Aquatica leii (Fu et Ballantyne)

Fu, Xinhua, Ballantyne, Lesley & Lambkin, Christine, 2012, The external larval morphology of aquatic and terrestrial Luciolinae fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae), Zootaxa 3405, pp. 1-34 : 14

Aquatica leii (Fu et Ballantyne)

Figs 19–24, 77, 78, 91

Luciola leii Fu & Ballantyne, 2006a:339 . Fu et al. 2006b:860; 2007:117; 2009:155.

Material examined. CHINA: Sixteen fifth instars bred from an original population of nine males and four females collected from Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan City, Hubei Province, May 14, 2010 (NHMHAU).

Diagnosis. Protergum with two small pale areas at anterolateral corners; remaining terga lacking pale markings (paler or darker markings in this species are in the membranous areas not the dorsal tergal plates); lateral margins of protergum rounded; median line narrow (Figs 77, 78); glands with 2–6 marginal spines, lacking median spine (Fu et al. 2009; Fig 1A); pygopodia arising from 6 basal stalks; rings of recurved hooks completely surrounding each stalk (Figs 61, 62, 91); antennal segment 3 with closely adpressed finger like projections subequal in length to adjacent sense cone (Figs 19, 21–23); mandibles lacking retinaculum; palpi with terminal sense organs (Figs 20, 22, 24).

Remarks. The dorsal colouration of the larva depicted in Fu and Ballantyne (2006a; Fig. 8 ) differs from that depicted here in having much larger anterolateral pale areas on the protergum, and pale margins on the terminal tergum (Fig. 77).

Figures

FIGURES 7 – 12. Aq. ficta larva, SEM. 7 tracheal gills and eversible organs, first and second abdominal segments from above; 8 non-functional spiracle at base of tracheal gill; 9 – 12 various protuberances on surface of eversible organs.