost all V6. MPP present, symmetrical, tapering to a narrowly rounded apex; MPP not laterally compressed, (L>W). V7 without median carina (114) median longitudinal trough (117), incurving lobes or pointed projections (121, 127), median ‘dimple’ (128), or reflexed lobes (129). T7 without prolonged anterolateral corners; lateral margins tapering slightly posteriorly with slight indentation before posterolateral corners which are narrowed, apically acute and extend laterally; posterior margin slightly sinuate. T8: may appear asymmetrical from above depending on orientation; narrower than T7 and median length much shorter; asymmetrical along posterior margin because of projection to left; lateral margins subparallel sided; T8 ventral surface with asymmetrical projection which is not visible from above in one Selangor male; strong curved ridge running from anterolateral right to apex of pointed projection; areas to either side of this ridge strongly concave; concealed anterolateral arms of T8 elongate, narrow, not laterally emarginated before their origins, expanded dorsoventrally, without bifurcation of inner margin and ventrally directed pieces.

Aedeagal sheath: ( Figs 238, 239 ) approx. 3.5 times as long as wide; without bulbous paraprocts; symmetrical in anterior half where sheath sternite tapers evenly to a widely rounded apex; lateral arms of sheath tergite may be narrowly visible from below on left, visible on right as a short projection; posterior area of sternite (posterior to the articulation of the tergite arms) with a narrow, deep, off centred emargination; left margin of sheath posterior to tergite articulations evenly and gently emarginated. Tergite broad with anterior margin slightly produced and evenly rounded.

Aedeagus: ( Fig. 240 ) L/W 2.5/1; apices of LL visible at sides of ML, LL/ML wide; LL of equal length, slightly shorter than ML, divergent along inner dorsal margins; LL widely separated longitudinally for most of their length; LL base width wider than LL apex width which is narrower than width of apex of ML; dorsal base of LL symmetrical, produced and evenly rounded; ML symmetrical, wide and expanding in middle area; BP not strongly sclerotised, not hooded, not strongly emarginated along anterior margin.

Female. ( Figs 241−245 ) Macropterous but flight ability not determined. Pronotal outline as for male. LO in V6 only; lateral margins of V7 taper posteriorly, with small indentation before median posterior emargination; V8 with similar outline but narrower, and short shallow median posterior emargination; T8 with lateral margins tapering a little posteriorly, small indentation just before posterolateral corners which are short and narrowly produced laterally with a rounded apex. Bursa: no obvious bursa plates. MO plate well defined, half-moon shaped and lying transversely in the duct.

Larva. Not associated.

Etymology. Kuantana (feminine) is a noun latinised from the name of the locality.

Remarks. Only two Luciolinae genera have an asymmetrical abdominal T8. Asymmetricata Ballantyne is characterized by a flat T8 which is emarginated evenly on its left side. In Kuantana gen. nov. when viewed from above T8 appears symmetrical, and is not emarginated on either side; the asymmetry derives from a development on the ventral surface which is prolonged to one side and apically pointed. Although presently known from so few specimens it is anticipated that it should be relatively easy to obtain more given the area of its collection is close to a major firefly viewing site at the Selangor River. The current sparsity of specimens suggests this is a solitary flier.

Figures

FIGURES 9−16. Key to genera characters 2. 9. Missimia flavida type male; 10 Luciola brahmina type male (MNHN); 11, 12 Luciola seriata type male (CMG); 13 Asymmetricata circumdata male; 14, 15 Kuantana menayah gen. et sp. nov.; 16 Curtos costipenis male. 9 anterior head (arrow indicates clypeus); 10, 11, 16 dorsal (arrows in 16 indicate humeral carina); 12 lateral tergite 8 aedeagal sheath and sclerites); 13 dorsal tergites 7 and 8; 14, 15, dorsal (14) and ventral tergite 8. Figure legends: AS aedeagal sheath; T7, 8 tergites 7, 8.

FIGURES 230−237. Kuantana menayah gen. et sp. nov. type male. 230, 232 habitus dorsal (232 slightly to side with right elytron pulled to side); 233−237 abdomen: 233 ventral. 234 dorsal, 235 right lateral; 236, 237 terminal abdomen tergites 7 8: 237 from beneath with aedeagus and sheath removed; 238 from above (left side of tergite 7 damaged in extraction). Scale lines are 1 mm.

FIGURES 238−245. Kuantana menayah gen. et sp. nov. type male 238−240; paratype female 241−245. 238, 239 aedeagal sheath: 238 ventral; 239 dorsal; 240 aedeagus ventral; 241 habitus ventral; 242, 243 dissected abdomen: 242 ventral; 243 dorsal; 244 ventrites 6−8 only; 245 reproductive system including ventrite 6 with ovipositor beneath (styli to left of page and spermato- phore digesting gland, unlabelled, to right); arrowed is median oviduct plate. Scale lines are 1 mm.