Lyropaeus, Waterhouse, 1878

Masek, Michal, Ivie, Michael A., Palata, Vaclav & Bocak, Ladislav, 2014, Molecular phylogeny and classification of Lyropaeini (Coleoptera: Lycidae) with description of larvae and new species of Lyropaeus, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 62, pp. 136-145 : 139-140

Lyropaeus (s. str.) sp. A

( Figs. 12 , 17–24 )

Material examined. 1 female larva, late instar ( MAIC). India Kerala, Pon Mudi , 770 m, 8°45.592′N, 77°06.453′E, 28 June 2006 in forest, at night .

Differential diagnosis. The body flat, large, trilobite-like ( Figs. 12–16 ) similar to those of Platerodrilus in general appearance. Lyropaeus larvae differ from other lycid larvae by the following diagnostic characters: fossa antennalis closed,

separated from mouth-parts by pleurostoma (similar only to Platerodrilus ). The terminal antennal segment is unique in the whole family: the apical antennomere is divided into complex dorsal and ventral parts, each interdigitated with the opposite process and forming an ovoid with a brain-like appearance ( Figs. 17–18 ).

The complex, oval meso- and metathoracic spiracles are cribriform, the sieve plate with 10 openings arranged in a circle. They are situated in large depressions ( Fig. 23 ) which are different in form from the circular abdominal spiracles ( Fig. 24 ), which are placed in the lateral membrane with the trachea attached at the center of the cavity rather than at the dorsal margin of the spiracular plate. In Platerodrilus the thoracic and abdominal spiracles are not so different, with a single opening at margin of the cavity and a linear row of additional openings along the main tracheal trunk; the abdominal spiracles placed in sclerotised pleurites and looking much like those of the thorax ( Fig. 25 ). Sternites simple ( Fig. 21 ), tergites A1–A8 with lateral processes at posterior margin ( Fig. 22 ), without posterior sternal processes as in Platerodrilus ( Fig. 26 ).

Figures

Figs. 2–16. Adult male, general appearance: 2, Lyropaeus (s. str.) aurantiacus Bourgeois; 3, L. (s. str.) ceylonicus Bocak & Bocakova; 4, L. (Lyroneces) rubrostriatus Kleine; 5, L. (Lyroneces) optabilis Kleine; 6, L. (Lyroneces) philippinensis Kleine; 7, L. (Lyroneces) ritsemae Gorham; 8, L. (Lyroneces) waterhousei Gorham; 9, L. (Lyroneces) dominator Kleine; 10, L. (s. str.) kejvali, new species; 11, L. (s. str.) nepalensis, new species. Larva, general appearance: 12, Lyropaeus (s. str.) sp. A; 13–14, Lyropaeus (s. str.) sp. B; 15, Lyropaeus (s. str.) sp. C. Scale bars = 2 mm.

Figs. 17–26. Larva of Lyropaeus (s. str.) sp. A: 17, head in lateral view; 18, ditto in dorsal view; 19–20, general appearance in ventral view; 21, abdominal sternite and pleurites of segment 1; 22, abdominal tergite 1; 23, mesothoracic spiracular plate; 24, abdominal spiracle of the segment 1 from Fig. 21. Larva of Platerodrilus sp.: 25, spiracular plate of the segment 1 from Fig. 26; 26, abdominal sternite and pleurites of segment 1. Scale bars = 2 mm (Figs. 17–23, 25–26); scale bar = 0.25 mm (Fig. 24).