Lamprima insularis W. J. Macleay 1885
Creators: name: Reid, Chris A. M.
name: Smith, Kindi
name: Beatson, Max
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Lucanidae
Lamprima
Lamprima insularis

description: Lamprima insularis W.J. Macleay, 1885
(Figs 4, 20, 24, 35, 53, 65, 83, 96)
Lamprima insularis W.J. Macleay, 1885a: 137 (type locality: Lord Howe Island).
Material examined. Types (lectotype, here designated, three paralectotypes): Lamprima insularis (4): 1 ♂ "/ Lord Howe I / syntype / on permanent loan from Macleay Museum, University of Sydney / lectotype Lamprima insularis Macleay, designated Reid, Smith & Beatson 2018 " (ANIC); 1 ♂, 2 ♀ "/ Lord Howe I / syntype / on permanent loan from Macleay Museum, University of Sydney / paralectotype Lamprima insularis Macleay, designated Reid, Smith & Beatson 2018" (ANIC).
Other material (346: * = specimen dissected): Lord Howe Island: 1 ♀, Macleay Museum collection (AMS); 1 ♂, 2 ♀, K27898 (AMS); 2 ♂, xii.1921, R. Baxter (AMS); 1 ♀, 3.i.1922, A. Musgrave (AMS); 1 ♂*, 3 ♀, 1 ♀*, T. Kingston (AMS); 1 ♂, 23.ix.1971, G.A. Holloway (CMNC); 2 ♂, 17–31.v.1980, S. & J. Peck (CMNC); 172 ♂, 1 ♂*, 139 ♀, xii.2002, Ushijima & Chikakura (AMS); 1 ♀, Boatharbour Trail, near Blinkeys Beach, 14.ii.2001, G. Milledge (AMS); 1 ♀ *, Intermed [iate]. H[ill]., rotting scalybark, 16.i.1979, T Kingston (AMS); 1 ♂, Kims Lookout, 18.ii.2001, G. Milledge (AMS); 1 ♂, Lagoon Road, 3.v.1979, T. Kingston (AMS); 1 ♂, Lagoon Road, 200 m north Middle Road junction, 21.ii.2001, M. Shea (AMS); 1 ♀, Little Island, on rocks, 1.ii.1979, T. Kingston (AMS); 1 ♀, Middle Beach, 26.iii.1979, T. Kingston (AMS); 1 ♀[elytron], junction Mulley Drive and Lagoon Road, rotting Howea belmoreana, 11–14.v.2003, C. Reid (AMS); 2 ♀, behind Salmon Beach, 10.ii.2017, Jenkins, Shaw & Jensen (AMS); 1 ♂, Salmon Beach creek, 15.i.1979, T. Kingston (AMS); 1 ♂, Salmon Beach southwest end, on Lagunaria, 4.xii.2000, C. Reid (AMS); 1 ♀, Soldiers Creek, malaise trap, 7–15.ii.2017, C. Reid (AMS); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Soldiers Creek, rotting H. belmoreana stem, 7.ii.2017 (AMS); 1 ♂ [head only], Stevens Reserve, sifting leaf litter, 5.ii.2017, Jenkins, Shaw & Jensen (AMS); 1 ♂ [elytron], Stevens Reserve, rest of specimen to D. Hawks, 23.ii.2001, G. Milledge (AMS); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Stevens Reserve, Cryptocarya trinervia [sic], 11–14.v.2003, C. Reid (AMS); 1 ♀, Stevens Reserve, under Araucaria bark, cut log, 18.ii.2017, C. Reid (AMS); 1 ♀, Valley of Shadows, rotting Cryptocarya trinervia [sic], 11–14.v.2003, C. Reid (AMS).
Description. Male. Length 18¯ 33 mm; cylindrical, pronotum slightly broader than elytra in large specimens, narrower in small specimens; usually entirely metallic green except antennae and tarsomeres darker, almost black, and inner faces of mandibles and extreme tips dark purple; less often elytra and head green but with slight bronze reflection, or entirely green with bronze reflection; rarely head and pronotum bluish green (1 old specimen seen, colour possibly an artefact of preservation) or head and pronotum greenish black and elytra dark green (Hangay & de Keyzer 2016: 55); “almost violet” and “pale-bluish green” recorded by Olliff (1889: 84) but it is not clear whether he is referring to males, or females, or both; tarsi and antennae occasionally red; whole upper surface minutely reticulately microsculptured and relatively dull (with a metallic sheen but not shiny); upper surfaces of pronotum and elytra apparently glabrous, but each puncture with minute, simple seta arising from anterior edge.
Head: sides and apex with scattered, erect setae; head length approximately half width; sides convergent and almost straight, from small but angularly projecting temples, along feebly convex eyes, to obtuse anterior angles; projecting temples grooved in lateral view; anterior margin concave; dorsum with two smooth ridges from anterior angles to midline of base of head where they meet at about 100°; area subtended by these ridges strongly and closely punctate, except two smooth tubercles at sides of anterior margin; area between ridges and sides of head also strongly punctate, but less closely and often more finely than middle of head. Antennomere 2 transverse, 3–5 elongate, 6 transverse and ridge on anterior edge, 7 cupuliform; mandible length 13–19% of overall length; inner faces of mandibles almost entirely densely setose; mandibles relatively straight sided (except one dwarf male with rounded mandibles), almost symmetrical, right usually slightly longer than left; upper surfaces without teeth, with dorsolateral ridge throughout, tips concave but not bilobed, bent inwards; mandibles bent upwards in apical third, laterally smooth and finely punctate; ventral surface of mandibles with single prominent 80° tooth ¼ from apex; mentum flat, closely punctate and setose.
Thorax: shape of pronotum typical for Lamprima, hexagonal, broadest just behind middle, anterior margin truncate with slightly protruding anterior angles, basal margin strongly sinuate, anterior and posterior angles obtuse, anterior margin narrower than basal margin, lateral margination complete, without crenulation, but almost effaced at middle; mostly distinctly punctate, punctures separated by about 2–4 diameters, anterior of disc impunctate or minutely so; pronotal disc even convex. Hypomeron finely and densely punctate, with mostly recumbent setae; prosternum strongly and densely punctate with erect setae; scutellum semiovate with sparse, small punctures; elytra with small tubercle at base of epipleural upper margin, slightly expanded posterior to humeri, then contracted to rounded apices, sides narrowly explanate in posterior 2/3; elytra usually distinctly bevelled at base to accommodate base of pronotum; elytral surfaces finely and sparsely punctate, punctures distinctly smaller than pronotal disc and separated by 3–6 diameters, and shallowly longitudinally and transversely strigose; meso-metaventral process glabrous or with scattered recumbent setae, and shiny, apex blunt, approximately 80° in lateral view. Protibia with pair of curved elongate apical teeth, outer wider than inner, and external margin with 4 well-spaced triangular approximately right-angled teeth; inner lobe of protibia large and rounded, with basal dense tuft of convergent red setae and anterior greatly expanded spur (width 65–80% of length); upper surface of protibia with scattered punctures on inner half and an irregular line of punctures on outer half, short recumbent setae arising from punctures, plus tuft of elongate setae at tarsal insertion; mesotibiae and metatibiae with 1–3 small external teeth.
Abdomen: sides of ventrites I–V similar to pterothoracic venter, with dense, large punctures (partly coalescent, interspaces less than diameters) and setae; middle third of ventrites more sparsely punctate (insterspaces = several diameters), surface microsculpture as dorsum; apex ventrite V truncate. Genitalia: apical half of phallobase dorsally with irregular, short, oblique ridges or tubercles either side of shallow median groove, apical margin with V-shaped notch deepened at base; venter of phallobase smooth, apex more deeply notched; parameres setose dorsally, tips triangular but often incurved; penis with oblique basal ridges, thinly sclerotised apex level or almost level with apices of parameres.
Female. As male, except: length 16¯ 22 mm; head, pronotum and elytra more strongly and densely punctate, interspaces 1–3 puncture diameters on pronotal disc, shiny, not distinctly microsculptured, and colour dark olivegreen; pronotum not broader than elytra; head with approximately 90° anterior angles; antennomeres 3–5 transverse; dorsally visible part of mandibles shorter than head; mandibles in dorsal view with slightly elongaterectangular (rarely triangular) dorsal tubercle from base to almost half mandible length, remainder of dorsal surface excavate with sharp outer edge. Pronotum lateral margins not distinctly crenulate or at most crenulate on apical half and with <5 notches on basal half; outer edge protibia with 6–8 triangular teeth, generally increasing in size from base to apex, inner edge without internal lobe; outer edges mesotibiae and metatibiae with 4–6 prominent spines; venter shiny, otherwise similar to male; apex ventrite V rounded; apex of tergite IX transparent and evenly rounded. Gonostylus almost quadrate, inner edge straight, slightly longer than basal width, outer edge only slightly expanded; spermatheca tapered from blunt apex to base, slightly bent, spermathecal duct long and densely coiled.
Taxonomy. In 2004, the validity of this species was challenged in a magistrate's court as part of the defence of two Japanese collectors, but the challenge was rejected based on the distinct male morphology and head colour. However, to provide greater stability for this species we designate a lectotype.
Natural history and distribution. The observed or recorded larval hosts of Lamprima insularis include a wide range of timber types: Araucaria heterophylla (Araucariaceae), Cryptocarya triplinervis (Lauraceae), Elaeodendron curtipendulum (Celastraceae), Howea belmoreana, H. forsteriana (Arecaceae), Olea paniculata (Oleaceae), and Syzygium fullagarii (Myrtaceae), the first of which is exotic on Lord Howe (Wilson 1994). Communal male sap-feeding sites have not been observed in this species, but an early reference "males are sometimes found in great numbers clinging to the limbs of low growing shrubs" (Olliff 1889: 84) suggests such activity. The species does not seem to have been observed in such numbers since then. One male was recently collected on shoots of Lagunaria patersonia (Malvaceae) and this coastal shrub is a possible adult host.
Lamprima insularis was noted as present “throughout the rainforests on Lord Howe Island” (Hangay & de Keyzer 2017: 54), but it is a lowland species, absent from above 500 m (C.A.M.R., personal observations 2001– 2017; Fig 96). It has not been collected from the small offshore islands in the region, including Blackburn Island, Roach Island and Balls Pyramid. This distribution reflects the dependence of L. insularis on large logs, particularly of Cryptocarya triplinervis, which is a lowland subtropical rainforest species. In the lowlands, L. insularis is absent from unwooded habitats, such as sand dunes, open fields, golf fairways and low heathland on ridgetops. It is possibly also absent from the high rainfall cliff shelves at the southern end of the island, but there has been little collecting in these inaccessible areas (Cassis et al. 2003). In wet conditions, such as the summer of 2001–2002 (Anonymous 2017b: 523 mm rain from October to December, 2001), adults and larvae of L. insularis can be found breeding in narrow stems, such as fallen palms 10–20 cm in diameter (C.A.M.R., personal observations). In contrast, in dry conditions such as the summer of 2016–2017 (Anonymous 2017b: 165.4 mm rain from October to December, 2016), the fallen palm stems had dried out and no adults or larvae were found in them (C.A.M.R., personal observations). Narrow stemmed hosts, such as palms, should therefore be considered secondary, only utilised under suitable conditions.
Conservation status. Lamprima insularis should be regarded as Vulnerable (International Union for Conservation of Nature 2012) based on endemicity to a small island (about 14 km 2), limited suitable habitat and harvesting pressure from collectors.
description: Published as part of Reid, Chris A. M., Smith, Kindi & Beatson, Max, 2018, Revision of the genus Lamprima Latreille, 1804 (Coleoptera: Lucanidae), pp. 151-202 in Zootaxa 4446 (2) on pages 197-199, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4446.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/1454255