Systematics and Phylogenetics of Indo-Pacific Luciolinae Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) and the Description of new Genera
Author
Ballantyne, Lesley A.
lballantyne@csu.edu.au
Author
Lambkin, Christine L.
lballantyne@csu.edu.au
text
Zootaxa
2013
2013-05-22
3653
1
1
162
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3653.1.1
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.3653.1.1
1175-5326
5265340
72A07BC6-AEB0-4EBC-AFA8-F5871065680F
Medeopteryx flagrans
(Ballantyne)
comb. nov.
[
Figs 146
,
158
]
Pteroptyx flagrans
Ballantyne, 1987a:151
.
Holotype
.
Male.
NEW
GUINEA
:
144.58E
,
5.59S
,
Chimbu District
,
Catherine Mission
(
ANIC
).
Other specimens examined.
Specimens
are in BPBM unless otherwise indicated, and listings extend
Ballantyne (1987a)
.
NEW
GUINEA
:
145.53E
,
5.54S
,
Above Kerowagi
,
2300m
, vii.6.1955, JLG, male.
144.37E
.
5.55S
,
Minj
, W
Highlands
, ix.8–13.1959, sweeping,
T. Maa
,
2 males
,
2 females
.
145.04E
,
6.37S
,
Karimui
,
1080m
,
13.vii.1963
,
male.
146.40E
,
7.22S
,
Wau
,
Morobe District
,
Mt Missim
,
1100m
,
17.i.1963
,
H.
Clissold
, male;
880– 1050m
,
8–9.ii.1963
, male;
1450m
,
20.iii.1974
,
on
Urticaceae, JLG
male.
Wau
,
Bulolo River
,
850–900m
,
24.viii.1965
, male;
1100–1200m
,
25.ix.1968
,
male NK.
Morobe Dist.
,
Aseki
,
1100m
,
13.iv.1974
,
A. Hart
, male.
Feramin
, 150–
120m
,
11–22.v.1959
,
WB, male.
Chimbu District
,
Kundiu
, Catherine Mission.
26–29.XI.1969
, 8 mating pairs; one MP #6,
13.XI.1969
;
1 MP no spect.
8.XI.1969
(
ANIC
)
.
INDONESIA
,
West Irian
(as
New Guinea
,
Netherlands
):
140.10E
,
2.48S
,
Genjam
,
40 km
W of Hollandia
,
100–200m
,
1–10.iii. 1963
,
T. Maa
, male.
Guega, W.
of
Swart Valley
,
1200m
,
15.xi.1958
, JLG,
2 males
.
Swart Valley
, W side
,
1400–2000m
, xi.13.1958, male, JLG.
Swart Valley
, Karubaka
,
1450m
, xi.12.1958, male;
1300m
, xi.7.1958,
2 males
,
3 females
, JLG.
Diagnosis.
6.1–7.1mm
long; pronotum, MP yellow, MS dusky yellow, darker than pronotum; frons and labrum sometimes orange; elytral apices rounded (
Fig. 146
); LOs entire in V7; dimple and hump absent; distinguished from
M. torricelliensis
(
Fig. 183
) by its smaller size and the outline of the terminal abdomen; from
M. hanedai
by the uniformly orange pronotum, and
M. sublustris
by the smooth surface of the pronotum (see
Fig. 184
) (
Ballantyne 1987a
Fig. 12
;
Ballantyne & McLean 1970
Figs 14, 15
).
Female
(
Fig. 158
) (Kundiu specimens).
5.9–7.2 mm
long. Colour: as for male except for dusky brown MS, pale LO in V6, and slightly paler brown V7, 8 which may be irregularly marked laterally in darker brown. Abdomen: posterior margin of V6 not medially emarginate, posterolateral corners rounded; posterior margin of V7 broadly, shallowly and evenly emarginated, posterolateral corners rounded; V8 not indented in median line. Bursa with two sets of wide plates.
Remarks.
Ballantyne (1987a:152)
described the flashing patterns of this species which earned it the common name of "flickerer" used by Lloyd, Buck, Hopkins and others.
Lloyd (1973a)
described "3 common and distinctive luminescent patterns" and the female behaviour pattern, where "females are attracted to and land near flashing males. In other species (non
Pteroptyx
) studied in New
Guinea
and elsewhere, it is the males that are attracted to stationary luminescing females".