Comparative morphology and key to Amydetinae genera, with description of three new firefly species (Coleoptera, Lampyridae)
Author
Campello, Lucas
Programa de Pos-graduacao em Biodiversidade e Biologia Evolutiva-Laboratorio de Entomologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, A 1 - 107, Bloco A, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Cidade Universitaria, Ilha do Fundao, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
lucas.campellog@gmail.com
Author
Vaz, Stephanie
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2616-640X
Programa de Pos-graduacao em Biodiversidade e Biologia Evolutiva-Laboratorio de Entomologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, A 1 - 107, Bloco A, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Cidade Universitaria, Ilha do Fundao, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
Author
Mermudes, Jose R. M.
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2030-7483
Programa de Pos-graduacao em Biodiversidade e Biologia Evolutiva-Laboratorio de Entomologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, A 1 - 107, Bloco A, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Cidade Universitaria, Ilha do Fundao, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
Author
Ferreira, Andre L. D.
Programa de Pos-graduacao em Biodiversidade e Biologia Evolutiva-Laboratorio de Entomologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, A 1 - 107, Bloco A, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Cidade Universitaria, Ilha do Fundao, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
Author
Silveira, Luiz F. L.
Laboratorio de Entomologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, A 1 - 107, Bloco A, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Cidade Universitaria, Ilha do Fundao, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
text
ZooKeys
2022
2022-07-27
1114
131
166
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1114.77692
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1114.77692
1313-2970-1114-131
D865EE0366174BA18064BBEE3AC72758
9864F9CE80F25184A1D17838955E5ACE
Memoan conani Campello, Vaz, Mermudes & Silveira, 2022
sp. nov.
Figs 2
, 3
, 4
, 5
, 6
, 7
, 8
Etymology.
The specific epithet
Memoan conani
is a masculine noun in the genitive case. The species is named in honor of Mauricio Conan Mendes Correa de Oliveira. Conan was a biology student at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, deceased since January 2019, and was a dear friend of the first author.
Diagnosis.
Labial palp with two palpomeres (Fig.
3B, F
); scape as long as pedicel (Fig.
3G, H
); apical antennomere entire, lacking a subdivision or vestigial joint (Fig.
3G, H
).
Description.
Male.
Coloration
.
Tegument dark brown (Fig.
2A-C
); antennae dark brown (Fig.
3G, H
); pronotum and elytra dark brown (Figs
4A
,
6A
); abdomen with sternites VI-VIII and tergite VIII translucent (Fig.
7A-C
); pygidium translucent (Fig.
8F
).
Head
.
Antennal insertions separated by 0.5
x
socket width in frontal view (Fig.
3C
); scape as long as pedicel (Fig.
3G, H
); antennomere III 2
x
longer than pedicel (Fig.
3G, H
); apical antennomere entire, lacking a subdivision or vestigial joint (Fig.
3G, H
); compare with
Silveira and Mermudes 2013
: fig. 6). Labial palp with two palpomeres 2-segmented (Fig.
3B, C, F
).
Thorax
.
Hind wing with radial cell 3
x
wider than long (Fig.
6D
). Mesoscutellum with posterior margin almost straight (Fig.
5A
).
Abdomen
.
Phallus 2
x
longer than parameres (Fig.
8C
); parameres with margins evenly rounded and slightly wider than phallus. (Fig.
8 A-C
).
Females and immature stages.
Unknown.
Biology.
Twenty-three individuals were collected in hilly areas in the Pedra Branca massif (Fig.
1
) at 400 m above sea level. All specimens were collected in a single, shaded humid, approximately 45° slope. Twelve specimens were collected by active search in April 2017 and eleven in April 2019. Males have a continuous green glow and often fly between 0.5 and 3 m above the ground, often in the understory, sometimes reaching up to roughly 7 m above the ground in the forest canopy. Adults are apparently active in the early twilight hours. Males lack the distinctive smell, similar to marzipan frosting, which has been reported for the type species (
Silveira and Mermudes 2013
). About 2-5 males were observed flying close together in the same visual field.
Remarks.
Memoan conani
sp. nov. is the second species described in the genus. The differences between species are marked: labial palp (with one palpomere in
Me. fruhstorferi
comb. nov. and with two palpomeres in
Me. conani
sp. nov.), which differs morphologically from the all other lampyrids as by
Branham (2010)
; scape (2
x
longer than pedicel in
Me. fruhstorferi
comb. nov. and as long as pedicel in
Me. conani
sp. nov.); antennae (serrate, with 10 antennomeres in
Me. conani
sp. nov. and
Me. fruhstorferi
comb. nov., but in
Me. fruhstorferi
comb. nov. antennomeres X and XI are connate; see
Silveira and Mermudes 2013
).
Silveira and Mermudes (2013)
described the gular suture as biconcave, but, after re-examination of the material, we observed that these are actually straight throughout most of their length, but slightly divergent posteriorly in both species.
Both species of
Memoan
occur in remnants of montane forests, separated from one another by a distance of 400 km:
Me. fruhstorferi
comb. nov. occurs at the Santa
Lucia
Biological Station, in
Espirito
Santo state, whereas
Me. conani
sp. nov. occurs at the Massif of Pedra Branca, Rio de Janeiro state. Since fireflies are poor dispersers (
Silveira et al. 2016a
), we hypothesize that
Memoan
is endemic to the Atlantic Forest biome, as it has never been found elsewhere in the field despite extensive surveys (
Silveira et al. 2020
) and is not present in multiple collections in Brazil (DZUP, INPA, MNRJ, MZSP) and abroad (MNHN, ZMHB). This pattern of endemicity is also seen in several other groups of fireflies (e.g.,
Amydetes
;
Luciuranus
;
Araucariocladus
; and
Uanauna
).
Memoan conani
sp. nov. were only seen in a narrow spatial and temporal window; that is, males were only observed and collected in a single slope within the limits of the PEPB at an altitude around 400 m a.s.l., and only in April. Likewise,
Me. fruhstorferi
comb. nov. has only been collected at about 600 m a.s.l., also exclusively in April. Such narrow environmental preferences have been reported for most firefly species occurring in the Atlantic Forest (
Silveira et al. 2020
). Given the narrow geographic range, both
Me. conani
sp. nov. and
Me. fruhstorferi
comb. nov. may be seriously threatened by habitat loss, like many other Atlantic Forest endemics.
Materials examined.
Holotype
:
Brazil
•
Rio de Janeiro
:
Rio de Janeiro
:
Parque Estadual da Pedra Branca
,
Nucleo
Camorim
,
Trilha do
Acude
,
22°58'03.7"S
,
43°26'45.7"W
;
400 m
a.s.l.
;
♂
;
12 Apr. 2017
;
L. Silveira
,
L. Campello
,
S. Vaz
,
A.L. Diniz
leg. (DZRJ)
.
Paratypes
:
Brazil
• same data as for holotype;
10 males
(DZRJ)
•
same data as for holotype;
1 ♂
;
9 Apr. 2017
;
A.L. Diniz
leg. (DZRJ)
•
same data as for holotype;
11 ♂
;
13 Apr. 2019
;
L. Campello
,
A.L. Diniz
,
E.
Atilio
leg. (MNRJ)
.