Sclerotia flavida ( Hope, 1845 ) Hope, 1845

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 : 226-227

Sclerotia flavida ( Hope, 1845) comb. nov.

( Figs 86−96 )

Colophotia flavida Hope, 1845: 10 .

Luciola flavida (Hope) . Lacordaire, 1857: 337. Olivier, 1902: 79; 1907a: 52. Luciola formosana Pic, 1916: 9 . Okada, 1928: 101. Miwa, 1931: 102. McDermott 1966: 104. New synonymy Luciola substriata Gorham. Olivier, 1913:271 . Sensu Jeng et al. 2003:547, Fig. 14 . PARTIM. Ho et al. 1998:47. Misidentification.

Code name: This species was scored as “ substriata Jeng ” in Ballantyne & Lambkin (2009, 2013).

Types. Colophotia flavida Hope. Syntype male. CHINA. Labelled 1. China (handwritten); 2. Syn-type (printed on round label with blue margin); 3. 60-15 /EIC (printed); 4. Flavida Hope (handwritten in ink). (NHML).

Luciola formosana Pic. Holotype male. CHINA (as Formosa). Labelled 1. Formose (handwritten); 2. formosana Pic (handwritten); 3. 5.0 (handwritten); 4. Type (handwritten); 5. Luciola (Olivier vid.) (handwritten); 6 TYPE (printed on red label).(MNHN).

Other specimens examined. CHINA. Collector is X. H. Fu . Hainan Province (Hainan Island): Guanlang Village , PoxinTown, Tunchang County 19.iv.2012, 8 males . Qiongzhong County, Mt. Wuzhi City 20.iv.2012, 1 female . Mt. Bawangling , Changjiang County 15.iv.2013, 11 males, 1 female . Nazao Village , Nada County, Danzhou City 20.iv.2012, 5 males . Hubei Province: Huangshi City 24.vi.2013, 6 males . Yangfanglin Village , Tongshan County, Xianning City 10.vi.2013, 135 males, 14 females . Luotian County, Huanggang City 01.vii.2008, 1 male . Mingshui Village , Guihua County, Xianning City 19.vii.2012, 2 males . Yuanan County, Yichang City 24.vii.2005, 1 male, 1 female . Hebei Province: Xinyang City 25.vi.2010, 9 males, 1 female. (NHMHAU) . Hainan Island Nodoa, late August at lights Lingnan University 5th Hainan island expedition 1929 male ( NHML).

Diagnosis. One of five species of Sclerotia gen. nov. with pale dorsum and black tipped elytral apices ( Figs 86, 87 , 93−96 ). Most obviously distinguished by features of the aedeagal sheath: the median posterior margin of the sheath sternite has a shallow narrow emargination bearing short symmetrical pointed pieces to each side, there is no oblique median ridge in the posterior region of the sternite, and the anterior margin of the tergite is prolonged and apically acute ( Figs 90−92 ).

Male. Redescription. Jeng et al. (2003) redescribed this species (as Luciola substriata ) from material from Taiwan and illustrated the aedeagal sheath and surrounding sclerites. The measurements of the type of Colophotia flavida are highlighted below. Length 9.2 −10.0 mm (Type 9.5 mm); 2.4 X as long as wide in type. Colour: dorsal surface pale brown with minute dark apical elytral marking just visible from above (type); elytra semitransparent in freshly caught specimens and appear darker in apical 3/4 because of underlying hind wing; suture in apical 2/3 appearing paler than rest (may be because of underlying fat body); head between eyes, antennae, palpi dark brown (type), almost black in others; ventral surface light brownish except for dark brown tibiae and tarsi, and yellowish base of tarsi ( Fig. 94 ); V5 fully dark brown, V4 with mottled brown markings (type) ( Fig. 94 ). Pronotum: width subequal humeral width; W/L 1.6−2.3 (type 1.9); L/BL 0.14−0.19 (type 0.15); W/GHW 1.3−1.4 (type 1.4). Elytron: 0.81−0.86 as long as total body length (type 0.8). Head: GHW 5− 6 X SIW (type 5.5); apical labial palpomere with 5 narrow teeth (type); most populations having either equal numbers of teeth in both palpi (3 or 4 teeth): one male from Tongshan County has 5 teeth in both palpi, and a second male has 4 on one and 5 on the other.

Aedeagal sheath sclerites: ( Jeng et al. 2003: Fig. 14 as Luciola substriata ) ventral sclerite irregular in outline with posterolateral margins acute ( Fig. 89 ); right sclerite with transverse portion extending well beyond mid line of T8 ( Fig. 90 ); with three projections to the right, the anterior and posterior forming a “Y” with an apically rounded donut shaped projection inclining anterodorsally ( Fig. 90 ); outer arms of Y shaped pieces acute, may appear rounded depending on orientation of Figure; left ventral sclerite roughly triangular in outline, projections similar to those of right sclerite but shorter ( Fig. 90 ).

Abdomen: LO in V7 with a shallow wide emargination.

Aedeagal sheath: without oblique median ridge in posterior half of sternite ( Fig. 92 ); median posterior margin of sternite shallowly and narrowly emarginated with short points to each side of emargination; median anterior margin of sheath tergite narrowly produced ( Fig. 91 ).

Aedeagus ( Fig. 88 ): L/W 2.1 type. Length basal piece/total length aedeagus 0.5; right LL longer than left; apices of LL rounded, inner margins hooked.

Remarks. In the NHML collections standing under Luciola flavida is a single male labelled as a syntype by C M F von Hayek in 1972. This specimen is inconsistent with flavida and is Triangulara frontoflava gen. et sp. nov. Specimens of Scl. flavida were scored by Ballantyne & Lambkin (2013) as “ substriata Jeng ”.

Fu’s (2014) illustrations on pages 38–40 of a “ Luciola sp.” are of this species.

The molecular phylogeny ( Fig. 3 ) suggested Sclerotia flavida comb. nov. is distinct from Sclerotia aquatilis comb. nov. and Sclerotia fui sp. nov.

Figures

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

FIGURES 86 − 92. Luciola flavida holotype male (NMHL). 86, 87 dorsal and ventrolateral; 88 aedeagus dorsal; 89 ventral sclerite posterior margin to right; 90 tergite 8 ventral, with posterior margin of aedeagal sheath and left and right sclerites (anterior hollowed projection of both arrowed); 91, 92 tergite 8 aedeagal sheath and all sclerites, dorsal (91 with tergite prolongation arrowed), and ventral (92).

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.

FIGURES 13 − 16. Luciolinae Table 3. Luciola semimarginata syntype male (MNHN). 13 specimen label; 14 dorsal; 15 ventral; 16 ventral detail terminal abdominal ventrites. Scale line is 1 mm.