Lamprima adolphinae ( Gestro 1875 ), 1922

Reid, Chris A. M., Smith, Kindi & Beatson, Max, 2018, Revision of the genus Lamprima Latreille, 1804 (Coleoptera: Lucanidae), Zootaxa 4446 (2), pp. 151-202 : 161-163

Lamprima adolphinae ( Gestro 1875)

( Figs 1 , 15 , 21–22 , 33 , 45–46 , 54–55 , 62 , 76 , 89 , 95 )

Neolamprima adolphinae Gestro, 1875: 997 (type locality: Hatam, Arfak Mountains).

Lamprima adolphinae: Nagel, 1922: 16 .

Lamprima adolphinae olivacea Nagel, 1930: 88 (type locality: Komba, Finisterre Mountains); Krajcik 2001: 25 (junior synonym of L. adolphinae ).

Lamprima adolphinae lulua Kriesche, 1940: 39 (type locality: New Guinea); Krajcik 2001: 25 (junior synonym of L. adolphinae ).

Neolamprima adolphinae chalciditis Didier & Séguy, 1952: 222 (type locality: New Guinea); Krajcik 2001: 25 (junior synonym of L. adolphinae ).

Neolamprima adolphinae bohni Darge & Séguy, 1953: 252 (type locality: New Guinea); new synonym

Material examined (about 350; locality data only; * = specimen dissected). Indonesia: Arfak [1°09'S 133°58'E] ( AMS, CMNC) ; 6 ♂, Irian Jaya, xii.2003 ( AMS) ; Wissell Lakes ( CMNC) ; Papua New Guinea: Aiyura , Eastern Highlands [6°20'S 145°54'E] ( ANIC, NAIC) ; Bulolo , Morobe ( AMS) ; Chuave , Simbu [6°10'S 145°45'E] ( NAIC) ; Daulo , Eastern Highlands [5°59'S 145°19'E] ( NAIC) ; Finschhaven ( ANIC) ; Frigano [ Habu River ] ( ANIC) ; Goroka ( CMNC) ; Gumine , Simbu [6°11'S 144°54'E] ( NAIC) ; Hagen , Western Highlands [5°51'S 144°14'E] ( NAIC) ; Kage [ Kerowagi ], Simbu [6°13'S 144°45'E] ( NAIC) ; Kainantu ( ANIC) ; Kaironuk ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂ *, Komba [ Kumbip ], Morobe [6°07'S 147°07'E] ( AMS, ANIC, CMNC) ; Lumi ( ANIC) ; Mendi , Southern Highlands ( AMS, ANIC) ; Menyamya ( ANIC) ; Moke , Eastern Highlands [6°31'S 145°37'E] ( NAIC) ; Monono [10°37'S 150°01'E?] ( NAIC) ; Mount Giluwe , Southern Highlands ( AMS) ; Mount Kaindi ( CMNC) ; Okapa ( CMNC) ; Sirunki ( ANIC) ; Tari ( ANIC) ; 1 ♀ *, Tomba , Western Highlands ( AMS) ; Wabag ( ANIC) ; Wahgli , Western Highlands [5°40'S 144°30'E] ( CMNC, NAIC) ; Wareo , Morobe ( AMS) ; Wau , Morobe [7°20'S 146°23'E] ( AMS, ANIC, CMNC, NAIC) ; Woitape , Central Province [8°33'S 147°15'E] ( NAIC) .

Description. Male: length 24¯ 60 mm; cylindrical, pronotum slightly broader than elytra; colour: usually pronotum and elytra entirely dull metallic bronze or green, head bronze-black, antennae and tarsomeres darker, almost black, tibiae slightly lighter bronze coloured than femora, and all except base of outer margins of mandibles purplish black; less often pronotum and elytra yellowish green or bluish green; head purplish red, tibiae coppery red or purplish red; rarely pronotum and elytra blue. Pronotum minutely, densely, rugosely microreticulate; reticulations obscured by dense micropunctures and dull (with a metallic sheen but not shiny); elytra slightly shinier, microreticulate; reticulations flat and distinct; anterior half of head shallowly microreticulate, shiny, basal half often duller; upper surfaces of pronotum and elytra apparently glabrous, but each puncture with minute simple seta arising from anterior edge.

Head: sides and apex with sparse, inconspicuous setae; head length slightly less than half width; sides convergent, from small but angularly projecting temples, along feebly convex eyes, to usually slightly convex genae and right-angled (small males) to acute anteriorly projecting anterior angles (large males); projecting temples broadly grooved in lateral view. Anterior margin truncate to concave, vertically declivous to labrum; dorsum with two smooth ridges from anterior angles to midline of base of head where they meet at about 100°; area subtended by these ridges strongly punctate, punctures varying greatly in density but not confluent; area between ridges and sides of head also strongly punctate. Antennomere 2 transverse to quadrate; 3–4 elongate (lengths 1.5–2.0x widths); 5 usually elongate, rarely quadrate; 6 transverse to quadrate, rarely ridged on anterior edge; 7 cupuliform with lateral extension about as wide as antennomere, Mandible length 21–37% of overall length; inner faces of mandibles almost entirely densely setose; mandibles straight sided in large males, slightly convex in small males, almost symmetrical, approximately equal in length; two types of mandible: small males ( Figs 22 , 46 ), with mandible mostly straight in lateral view, apical 1/3 turned upwards, upper edge sharply keeled, preapical dorsal acute tooth about ¼ from tip, apex bifid with two acute teeth, inner (lower) margin with broad acutely tipped lobe 1/3 from apex and irregular short projections between lobe and apex; large males ( Figs 21 , 45 ), with mandibles strongly curved from base to apex in lateral view, upper edge rounded in basal half, preapical dorsal tooth migrated to extreme apex of mandible, which therefore has 3 acute teeth, apical third of upper surface either smooth or irregularly toothed before apex, inner (lower) margin with small acute or blunt tipped lobe ½–1/3 from base, sometimes finely serrate edged just before lobe, and with 5–15 irregular, often partly fused, peg-like projections beyond this lobe; mandibles laterally smooth, finely punctate and setose at base; mentum flat, closely punctate and setose.

Thorax: pronotum strongly convex, faintly dimpled near lateral angles, shape typical for Lamprima , almost hexagonal but sides slightly concave anterior to greatest width at just behind middle; anterior margin truncate with slightly protruding anterior angles, basal margin strongly sinuate, anterior and posterior angles obtuse, anterior margin narrower than basal margin, margination complete, laterally without crenulation, Punctures of disc indistinct, much smaller than on head, more-or-less obliterated by surface sculpture, separated by about 3–6 diameters, punctures only distinct at margins. Hypomeron finely and closely punctate in posterior half, shallowly wrinkled in anterior half, with mostly recumbent setae; prosternum strongly and densely punctate, with mostly recumbent setae; scutellum semicircular to heart-shaped, with sparse, small punctures. Elytra with or without small tubercle at base of epipleural upper margin, slightly expanded posterior to humeri, then contracted to rounded apices, sides narrowly explanate in posterior 2/3; elytral base often distinctly bevelled to accommodate base of pronotum; elytral disc minutely and sparsely punctate, punctures similar to or smaller than on pronotal disc and separated by 5–10 diameters, and shallowly, irregularly strigose, the deeper grooves mostly longitudinal; mesometaventral process with scattered, recumbent setae, and shiny, apex blunt, approximately 80° in lateral view, sides usually slightly concave. Protibia with pair of curved, elongate apical teeth, outer wider than inner, and external margin with 3–5 well-spaced triangular approximately right-angled teeth, confined to apical half of tibia in large specimens; inner lobe of protibia large and rounded, with basal dense tuft of convergent red setae and anterior greatly expanded spur (width 65–80% of length); upper surface of protibia with scattered punctures on inner half and an irregular line of punctures on outer half, short recumbent setae arising from punctures, plus tuft of elongate setae at tarsal insertion; mesotibiae and metatibiae with 0–5 minute, external teeth.

Abdomen: sides of ventrites I–V similar to pterothoracic venter, with dense, small punctures (partly coalescent, interspaces less than diameters) and setae; middle third of ventrites more sparsely punctate (insterspaces = several diameters), surface microreticulate, dull; apex ventrite V truncate to shallowly concave. Genitalia: apical half of phallobase dorsally with irregular short oblique ridges or tubercles either side of shallow median groove, apical margin with V-shaped notch, deepened at base; venter of phallobase smooth, apex more deeply notched; parameres setose dorsally, tips triangular but usually incurved; penis with oblique basal ridges, apex of penis beyond apices of parameres.

Female. As male, except: length 18¯ 24 mm; pronotum and elytra brilliantly shiny, without evident microsculpture, bronze, dark brown, green, coppery or blue, head generally bronze-black or similar in colour to pronotum; pronotum more strongly and densely punctate, punctures almost as large as on head, interspaces 1–3 puncture diameters on pronotal disc; pronotum narrower than elytra; head with 75–90° anterior angles, apices of smooth ridges rounded not projecting. Antennomere 3 elongate, 4–6 transverse, 6 with sharp outer ridge; dorsally visible part of mandibles shorter than head; mandibles in dorsal view with elongate-rectangular (rarely triangular) dorsal tubercle from base to almost half mandible length, remainder of dorsal surface excavate with sharp outer edge; pronotum margins distinctly crenulate on apical half but basal half complete or with <5 shallow notches. Outer edge protibia with 6–8 triangular teeth, generally increasing in size from base to apex, inner edge without internal lobe, spur elongate triangular; outer edges mesotibiae and metatibiae with 5–7 prominent spines; venter shiny, otherwise similar to male; apex ventrite V rounded; apex tergite IX transparent, attenuated and sharp or narrowly rounded; gonocoxite transverse, with both inner and outer edges expanded from base; spermatheca tapered from blunt apex to base, slightly bent, spermathecal duct long and densely coiled.

Taxonomy. Lamprima adolphinae was first described in 1875. However, 40 years earlier, L. fulgida Boisduval, 1835 , was described from the island of Waigeo, west of New Guinea. Since all records of L. adolphinae show that it is endemic to New Guinea and other species of Lamprima are unknown there, it might be assumed that L. fulgida is the oldest name for this insect. Reiche (1841) placed all hitherto described species of Lamprima , including L. fulgida , under the name L. aenea . Burmeister (1847) and Thomson (1862) accepted the validity of L. fulgida , but the latter did not follow the rule of priority. Parry (1864) queried the status of L. fulgida , suggesting it was a junior synonym of L. aurata . Following Parry (1864), L. fulgida has always been treated as a junior synonym of L. aurata ( Harold 1868; Macleay 1885a; Boileau 1913; Benesh 1960; Moore & Cassis 1992). Type material of L. fulgida seems to be missing, except for a possible female syntype in the Hope collection, Oxford, examined by Boileau who identified it as L. aurata ( Boileau 1913: 216) . Boisduval's description of the male is in comparison with L. aenea . The male of L. fulgida was golden-green with a coppery-red head, larger and had shorter mandibles ( Boisduval 1835: 231). This is much more like L. aurata than L. adolphinae , therefore we agree with the synonymy of L. fulgida with L. aurata .

Like other species of Lamprima , L. adolphinae shows some variation in colour and these variants have been named. These colour forms have no taxonomic validity and are therefore all treated here as junior synonyms of L. adolphinae . Krajik (2001) has already made the formal synonymy of three names. Lamprima adolphinae is also a senior synonym of L. adolphinae bohni Darge & Séguy, 1953 .

Lamprima adolphinae in New Guinea has two male mandible forms, like Lamprima males in northern Queensland ( Lea 1929). However both forms in New Guinea are distinguishable from their counterparts in northern Queensland by constant differences in the male mandibles and by the male genitalia. We have no doubt that Lamprima adolphinae is a valid species although the females are almost identical to those of Lamprima aurata and L. insularis .

Natural history and distribution. The major male appears to be the dominant form in collections, but this may reflect collector bias. Lea (1929) noted considerable variation in male mandible development in this species and the small mandible form occurs throughout its range. Levet (2016) provides notes on rearing L. adolphinae , recommending a temperature regime of 20–28 °C.

Lamprima adolphinae is largely montane, from 500 m to high elevation, for example 2800 m on Mount Giluwe. Most sites are in the cloud forest zone, 1000–2500 m ( Levet 2016). The few lowland sites may only indicate the lowland ports from which specimens have been supplied to collectors (e.g., Fak Fak: Levet 2016). Lamprima adolphinae is widespread on the island of New Guinea ( Fig. 95 ). On the distribution map we have included records of L. adolphinae from Ononge, Admisibil and Walmak, all photographed on a website ( Anonymous 2017c).

Conservation status. Lamprima adolphinae is widely distributed in New Guinea and does not appear to be under immediate threat, although it dominates the commercial trade in Lamprima species.

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Male Lamprima species, dorsal view: 1, L. adolphinae (Gestro, 1875); 2, L. aenea (Fabricius, 1792); 3, L. imberbis Carter, 1926 (holotype); 4, L. insularis W.J. Macleay, 1885. Figure 3 courtesy Peter Hudson, South Australian Museum. All figures to same scale.

FIGURES 15–20. Female Lamprima species, dorsal view: 15, L. adolphinae (Gestro, 1875); 16, L. aenea (Fabricius, 1792); 17, L. aurata Latreille, 1804, Sydney, New South Wales; 18, L. aurata, Sydney, New South Wales, blue form; 19, L. aurata, Western Australia; 20, L. insularis W.J. Macleay, 1885.

FIGURES 21–24. Male Lamprima species, dorsal of head and pronotum: 21, L. adolphinae (Gestro, 1875), elongate mandible form; 22, L. adolphinae, short mandible form; 23, L. aenea (Fabricius, 1792); 24, L. insularis W.J. Macleay, 1885.

FIGURES 33–35. Female Lamprima species, dorsal of head and pronotum: 33, L. adolphinae (Gestro, 1875); 34, L. aenea (Fabricius, 1792); 35, L. insularis W.J. Macleay, 1885.

FIGURES 45–53. Male Lamprima species, mandibles, lateral view: 45, L. adolphinae (Gestro, 1875), elongate mandible form; 46, L. adolphinae, short mandible form; 47, L. aenea (Fabricius, 1792); 48, L. aurata Latreille, 1804, elongate mandible form, northern Queensland; 49, L. aurata, New South Wales, large male; 50, L. aurata, New South Wales, small male; 51, L. aurata, Western Australia; 52, L. imberbis Carter, 1926, holotype; 53, L. insularis W.J. Macleay, 1885. Figure 52 courtesy Peter Hudson, South Australian Museum.

FIGURES 54–57. Male Lamprima species, elytral disc microsculpture, at low and high magnification: 54–55, L. adolphinae (Gestro, 1875); 56–57, L. aurata Latreille, 1804. Large punctures approximately 25 microns in diameter.

FIGURES 62–65. Male Lamprima species, protibiae: 62, L. adolphinae (Gestro, 1875); 63, L. aenea (Fabricius, 1792); 64, L. insularis W.J. Macleay, 1885; 65, L. imberbis Carter, 1926. Figure 64 courtesy Peter Hudson, South Australian Museum.

FIGURES 76–83. Lamprima species, aedeagi (ventral, lateral and dorsal): 76, L. adolphinae (Gestro, 1875); 77, L. aenea (Fabricius, 1792); 78, L. aurata Latreille, 1804, northern Queensland; 79, L. aurata, Snowy River, New South Wales; 80, L. aurata, Kingston, Tasmania; 81, L. aurata, South Australia; 82, L. aurata, Cue, Western Australia; 83, L. insularis W.J. Macleay, 1885.

FIGURES 89–94. Lamprima species, ovipositor and spermatheca: 89, L. adolphinae (Gestro, 1875); 90, L. aenea (Fabricius, 1792); 91, L. aurata Latreille, 1804 (Bridport, Tasmania); Lamprima species, spermathecae: 92, L. aurata (Ourimbah, central New South Wales); 93, L. aurata (Nadgee, south New South Wales); 94, L. insularis W.J. Macleay, 1885.

FIGURES 95–96. 95, Map of Australia and New Guinea to show Lamprima species: O= L. adolphinae (Gestro, 1875), Ɨ= L. aurata Latreille, 1804. 96, Map of Lord Howe to show distribution of Lamprima insularis W.J. Macleay, 1885 (shaded area = 500 + m)