Abscondita perplexa (Walker 1858)

Colophotia perplexa Walker 1858: 282 .

Type. Colophotia perplexa Walker. CEYLON (SRI LANKA): male (NHML) .

Luciola perplexa (Walker) . Olivier 1902: 84. Gorham 1903: 327.

Luciola dejeani Gemminger 1870: 1651 . Masters 1886: 289. Olivier 1902: 77; 1907: 51; 1910a: 42.

Type. Luciola dejeani Gemminger. Not located by Ballantyne & Lambkin 2000: 59.

Luciola dejeani Gemminger. Olliff 1890: 652 . Lea 1909: 108; 1921a: 197; 1921b: 66.

Luciola (Luciola) dejeani Gemminger. McDermott 1966: 103 . Calder 1998: 179. Ballantyne & Lambkin 2000: 59 (synonymy).

Luciola dubia Olivier 1903a: 11 . Gardner 1947: 125. Ballantyne & Lambkin 2000: 59.

Type. Luciola dubia Olivier. Syntype series (11 males, 8 females) INDIA (IRNSB).

Abscondita perplexa (Walker 1858) . Ballantyne et al. 2013: 1, Fig. 18.

Diagnosis. One of four Abscondita species with pale dorsum and black elytral apices, distinguished from both Abs. chinensis and Abs. terminalis, which both have very dark terminal abdominal tergites, by the pale terminal abdominal tergites in the male; from Abs. anceyi which has no dark abdominal markings, by the dark markings on V5 and the much larger size of Abs. anceyi . New Thailand records have no dark abdominal ventrites anterior to the LO and are distinguished from Abs. anceyi by the larger size of the former and the outline of the tip of the aedeagal sheath sternite (Nak-eiam 2015).

Other specimens examined. THAILAND: Northern Thailand Doi Inthanon NP 7−14.iv.1988 MG Allen, 3 males, 6 females (NHML) . INDIA. Assam state N 25.35 E 93.26 Kohora (=Kaziranga) village at Green Road Hotel, 160 m at light, 16−18.iv.2008, Fikácek, Podskalská, Śipek, 6 males 2 females (PRAGUE) . Guwahati, Gauhati Uni- versity campus near a lotus pond May 2016, 7 males taken in flight with 3 males of Sclerotia substriata (ANIC) .

Remarks. Barua et al. (2007) recorded in vivo light production of this species (as Luciola praeusta) and recorded a full width at maximum value significantly narrower than the in vivo half width previously reported. They suggested this could mean that the speed of the chemiluminescence reaction in this firefly is much faster than previously thought. Ballantyne et al. (2013) reassessed the identification of the species based on the Indian specimens from Guwahati listed above.

Wijekoon et al. (2016) identified specimens in the National Sri Lankan collection in Colombo as Abs. perplexa .