Medeopteryx cribellata (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 : 86-87

Medeopteryx cribellata (Olivier) comb. nov.

[ Figs 143 , 156 , 163 ]

Luciola cribellata Olivier, 1892:1010 .

Pteroptyx cribellata Olivier, 1909a:319 . McDermott, 1966:117 (partim). Ballantyne & McLean, 1970:242 (partim). Lloyd, 1973b:268; 1973a:991; 1979:25. Ballantyne, 1987a: 133. Ballantyne in Calder, 1998:180.

Nec Hanson et al., 1971:161; Hanson, 1978:2158; Haneda, 1966:4; Buck et al. 1981a:277, 1981b:287.

Pteroptyx cribellatum Olivier, 1910b:47 ; 1913b:417. Ballantyne & McLean, 1970: 242 (synonymy).

Pteroptyx cribratellum Pic, 1932:88 . Ballantyne & McLean, 1970:243 (synonymy). Ballantyne in Calder 1998:180.

Nec Luciola platygaster Lea. Olivier, 1913b:417 (synonymy). Ballantyne & McLean, 1970: 243. Ballantyne in Calder, 1998:180.

Lectotype. Male. NEW GUINEA: 9.43S, 147.45E Central Province , Ighibirei, lectotype male of Luciola cribellata , designated by Ballantyne (1987a) ( MCSN).

Other specimens examined. Unless otherwise indicated, specimens were collected by J., J. H., and M. Sedlacek, and are in BPBM. Listings extend Ballantyne (1987a). NEW GUINEA: 145.04E, 6.37S, Chimbu Pr., Karimui: 4.vi.1961, light trap, male, J. & M. Gressitt; 1080m, 14–15.vii.1963, male. 146.35E, 7.13S, Morobe Pr., Bulolo : 700m, 26.xi.1969, 4 males; 6.xi.1969, male; 900m, 6.xi. 1969, male; Bulolo , Vatut : 700–800m, 1– 7.vi.1969, male; Bulolo River : 680m, 27.iii.1969, male; 700m, 26.xi.1969, male; 800–900m, 31.viii.1965, male; 850–900m, 24.viii. 1965, 2 males. 146.40E, 7.22S, Morobe Pr., Wau, Kujera: 1300m, 27.vi.1969, male, A. Mirza. Wau , Morobe District : 880–1050m, 8–9.ii.1963, male; 1050m, 11.xi.1961, male, 5.i.1961, male; 1100m, 29.viii.1961, male, 26.x.1961, 2 males; 1150–1600m, 9.xi.1968, male; 1200m: 27.i.1966, male; 13.viii.1961, light trap, male; 14.vii.1961, light trap, male; 5–13.iii.1964, M–V light trap, male, 8.v.1967, on Amaranth , no collector, male ; 12–1300m, 22.x.1965, male; 1300m, 14.viii.1961, male; Oct 19, 1969, J. E. Lloyd (G381) male, female. Wau , Morobe District, Mt Missim : 880–1050m, 8–9.ii.1963, 4 males; 900m, 22.ii.1965, 2 males. 147.44E, 8.52S, Kokoda, 380m, iii.20.1956, light trap, 2 males, JLG; 28–29.iii.1956, light trap, 2 males, JLG; 400m, 17– 18.xi.1965, male. Madang District , Kar Kar Island, ' Mt H. I. Tree' 28.XI.1973, E. Ball Tube 21, 16 males 18 females (10 dissected) ( ANIC).

AUSTRALIA, Queensland: Cape York Peninsula: Dividing Range , 15 km west King Billy Creek, 5–12. ii. 1976, G. B. Monteith, 3 males (synchronous flashing). ( QMBA). 143.17E, 12.44S , Iron Range, Gordon's Creek , 8.viii.1983, B. Gillies, male ( MUMA) .

Diagnosis. Orange pronotum, dark brown elytra, rounded elytral apices ( Fig. 143 ), dimple on V7 ( Fig. 143 arrowed); distinguished from other similarly coloured species by the dimensions of the deflexed elytral apex (A, B, C are subequal) and the deep dimple on V7 ( Ballantyne 1987a Fig. 7 ).

Female ( Figs 156 , 163 ) (Kar Kar Island specimens). 6.5–7.2 mm long. Colour: as for male except for dusky brown MS appearing slightly darker in posterior half (probably because of underlying mesothorax), pale LO in V6, and moderately dark brown V7, 8 and T7, 8 (V7 may bear irregular whitish patches along its anterior margin and the posterolateral corners of V7 may be darker brown than rest. Abdomen ( Fig. 156 ): posterior margin of V6 not excavated, posterolateral corners rounded; posterior margin of V7 broadly, deeply and evenly excavated, with posterolateral corners acutely angled and pointed; V8 not indented in median line. Bursa plates ( Fig. 163 ).

Remarks. The type locality of Ighibirei is in Central province on the Kemp Welch river ( Helgen et al. 2008). In the absence of knowledge of this locality specimens were assigned to this species (see Ballantyne and McLean 1970; Ballantyne 1987a). Any reassessment of such specimens can only be made on morphological grounds.

In the absence of any flashing data, Ballantyne and McLean (1970) assigned a range of morphologically variable specimens to Pteroptyx cribellata . In 1970 LB had provided Lloyd with tentative determinations, and his species "P. 17" was thus identified in Lloyd (1973a) as Pteroptyx cribellata . Ballantyne (1987a) described a lectotype and considered that only two of Lloyd's (1973a) species, viz. species 17 and 20, conformed closely to cribellata . The flashing patterns of these two species are very similar. LB eliminated the possibility of Lloyd's species P. 17 with its highland distribution, being cribellata ( Ballantyne, 1987a) . Of the broad assemblage of specimens tentatively assigned to cribellata by Ballantyne and McLean (1970), and reassigned by Ballantyne (1987a), only specimens with lowland distribution were considered as possible cribellata .

Haneda (1966), Hanson (1978), and Hanson et al. (1971) refer to Pteroptyx cribellata from New Britain; the species is Medeopteryx effulgens ( Ballantyne 1987a) . Buck (1988:268) was not sympathetic to the need for such taxonomic changes, despite having heralded the possibility ( Buck et al., 1981a:278).

Olivier (1913b) synonymised Luciola platygaster Lea with Pteroptyx cribellata (Olivier) . Ballantyne and Lambkin (2000) assigned platygaster to Pteroptyx .

Specimens listed here extend the range of cribellata and are tentatively assigned as no definitive information on light production is available.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Majority rule tree for female analysis. Tree shows the consensus of 1349 MPTs of length 3892 from the analysis of all characters for the 88 taxa with female traits scored. New genera, new species, and still undescribed species in red. Showing the % of MPT over 50 %, above branches.

FIGURES 139–146. Medeopteryx spp. Males (ANIC). 139–142 M. corusca. 143 M. cribellata. 144 M. effulgens. 145 M. fulminea. 146 M. flagrans. 139, 140 abdomen, ventral (139, anterior margin of V4 arrowed) and dorsal; 141 apices of elytra ventral; 142 tergite 8 ventrolateral, flange arrowed; 143–146 terminal abdomen and elytral apices, ventral. These figures share scale lines: 139, 140.

FIGURES 154–159. Medeopteryx spp. female abdomens ventral (not to scale) (ANIC). 154 M. antennata. 155 M. corusca (mating pair Catherine Mission). 156 M. cribellata (G381 mating pair). 157 M. effulgens (Kah New Ireland). 158 M. flagrans (G535). M. fulminea (Kar Kar Island).

FIGURES 160–167. Female Medeopteryx spp. bursa. 160 Medeopteryx antennata female of mating pair Sek Bridge (ANIC). 161, 162 M. corusca female of mating pair Kondiu (ANIC). 163 M. cribellata Kar Kar Island (ANIC). 164–167 M. similispupillae sp. nov. 164 bursa ventral; 165 reproductive system excluding ovaries lateral; 166 median oviduct plate ventral (anterior end to foot of page); 167 anterior plate lateral. Figure legends: 1 median oviduct plate; 2 posterior bursa plate; 3 anterior bursa plate; 4 spermatophore digesting gland.