Luciola lusitanica
Creators: name: Ballantyne, Lesley
name: Jusoh, Wan F. A.
name: Novák, Martin
name: Nunes, Viviane
name: Da Silveira, Luiz F. L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Lampyridae
Luciola
Luciola lusitanica

description: Luciola lusitanica (Charpentier, 1825)
(Figs 3-7)
Lampyris Lusitanica Charpentier, 1825: 194.
Luciola lusitanica – Laporte 1833: 149.
Luciola lusitanica erythrocephala Olivier, 1885: 362 (synonymy established in Keller & Ballantyne 2023: 3).
Luciola lusitanica minor Baudi di Selve, 1873: 229 (synonymy established in Keller & Ballantyne 2023: 3).
Colophotia mehadiensis Faldermann, 1835: 185. — Olivier 1902: 83.
TYPE MATERIAL. — Neotype of Lampyris lusitanica Charpentier, 1825 by present designation:
Neotype. Portugal • ♂; Alfarelos, Coimbra; 40.152270, 8.659206; 7-12/VI/2021; Ricardo, leg.; DNA voucher specimen GenBank PP947804; MNHNCENT0052509.
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL. — Portugal • 5 specimens in 100% alcohol; same locality, date of collection and collector as neotype; University of Lisbon, Department of Animal Biology, Room 2.3.46 (Prof. Dr. Octávio S. Paulo); LUL-ALF-001, LUL-ALF-002, LUL-ALF-003, LUL-ALF-004, LUL-ALF-005.
DIAGNOSIS. — Luciola lusitanica is one of several Luciolinae fireflies with black elytra and yellowish pronotum without brown median markings (Fig. 3). It belongs to that group of Luciolinae where male fireflies have aedeagus with the lateral lobes widely visible beside the median lobe; within that group it is distinguished from all other genera except Lampyroidea Costa, 1875 by the strongly curved aedeagal median lobe terminating in a preapical point, and narrow pointed lobes along the outer ventral margins of the lateral lobes (Fig. 5 A-E) (see Appendix 1). Among the European species currently assigned to Luciola and for which we have genitalic information, Lu. lusitanica differs from Lu. pedemontana (Curtis) in having the anterior dorsal margin of the lateral lobes produced, and the basal piece appearing very narrow from beneath. Luciola novaki Müller, 1946 is not distinguished as yet by genitalic information but is almost completely black beneath apart from the white light organs and has a black mesoscutellum (Novak pers. com.)
DESCRIPTION OF MALE NEOTYPE
9.5 mm long; 3.8 mm wide.
Elongate slender, subparallel-sided, 2.6 times as long as wide; pronotal width slightly less than width across elytral humeri.
Colour (Figs 3; 4; 6; 7)
Unless otherwise specified colour patterns of the pronotum are of an intact specimen with underlying fat bodies visible. Pronotum bright pinkish yellow, semitransparent, with underlying fat pink; fat bodies narrowly retracted along anterior margin (area appears black due to underlying black head); median sulcus black in anterior half only; faint traces of apparent brownish marking beside anterior half of sulcus extending for a single line of punctures on each side (Fig. 7A); anteromedian area of dissected pronotum (without underlying fat bodies) with an ovoid brown marking visible from above and below, and not visible in intact specimen (Fig. 7A, B); fat bodies retracted narrowly along semitransparent yellow lateral margins, in paired areas beneath median pronotal area, and irregularly across posterior area; pink fat body visible from beneath at sides of head; mesonotal plates bright yellow, mesoscutellum pinkish yellow; elytra very dark brown, narrow anterior 1/5 suture brownish orange; head, antennae and palpi very dark brown, almost black, except for pale brownish labrum, apical area of all flagellomeres, apex of apical flagellomere, inner area of apical maxillary and labial palpomeres; ventral surface of pro and mesothorax pinkish yellow semitransparent; most of metaventrite and metepipleural plates yellowish, except for paired irregular diffuse dark brown markings in median area; all legs with yellowish coxae, trochanters, and femora, yellowish brown tibiae and tarsi except for dark brown tarsomeres 4, 5; abdominal ventrites 2-5 very dark brown with diffuse paired paler brown median areas; white light organs in ventrites 6 and 7, not reaching sides or posterior margin of either; individual white fat bodies visible beneath the cuticle around lateral and posterior margin of ventrite 6; white light organ in ventrite 7 with a triangular aggregation of less dense fat bodies along median posterior margin (luminosity not determined); semitransparent posterior margin of ventrite 7 devoid of light organ material or fat bodies; tergites 2-5 semitransparent, dark brown; tergites 2, 3 with diffuse paler brown anteromedian areas; dorsally reflexed margins of ventrites 2-5 dark brown; tergites 6-8 of much paler colour than preceding, tergite 6 and 7 yellowish (underlying fat bodies confuse interpretation of colour; overlapping posterior margins of tergites 6 and 7 apparently yellowish); dorsally reflexed margins of both ventrites 6, 7 semitransparent, appearing white due to underlying fat bodies; tergite 8 semitransparent, median posterior margin very narrowly pale brown.
Pronotum (Figs 3A; 4B; 7 A-E)
1.2mm long, 2.6mm wide; median anterior margin broadly rounded, projecting little beyond obtusely rounded anterolateral corners; lateral margins slightly divergent; posterolateral corners narrowly rounded (<90 degrees) not projecting as far as the median posterior margin; most of disk smooth; median posterior margin with very shallow wide median emargination; hypomeron very narrowly flattened along lateral margins.
Elytron (Figs 3; 4 E-G)
Anterior margin of epipleuron visible at sides of horizontal specimen just anterior to the posterior margin of the mesoscutellum; epipleuron visible from above along lateral margins almost to apex; narrow sutural ridge continuing almost to apex; four elongate narrow punctate interstitial lines visible, not as well elevated as sutural ridge and margined by an irregular line of punctures.
Head (Figs 3B, C; 4A; 6 A-F)
Not retractable within prothoracic cavity; well-defined clypeolabral suture present; greatest head width six times smaller interocular width and seven times minimal separation of inner eye margins beneath; eyes from side slightly higher than long (1.1); antennal sockets separated by slightly less than the width of a socket; vertex very shallowly depressed; labrum 2.5× wider than long, anterior margin gently curved; lateral margins of labrum reaching just beyond the inner margins of closed mandibular bases. Mouthparts well developed (and specimen would have been capable of feeding as an adult); apical maxillary palpomere elongate, tapering to rounded apex, margins entire; apical labial palpomere laterally flattened, subtriangular in outline, with longest, outer margin prolonged into three short stout apically rounded projections (Fig. 6B). Antennae (Figs 3; 4) longer than greatest head width but slightly less than twice greatest head width, flagellomeres elongate, longer than wide; flagellomeres 1-4 slightly wider at base than flagellomeres 5-9; flagellomere 9 with narrowed apex.
Legs (Figs 3B, C; 4 C, D; 7 K-M)
Slight increase in length from legs 1 to legs 3; no leg segments expanded, swollen or curved; metafemoral comb absent; basitarsus of legs 3 not incised; pro and mesocoxae globular touching at their apices; metacoxae transverse grooved along posterior margin.
Thorax (Fig. 7 F-I)
Mesoventrite narrowed with short mesoventral process between mesocoxae; not separated from mesepisternal plates by a suture; metaventrite wide extending across almost all of the ventral visible portion of the metathorax, separated from the pleural elements at the side by a well-defined sternopleural suture, and by a suture from the mesepimeron; metepipleural plates elongate narrowly visible beside metaventrite.
Hind wings (Fig. 4H)
Costa and subcosta separated only at their base, running along anterior wing margin; radius anterior very strongly thickened in apical half beneath which is an elongate radial cell; radius posterior strongly developed along most of its length, effaced at base and joining the media posterior (MP) 1+ 2 to meet wing margin as a medial spur; MP 3 + 4 arising near base of MP 1 + 2 splitting into two, with MP3 and MP 4 reaching wing margin independently; an elongate wedge cell contained between the cubitus anterior and anal anterior (AA) 3; two anal veins (AA 3, AA 4) in front of the anal fold; single anal posterior vein in anal fold near posterior margin of wing.
Abdomen (Figs 3B; 4 B-D)
Without cuticular remnants associated with a band of muscle surrounding the aedeagal sheath; all ventrites without strongly emarginated posterior margins; light organs in ventrite 6 entire, not extending to lateral or posterior margins; light organs in ventrite 7 entire, not extending to lateral or posterior margins (see description of colour above); posterior margin of ventrite 7 light organ gently curved, not emarginated; posterior margin of ventrite 7 without lobes, evenly narrowing, median posterior projection not well defined, area symmetrical, with rounded apex, not laterally compressed, not inclining dorsally, without dorsal ridge or median longitudinal trough. Tergite 8 (Fig. 5I) without median posterior emargination, ventral surface flat, lateral margins converging gently anteriorly, paired anterolateral prolongations narrow, 1/6 as long as tergite.
Aedeagal sheath (Fig. 5 F-H): length/width 2.4; symmetrical, except for left area of anterior margin of sheath tergite projecting slightly to the left, and very narrow emargination of sheath sternite in posterior right half tergite appearing subdivided into paired anterolateral dark brown pieces (visible from the side in Figure 5G), and membranous pale brown ill-defined posterior area, not extending posteriorly as far as tip of sheath sternite; sheath sternite apex elongate, very hairy, shallowly emarginated; anterior portion of sheath tergite broadly, shallowly and evenly emarginated.
Aedeagus (Fig. 5 A-E): length/width 2.5; width lateral lobes/ maximum width median lobe 2.2; subparallel-sided (lateral margins of lateral lobes slightly indented just posterior to the elongate leafy lobes); basal piece narrow if viewed from beneath, defined in two distinct halves narrowly separated in median line, extending at sides of lateral lobes for 0.4 length of aedeagus; lateral lobes of similar length, widely visible from beneath and above at the sides of the median lobe, very slightly shorter than median lobe; middorsal anterior base of lateral lobes triangular in outline, projecting anteriorly beyond the anterolateral margins; lateral lobes separate along almost all of their dorsal length with inner dorsal margins not contiguous, slightly divergent in apical half; elongate slender apically acute leafy lobes arising from ventrolateral margins of the lateral lobes, converging anteriorly across the aides of the median lobe; median lobe symmetrical, strongly arched when viewed from the side, with preapical ventral area produced and acute; viewed from beneath basal 2/3 five times wider than apical 1/3; lateral margins of anterior dorsal portion of median lobe thickened, darkened, extending obliquely dorsally to connect with thickened paired lobes arising from inner basal margin of lateral lobes just behind anterior margin (connection not established but presumed to be muscular).
DESIGNATION OF THE LAMPYRIS LUSITANICA NEOTYPE WILL NOT AFFECT LUCIOLINI TAXONOMY
We outlined the use of male genitalic features presently used to distinguish genera in the Luciolini. To ensure that designating a neotype for the species Lampyris lusitanica, as this species will also serve as the type species for the genus Luciola, does not affect the current taxonomy, Ballantyne compared features of male genitalia of the neotype with features previously scored in Ballantyne et al. (2015) for the Pisa population, then referred to as Luciola italica (key characters examined: 220-326, 437-438). Both males belong to the Luciolinae and share traits such as unmarked yellowish pronota, dark brown to black elytra without paler margins, and light organs entire in ventrite 7 which has an evenly rounded posterior margin. The main differences lie in three male genitalic features: characters 254, 300 and 326: lusitanica scored 1, against 0 for italica for characters 300 and 326). [character 300 anterior margin dorsal base lateral lobes produced; 326 width basal piece viewed from beneath]. Character 254 as presently defined (tergite 9 split into two pieces) does not accommodate Lu. lusitanica neotype, where the anterior portion of tergite 9 is split into anterolateral plaques.
description: Published as part of Ballantyne, Lesley, Jusoh, Wan F. A., Novák, Martin, Nunes, Viviane & Da Silveira, Luiz F. L., 2025, The type species of Luciola Laporte, 1833 (Coleoptera, Lampyridae, Luciolinae), pp. 105-123 in Zoosystema 47 (7) on pages 112-118, DOI: 10.5252/zoosystema2025v47a7, http://zenodo.org/record/15019953