Luciola intricata ( Walker 1858 )

Ho, - Z., 2019, The Luciolinae of S. E. Asia and the Australopacific region: a revisionary checklist (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) including description of three new genera and 13 new species, Zootaxa 4687 (1), pp. 1-174 : 157

Luciola intricata ( Walker 1858)

Colophotia intricata Walker 1858: 282 . Luciola intricata (Walker) . Olivier 1902: 81. McDermott 1966: 106. Ballantyne et al. 2016 Tables 6 , 7 . Type. Male (abdomen missing). SRI LANKA (as Ceylon). Labelled: 1. Male symbol; 2. Blue syntype; 3. Red Type; 4. Ceylon on one side, 59/106 on obverse (handwritten); 5. Intricata (handwritten); 6. Colophotia intricata Walker A. N. H. (type) (handwritten). (NHML)

Diagnosis. In the absence of the abdomen it is possible to give certain diagnostic features of this species as follows: 6.1 mm long; dorsally yellowish brown with dark tipped elytral apices; head dingy yellowish brown with darker brown median line; labrum brown. Antennal sockets very close, ASD <ASW; FS 2–8 serrate, antennal length slightly> twice GHW; apical left labial palpomere broadly expanded in the form of a broad triangle with inner margin dentate (6 irregularly shaped teeth); no MFC. Luciola intricata differs most obviously from the very similarly coloured Serratia sibuyania gen. et sp. nov. by the lateral expansion of FS 2–8 and the broad apical labial palpomere the inner margin of which is dentate (in the latter only FS1–4 are clearly serrate, with the remaining FS elongate slender, and the apical labial palpomere is not much wider than long, with inner margin entire.

Remarks. Including Serratia sibuyania gen. et sp. nov. we know of four Luciolinae species having serrate or flattened antennae.

Luciola intricata (Walker) has FS 2–8 serrate (the type is without an abdomen).

Olivier (1886) described as Luciola exstincta a single female from Alitaptap ( Philippines) which is of similar size but different colouration to Serratia sibuyania gen. et sp. nov., and in which the antennal ‘articulis 4–8’ were expanded. It is unclear if Olivier was referring to the flagellar segments only (as we do here), or more likely to the antennal segments counting the scape as number 1. If the latter then his reference is to flagellar segments 2–6 which is not inconsistent with what we describe for Serratia sibuyania gen. et sp. nov. We cannot locate the type of this species and it is difficult to assign males to any species described from a female only. Antennal modifications in the Luciolinae are more usually seen in males ( Ballantyne & Lambkin 2013).

Bourgeois (1905) described as L. antennalis a single female from Sri Lanka as dorsally yellow with antennal segments 4−7 depressed. The type has not been located but the description of the antennal segments appears consistent with what we describe for Serratia sibuyania gen. et sp. nov. Bourgeois considered, and we agree, “elle mériterait peut-être de constituer un genre nouveau’.

Wijekoon et al. (2012) recorded the species from various locations in Sri Lanka but their method involved a catch and release and it is not possible to confirm their identifications. Wijekoon (pers. com.) indicated his identifications were tentative only.