Australoluciola australis (Fabricius) Ballantyne & Lambkin, 2013

Ballantyne, Lesley A. & Lambkin, Christine L., 2013, Systematics and Phylogenetics of Indo-Pacific Luciolinae Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) and the Description of new Genera, Zootaxa 3653 (1), pp. 1-162 : 48

Australoluciola australis (Fabricius) comb. nov.

[ Figs 26–34 ]

Lampyris australis Fabricius 1775:201 ; 1781:253; 1787:162; 1792:102; 1801:104. Lacordaire, 1857:338. Motschulsky, 1854:53 (partim). Nec Guérin-Méneville, 1838:74. Boisduval, 1835:125, plate vi, Fig. 13 .

Lampyris italica var. australis Fabricius. Olivier, G., 1790:18 . Fabricius, 1792:104. Luciola australis (F.). Laporte, 1833:150. Lea, 1909:108 (partim). Masters, 1886:288; 1888:327. McDermott, 1966:99. (partim). Ballantyne, 1988:161. Ballantyne & Lambkin, 2001: 57; 2009: 21. Nec Gorham, 1880:104; Olivier, 1883:330; 1885:362; 1902:74 (larva); 1907:50; 1909b:lxxxi; 1913b:417; Olliff, 1890:652; Lea, 1921a:197.

Luciola pudica Olliff, 1890:652 . Lea, 1909:109 (female). Ballantyne, 1988:162 (Synonymy).

Luciola (Luciola) pudica Olliff. McDermott, 1966:112 (partim). Calder, 1998:178.

Lectotype. Male. NEW HOLLAND (designated by Ballantyne, 1988) in Hunterian collection, University of Glasgow (see below).

Other specimens examined. AUSTRALIA: Queensland: Townsville, banks of Ross River , 15–16.ix.1980, J. Case mating pair ( ANIC) .

Diagnosis. Male 5.5–7.0 mm long; pronotum orange, elytra very dark brown ( Fig. 26, 27 ), ventral surface mostly yellow; eyes without any visible posterolateral excavation when head withdrawn; MPP rounded ( Fig. 28 ); V7 without PLP; ventral surface of T8 with lateral ridges having an angulate anterior area ( Fig. 30 ). Aedeagus ( Figs 31–33 ) elongate slender, lateral margins of LL slightly curved such that lateral margins at apex are narrowly visible beside ML (view from beneath); L/W 5.0. Female macropterous, coloured like male except pale LO in V7 only; two wide separate pairs of plates in bursa ( Fig. 34 ). Larva with small rounded protuberances along posterior margins of terga, found in coastal mangrove flats; distinguished from Aus. nigra by the presence of well developed tubercles along the anterior margin of the protergum ( Ballantyne & Lambkin 2000 Fig. 22a ).

Remarks. Lampyris australis F. was the only firefly collected along the Queensland coast during the voyage of Captain Cook in 1770, is thus among the first insect collection made in Australia by Joseph Banks, and was probably taken in mangroves at the Endeavour River near what is now Cooktown. The male in the Hunterian collection is pale brown ventrally, doubtless an attribute of age. Dorsal colouration of freshly collected specimens is similar to most of the New Guinean Medeopteryx species. The identity of this species was resolved by Ballantyne (1988) who redescribed males, females and larvae. With the exception of one record from New South Wales (no specific locality was given and this is probably a case of mislabelling) it appears restricted to coastal Queensland in mangrove areas.

Figures

FIGURES 26–34. Australoluciola australis, male (ANIC). 26, 27 dorsal and ventral (27 terminal abdomen removed); 28–30 abdomen, 28 V5–7 ventral; 28 segments 6–8 dorsal; 30 tergite 8 with aedeagus and sheath in place, ventral; 31–33 aedeagus left lateral (31), ventral (32) and dorsal; 34 reproductive system, Ross River female, from side, anterior end to right of page. Figure legends: 1 median oviduct plate; 2 posterior and 3 anterior bursa plates. These figures share scale lines: 28, 29; 31–33.

FIGURES 9–17. Australoluciola anthracina type male, Cyclops (MNHN). 9, 10 dorsal (9) and ventral; 11 V6, 7 ventral; 12 pronotum dorsal; 13 type labels; 14 aedeagal sheath ventral; 15-17 aedeagus, dorsal (15), ventral (16) and lateral. These figures share scale lines: 15–17.

FIGURES 18–25. Australoluciola aspera, type female (18), Wewak male NHML 19–25. 18, 19 dorsal; 20, 21 ventral (21 abdomen only); 22–24 aedeagus dorsal (22), right lateral (23) and ventral (lateral projections of LL arrowed in 24); 25 pronotum dorsal. These figures share scale lines: 19, 20; 22–24.