Australoluciola anthracina (Olivier) 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 : 45-46

Australoluciola anthracina (Olivier) comb. nov.

[ Figs 9–17 ]

Luciola anthracina Olivier, 1885:363 ; 1902:74; 1913b:417.

Luciola (Luciola) anthracina Olivier. McDermott, 1966:99 .

Holotype. Female. NEW GUINEA: 8.45 S, 146.25E, Central Pr. , Yule Island, as "Isola Yule" ( MCSN).

Code name. Luciola 10 ( Lloyd 1973a).

Other specimens examined. NEW GUINEA: 2.34 S, 140.31E, Cyclops , 12.iv.1903 (bears pink paper label with Olivier’s handwritten identification), male ( MNHN). Mt Cyclops 3500 feet iii.1936 LEC male ( BPBM) .

The following are tentative assignments: NEW GUINEA: 5.14 S, 145.45E, Madang Pr., Sek Harbor, 10 miles N Madang October 18, 1969, J.E. Lloyd, 3 males (G355–357) ( JELC) . 5.55S, 146.4E, Madang Pr., Finisterre Mts : Budemu, c. 4000 feet 15–24.x.1964 M E Bacchus 2 males, 2 females; Damanti c 3550 ft 3 females ( BPBM) . 6.35S, 147.51E, Morobe Pr., Finsch Haven , L Wagner male, female; Finschaven Wareo L. Wagner 3 males 2 females ( SAMA) . 7.20 S, 146.45E, Morobe Pr., 4 miles N Wau elevated 2800, near Kunai Creek Lae Rd. , 1969, J.E. Lloyd. 3 males, Oct. 17 (G332, 335, 345); 2 males Oct. 18 (G347, 349); 2 males Nov. 12 (G569, 570) ( JELC) .

Diagnosis. Type female 5.0 mm long; entirely dark brown except for orange pronotum, and white LO. Males 7.3–7.6 mm long with orange pronotum and dark brown elytra; ventral colouration black except for pale LOs in V6, 7 and pale posterior margin of V 5 in one male; posterior margin of V7 trisinuate, with MPP slightly longer than lateral projections; dorsal abdomen dark brown; most obviously distinguished from the similar Aus. foveicollis by the dark terminal abdominal tergites and the small even elytral punctation. Specimens from localities other than Mt Cyclops including those from elevation in Finschhaven and the Finisterre Mountains are tentatively assigned; they differ most obviously in the pale terminal tergites and some have dark marginal pronotal markings.

Male. Redescription (Cyclops males). 7.3–7.6 mm long. Colour ( Figs 9, 10, 12 ): pronotum orange, MS brown, MN yellow; remainder of body very dark brown except for pale LOs in V6, 7, and narrowly pale posterior margin of V5. Pronotum ( Fig. 12 ): 1.3–1.4 mm long, 1.8–2.0 mm wide, W/L 1.4; midanterior margin rounded and moderately produced beyond angulate anterolateral corners; lateral margins subparallel sided, A=B=C; posterolateral corners angulate approximately 90º; punctures broad, shallow mostly contiguous. Elytra: shiny, finely punctate; epipleuron visible at side of elytron level with posterior margin of MS. Head: moderately depressed between eyes, GHW 1.4 mm; SIW 0.3 mm; ASD subequal to ASW. Abdomen ( Fig. 11 ) posterior margin of V7 trisinuate; LOs in V7 occupying most of the area and reaching to sides but not as far as posterior margin; MPP apically rounded, L=W; as wide as and slightly longer than PLP ( Figs 10, 11 ). T8: ventral surface with well developed lateral ridges, no flanges; anterior area of ridges smoothly rounded; anterolateral prolongations of T8 wide, not as long as posterior entire portion. Aedeagus ( Figs 15–17 ): relatively short and wide anterior prolongation of median lobe (viewed from beneath); lateral margins of LL straight, not expanded along apical ¼, outer margins narrowly visible beside ML near its apex, with apices of LL slightly obliquely truncate; L/W 3.4. Aedeagal sheath: ( Fig. 14 ).

Males in Lloyd collection. 6–7.5 mm long (6–6.7 mm long except G570, G569). Colour: pronotum orange, MN cream; MS very dark brown; elytra entirely dark brown; head between eyes, antennae, palpi, all legs and all ventral surface of thorax dark brown except for yellow pronotal hypomera, brown precoxal bridges, and pale brown coxae 1; basal abdominal ventrites very dark brown; V5 white across posterior half; T6–8 white, T2–5 dark brown. Pronotum: 0.8–1.1 mm long, 1.4 mm wide; W/L = 1.3–1.7; median anterior margin often projecting moderately beyond rounded or angulate anterolateral corners; punctures contiguous over most of disc (slightly more widely separated in G356); subparallel-sided (B=C). Head: GHW 1.2–1.4mm; SIW 0.25mm; ASD = ASW; FS subequal in length, FS 1–4 slightly wider than remainder. Abdomen: MPP L>W; MPP subequal in width to PLP and slightly longer; posterior margin of MPP rounded. T8 without flanges; anterior margin of ridges rounded evenly. Aedeagus: slightly shorter and wider than type (L/W 3/1).

Males in SAMA collection. 6.4–7.1 mm long. Colour: pronotum orange without marginal dark markings (Wareo 1; Budemu 1); with dark marginal markings extending around all margins in Budemu (2), one with median dark sulcus; dark marginal markings except along midposterior margin in Finschaven (1); narrow anterior and lateral dark markings in Wareo (1), lateral markings only in Wareo (1); MN pale; MS dark brown; rest of ventral body except for white LOs and broad white posterior margin of V5 very dark brown; dorsal abdomen dark brown with T 6–8 pale whitish (T7, 8 dusky brown, lighter than preceding tergites in two Budemu males). Pronotum: 1.1– 1.2 mm long; 1.6–1.8 mm wide; W/L 1.5; all corners angulate; lateral margins slightly divergent posteriorly (C slightly> B which is slightly> A); posterior margin slightly undulate with median posterior area broadly and shallowly emarginated. Elytron: 5.3–6.0 mm long. GHW 1.2–1.4 mm; SIW 0.2 mm; ASD slightly <ASW.

Female. Macropterous. Coloured as for male except white LO restricted to V6. Genitalia and internal reproductive not investigated on pinned specimens.

Larva. Not associated.

Remarks. Olivier (1885) described a single female, and subsequently assigned males from the type locality (Yule Island) and Mt Cyclops ( Olivier, 1913b). We have been unable to relocate males from Yule Island and what we regard as the definitive redescription above is based on males (one identified by Olivier) from the Cyclops Mountains. The possibility of more than one species from these two localities should be considered. Olivier (1913b) described the dorsal end of the abdomen as white. The two Mt Cyclops males have T8 dark brown.

Assignment of the remaining specimens to this species is tentative only, and exacerbated by the difficulty in ascertaining the colour of the type male terminal abdomen. Both Lloyd’s collections from lowland areas in Madang and Morobe Provinces, which lack dark margined pronota, and those from elevation in the Mt Lamington area with dark margined pronota, conform otherwise in ventral colouration and paler terminal abdominal tergites to Olivier’s (1913b) description .

There are now five records of New Guinean Luciolinae having orange pronota with some dark marginal markings including the possible anthracina specimens described here e.g. Luciola melancholica Olivier (1913b) (treated here as Species Incertae); “Species D” and some Pteroptyx (now Medeopteryx ) cribellata of Ballantyne and McLean (1970:247, 267); some Pteroptyx (now Medeopteryx ) fulminea ( Ballantyne 1987a) . In all except L. melancholica the dark markings do not occur in all representatives, and in cribellata and fulminea most of the population described had no dark markings.

Figures

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.