Sclerotia brahmina ( Bourgeois, 1890 ) Bourgeois, 1890

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 : 224

Sclerotia brahmina ( Bourgeois, 1890) comb. nov.

( Figs 21, 22 , 32−38 , 63−73 )

Luciola brahmina Bourgeois, 1890: 169 . Olivier, 1900: 236; 1902: 75; 1907a: 51. McDermott, 1966: 100. Luciola brahmina Bourgeois var vitalisi Pic, 1923: 27 (LB examination of type in 2013 at MNHN).

Holotype. Male. VIETNAM: Mỹ Tho labelled as follows: 1. “ Luciola Brahmina ♂♀ Bourg” (handwritten in black ink); 2. “Mytho Perraudière” (handwritten in black ink); 3. ♂ (MHNH). It is unclear from the ♂♀ written on the type label whether Bourgeois actually had both sexes before him when he described the species, or was unsure of the sex.

Other specimens examined. (*= V4, 5 dark brown); THAILAND . Suphan Buri Province: 17.xi.2000, 4 males (3*) ( CUMZ) ; 27.vi.2001, 6 males (CUMZ); Ruae Yai Subdistrict 18.vi.1998, 8 males (2 *) ( CUMZ) ; train station 30.iv.2007, 2 males (CUMZ); Muang District 14–19. iv.2000, 2 males ( CUMZ) . Bang Pha Subdistrict , Chon Buri Province: 1.ix.2002, 3 males ( CUMZ) ; 22.v.1995, male (CUMZ). Nakon Sawan Province, Bueng Boraphet 11.vi.1997 S Divasiri, 2 males, female ( ANIC) . Bangkok Province, Bangkhen District 23.viii.1981 Chaiyasit, male ( ANIC) .

Diagnosis. One of the smaller species in this genus (6.9–9.0 mm long). Dorsal surface very pale brown, often very pale greyish in more recently collected specimens; dark marking at elytral apex if present may be difficult to discern from above ( Fig. 21 ); with either one (as in type; Fig. 22 ) or two dark coloured abdominal ventrites anterior to light organs; apex of sheath sternite emarginated on right side, and the prolonged median anterior margin of the sheath tergite relatively short and apically narrowed ( Figs 32−35 ).

Male. Redescription. 6.9–9.0 mm long; 2.5 X as long as wide. Colour ( Figs 21, 22 , 63 ): dorsal surface very pale brown (appearing almost greyish in recently collected specimens), with suture narrowly slightly paler than rest of elytron, and minute brown area at tip of elytron (scarcely visible from above); one Suphan Buri male with V4, 5 dark has no dark tip to elytral apices; 3 Suphan Buri males with only V5 dark have no dark tip to elytral apices; head between eyes dark brown, antennae with scape light brown, remainder dark brown; ventral surface of thorax mid brown (colour partly due to dehydrated underlying muscles); legs pale yellowish brown with dark brown apical half of tibiae and dark brown tarsi; basal ventrites yellowish, V5 largely dark brown with median anterior area narrowly yellowish (V4, 5 dark brown in 5 Suphan Buri males); LO in V6, 7 creamy white, median emargination of LO semitransparent, yellowish; dorsal abdomen yellowish brown.

Pronotum: width subequal humeral width; W/L 1.7–2.1; L/BL 0.14–0.19; W/GHW 1.3–1.4. Elytron: 0.8 as long as total body length. Head: SIW/GHW 0.15–0.17. Abdomen: emargination of LO in V7 moderately deep and wide ( Figs 22 , 63 ).

Aedeagal sheath sclerites ( Figs 65−72 ): ventral sclerite approximately circular in outline, dorsal surface bearing irregularly elevated margins ( Fig. 69 ); right sclerite ( Fig. 68 “3”) with apically rounded transverse projection reaching a little beyond the mid line of T8; right sclerite with four projections to the right; most anterior projection round with hollow centre ( Figs 70−72 “6”); remaining outer margin of right sclerite with three projections which from above appear short broad, and apically acute, and from below more elongate and apically rounded with most posterior projection shorter than rest ( Figs 68, 70−71 “7”); left ventral sclerite ( Figs 65−68, 72 ) with a fairly flattened roughly triangular base, with thickened margins along two longest sides, and two curved projections on the posterior (ventral) surface, one apically pointed and slightly serrate along its dorsal margin, the second shorter with rounded apex ( Figs 65−67 “8, 9”, 72); lateral margin with two apically rounded projections ( Fig. 68 “10, 11”).

Aedeagal sheath ( Figs 32−35 ):without oblique ridge in posterior half of sheath sternite; posterior margin of sheath sternite emarginated on right side ( Fig. 32 “C”); median anterior margin of sheath tergite with a short narrowed projection ( Figs 33−35 “D”).

Aedeagus ( Figs 36−38 ): L/ W 2.3 –3.0; length basal piece/total length 0.46; apices of LL obliquely truncate (inner margin longer); left LL sometimes appearing shorter than right; anterior dorsal margin of LL truncate ( Fig. 38 “G”).

Remarks. Specimens were recorded originally from ‘Cochinchine’ (Cambodia); the type locality is presently in Vietnam. Bourgeois’s type specimen has most of V5 black ( Figs 22 , 63 ). He noted the elytral punctation in lines, and the emargination of the LO in V7. Olivier (1900) recorded an entirely yellow species from Sumatra, and Olivier (1902) and Pic (1923) both recorded brahmina from “Indochine” but it is not possible to corroborate these records. The type of Luciola brahmina var. vitalisi has light brown elytra which are considerably darker than the other specimens assigned here.

Figures

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 32 − 38. Scl. brahmina aedeagal sheath (32 − 36) and aedeagus (36 − 38). 32, 37 ventral; 33, 36, 38 dorsal (36 with aedeagus still within sheath); 34 left lateral; 35 right lateral. Scale lines are 1 mm. Figure legend: A junction right tergite arm and sternite; B junction left tergite arm and sternite; C emargination posterior margin sternite; D prolongation anterior margin tergite; E posterior margin BP; F anterior margin ML; G anterior margin dorsal surface base LL; H attachment of median lobe on inner surface of base of lateral lobes.

FIGURES 63 − 73. Luciola brahmina holotype male (MNHN). 63 abdominal ventrite 3 − 7 and tergite 8; 64 specimen label; 65 − 67 left sclerite, 65 from front, ventral surface uppermost, and lateral margin to left, 66 same with specimen inclined to show projection, 67 same with ventral surface inclined obliquely; 68, 70 − 72 sclerites in association with tergite 8: 68 three sclerites with anterior half of tergite 8 only; 70, 71 right sclerite with anterolateral right portion of tergite 8, ventral (70) and dorsal (71); 72 intact tergite 8 with right and left sclerites only, from beneath; 69 ventral sclerite; 73 apex of aedeagal sheath sternite and tergite (posterior end to left) with emargination of sternite arrowed. Scale lines are 1 mm. Figure legend: 1 right anterior arm tergite 8; 2 left anterior arm tergite 8; 3 right sclerite; 4 left sclerite; 5 ventral sclerite; 6 anterior hollow projection of right sclerite; 7 posterior rounded projection of right sclerite; 8 ventral laterally curving apically acute projection of left sclerite; 9 ventral posterior projection of left sclerite; 10 left sclerite anterolateral projection; 11 left sclerite posterolateral projection.