Sclerotia

Ballantyne, Lesley A., Lambkin, Christine L., Luan, Xin, Boontop, Yuvarin, Nak-Eiam, Sorasak, Pimpasalee, Suttisan, Silalom, Sommyot & Thancharoen, Anchana, 2016, Further studies on south eastern Asian Luciolinae: 1. Sclerotia Ballantyne, a new genus of fireflies with back swimming larvae 2. Triangulara Pimpasalee, a new genus from Thailand (Coleoptera: Lampyridae), Zootaxa 4170 (2), pp. 201-249 : 231-233

Sclerotia fui sp. nov.

( Figs 27, 28 , 97−110 )

Types. Holotype. Male. CHINA. Hubei Province, Wuhan City, Xianjian Village , 23.vii.2008 sweeping, X.H. Fu (NHMHAU) . Paratypes: 5 males, 5 females, same data as for holotype; Wuhan City , 20.v.2005 X.H. Fu 8 -10 p.m., 24 males, 9 females, 2 larvae (ANIC); 25 males, 16 females, Hubei Province, Xiaogan City, Maan Village, Huanglong Lake , sweeping, 18.vii.2011, X.H. Fu ; 45 males, 1 female, Hubei Province, Honghu City, Qipan Village , sweeping, 30.vii. 2013, X.H. Fu ; 1 male, 1 female, Shanghai City, Qingpu District, Jinze County, Cenbu Village , sweeping, 08.ix.2012, X.H. Fu. (NHMHAU).

Diagnosis. With pale brownish dorsal colouration and faint indications of black tipped elytral apices, aedeagal sheath pattern and aedeagus very similar to that of Scl. aquatilis from which it is most obviously distinguished by the dorsal colouration. The molecular phylogeny ( Fig. 3 ) suggested Sclerotia fui sp. nov. is distinct from Scl. aquatilis comb. nov.

Male. 8.1–9.4 mm long, width/length 0.4. Colour: pronotum orange yellow, irregular retraction of fat body material in certain areas makes these areas appear darker; MS and MN yellow; elytra very light brown with small dark brown area at apex in dry pinned specimens, semitransparent with dark hind wing visible in ethanol preserved specimens ( Fig. 93 ); lateral margin paler yellow, semitransparent; sutural margin appearing paler as fat body material is irregularly scattered along the length, and this margin may not be white all along its length. Head dark brown, reddish brown above antennae and narrowly very pale brown immediately above antennae; antennae dark brown with anterior face of scape paler brown; labrum yellow; apices of palpi dark brown; ventral surface of body, and all legs yellow except for: dark brown tibiae and tarsi 1, tarsi 2 and posterior face of tibiae 2, tarsi 3, and pale brown posterior face of tibiae 3; posterior 1/3 of V 5 dark brown; dorsal abdomen pale yellow.

Pronotum: W/L 1.7–2.1; L/BL 0.14–0.18; W/GHW 1.3–1.6. Elytron: 0.8−0.9 as long as total body length. Head: SIW/GHW 0.19; apical labial palpomeres with>3 teeth. Abdomen: LO in V7 with wide and relatively shallow emargination.

Aedeagal sheath sclerites ( Figs 103−107 ): Very similar to Scl. aquatilis ; ventral sclerite roughly triangular in outline with rounded distal end ( Fig. 107 ); margins not thickened; anterolateral corners acute; right sclerite ( Fig. 103 ) with transverse projection apically acute and reaching across most of the entire portion of T8; right sclerite ( Fig. 103 ) with three projections to the right, the posterior one apically acute, the median slender apically rounded and inclining dorsolaterally, and the third, longest projection, inclining ventrolaterally with a rounded hollow apex and arising in an emargination between the other two; left sclerite ( Figs 104−106 ) with three arms, all apically rounded, with anterior arm expanded, rounded and hollow.

Aedeagal sheath ( Figs 101, 102 ): sternite with oblique bar, and slightly off centred small median posterior emargination ( Fig. 102 ); median anterior margin of sheath tergite emarginated ( Fig. 101 ).

Aedeagus ( Figs 108−110 ): L/ W 2.1 −2.3. LL of unequal length (left slightly shorter than right); apices of LL rounded with inner apical margins toothed. Length basal piece/total length aedeagus 0.4−0.5.

Female. ( Figs 99, 100 ) 8.2–9.4 mm long, 3.3–3.6 mm wide; width/length 0.4.

Etymology. This species named for Xin Hua Fu who first observed and studied this backswimmer firefly in mainland China.

Remarks. This species has been misidentified as Luciola substriata in several publications. Fu et al. (2005a) reported on the biology of an aquatic firefly from Hubei Province which they identified as Luciola substriata Gorham , a first record of the species from mainland China. Fu et al. (2005b) reported on the swimming behavior of the aquatic larvae of the firefly Luciola substriata . Their identification was based on Obha’s comparison of specimens with those already recorded from Taiwan by Jeng et al. (2003). Fu et al. (2009) described the larval respiration system in a species they identified as Luciola substriata . Ballantyne & Lambkin (2009, 2013) and Ballantyne et al. (2015) scored this species as ‘ substriata Fu’. Fu (2014: 33) illustrated this species including larvae as Luciola substriata .

Figures

FIGURE 3. Neighbour Joining bootstrap consensus tree of several aquatic fireflies in South East Asia, with firefly Pyrocoelia pectoralis as outgroup.

FIGURES 17 − 28. Sclerotia gen. nov. spp. males. 17, 18 Scl. aquatilis. 19, 20 Luciola cingulata type male (MCSN). 21, 22 Luciola brahmina type male (MNHN). 23, 24 Luciola seriata holotype male (MCSN). 25, 26 Scl. carinata male (SAMA). 27, 28 Scl. fui sp. nov. paratype males (NHMHAU). 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 28 dorsal; 18, 20, 22, 24, 26 ventral. Specimens are not to scale and are assembled to allow comparison of elytral and abdominal features.

FIGURES 97 − 100. Scl. fui sp. nov. paratype male (97, 98) and female (99, 100) fresh collection Honghu City (NHMHAU). 97, 99 dorsal; 98, 100 ventral. Scale line is 5 mm.

FIGURES 101 − 110. Scl. fui sp. nov. paratype males. 101, 102 aedeagal sheath dorsal (101, tergite emargination arrowed) and ventral (102 arrows indicate extent of oblique bar on sternite); 103 ventral tergite 8 with right and left sclerites; 104 − 106 left sclerite with hollowed anterior projection inclining left towards foot of page (104), right of page (105) and inclining right towards foot of page (106); 107 ventral sclerite anterior margin to foot of page; 108 − 110 aedeagus left ventrolateral (108), left lateral (109) and slightly dorsolateral (110). Scale lines are 1 mm. These figures share scale lines: 101, 102; 104 − 106; 108, 110.

FIGURES 93 − 96. Scl. flavida male (93, 94) and female (95, 96) Mt Bawangling, preserved in 70 % ethanol (NHMHAU). 93, 95 dorsal; 94, 96 ventral. Scale line is 5 mm.