Pyrophanes Olivier 1885

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 : 143-144

Pyrophanes Olivier 1885

Fig. 82

Pyrophanes Olivier 1885: 368 ; 1886: 132; 1902: 72; 1907: 56; 1911a: 102. McDermott 1964: 46; 1966: 116. Ballantyne 1968: 106, 107, fig. 15; 1987b: 173–176. Ballantyne in Calder 1998: 180. Ballantyne & McLean 1970: 234. Ballantyne & Lambkin, 2000: 70, figs 26, 27; 2009: figs 94, 95, 106, 107, 503, 509; 2013: 111 figs 221−227; 2015 figs 1−76. Ballantyne et al. 2015: 14, figs 1−76.

Type Species: Pyrophanes similis Olivier , designated by McDermott 1966: 116.

Diagnosis. Pyrophanes was extensively revised by Ballantyne et al. (2015) who included seven species. It is a S. E. Asian genus with a large concentration of species in the Philippines, with many having the pale brownish yellow and black tipped elytral apices characteristic of the S. E. Asian region. The most characteristic features are the presence of the MFC, absence of deflexed elytral apices, and the various lobes along the posterior margin of V7. Pyrophanes belongs to a group of Luciolinae genera (the others being Australoluciola Ballantyne , Colophotia Dejean , Medeopteryx Ballantyne , Pteroptyx Olivier and Trisinuata Ballantyne ) in which males are characterized by: an elongate slender aedeagus with LL concealed behind the ML (when the specimen is viewed from beneath); pronotal width less than width across the elytral humeri; parallel-sided elytra; aedeagal sheath elongate slender, widest across the middle, with posterior half of sternite tapering evenly towards a narrow entire apex. Pyrophanes males are distinguished from all other genera by:

1. the combination of a curved and slightly asymmetrical aedeagus (the curvature is in both the ML and LL),

2. a MFC;

3. ‘bulbous’ paraprocts on the aedeagal sheath which partially enfold the sheath sternite at the sides;

4. no deflexed elytral apices;

5. femora 3 are swollen and curved in four of the seven species;

6. the posterior margin of V7 is trilobed, with incurving lobes and small pointed projections bearing hairs dorsally, and lying between the short PLP and MPP;

7. the underside of T8 has depressions at the sides usually housing very short spines and hairs.

Females are macropterous and the bursa in certain species has wide paired plates. Males range from 5.3–8.9 mm long. Larvae lack laterally explanate tergal margins in Pyrophanes similis ( sensu Blair 1927 ; Bertrand 1972, 1973). This larva is not however reliably associated and an accurate identification of larval type for this genus is not available.

Figures

FIGURES 78–86. Key to genera characters 12. 78–80, 83 Inflata indica; 81 Medeopteryx cribellata; 82 Pyrophanes appendiculata; 84 Australoluciola flavicollis; 85 Aus. nigra; 86 Aus. anthracina. Figure legends: LL1 basal expanded portion of lateral lobes; LL2 apical narrowed portion of lateral lobes; ML median lobe.