Pyrophanes appendiculata Olivier
Creators: name: Ballantyne, Lesley
name: Lambkin, Christine L.
name: Boontop, Yuvarin
name: Jusoh, Wan F. A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Lampyridae
Pyrophanes
Pyrophanes appendiculata

description: Pyrophanes appendiculata Olivier
(Figs. 3−17)
Pyrophanes appendiculata Olivier, 1885: 370; 1902: 72; Olivier 1913a: 417. Ballantyne 1968 Fig. 15. Ballantyne & McLean 1970 Figs. 3i, 4 p−s. Ballantyne & Lambkin 2009: 106, 107, Fig. 503; 2013: 111, Figs. 221, 222.
Type. Holotype Male. INDONESIA: 0.56 S 134.00 E Papua Barat Andai. (MCSN).
Other specimens examined. PHILIPPINES. Sulu Islands Bongao July 1924 A. Duyag 4 males 7 females (USNM); Banaran I. McGregor 15 males, 18 females (USNM). Mindanao Dapitan coll. Baker 2 males, 10 females (USNM). Luzon Mt Makiling coll. Baker male (USNM). INDONESIA. Sumatra, Benkoelen, i.1926, W Coblentz 3 males mounted in unknown medium on partially fragmented slide (USNM). Taam Island Kal Island group 500 ml N Darwin 12.v.1971 N. Geier 14 males, 5 females (ANIC). INDONESIA (as Dutch New Guinea): Wankowari July 7 1926 Reinking 5 males, 8 females (USNM); June 2 1926 Reinking 2 males, 2 females (USNM).
Diagnosis. One of three species of Pyrophanes with orange pronotum and brown to dark brown often semitransparent elytra; distinguished from Py. beccarii by the width of the pale lateral and sutural elytral margins (beccarii has very dark brown non transparent elytra either without pale margins or with narrow incomplete pale lateral elytral margins); having curved and swollen hind femora and curved hind tibiae and distinguished from Py. semilimbata which has straight non swollen hind femora and straight hind tibiae.
Redescription of Male. 5.5–7.5 mm long (type 7. 5 mm long); smallest specimens were from Bongao while the lectotype and certain Banaran and Wankowari males reached 7. 5 mm). Colour (Figs. 3−5, 8−10): pronotum often very shiny, deep yellow to dingy orange yellow, semitransparent, often appearing paler where underlying white muscle attachments are visible; MS MN pale to orange yellow; elytra medium brown (may appear semitransparent), apices often darker brown; four elytral colour patterns were observed (pale margins not extending around apex): 1 (Fig. 9). Both lateral and sutural margins widely pale, suture wider than lateral margin: Bongao 3, Banaran 3. 2 As for 1 but with with pale sutural margin narrower than lateral margin: Bongao 1, Banaran 12, Dapitan 2. 3 (Fig. 3). Lateral margin pale, sutural margin dark: Benkoelen 3, Wankowari 4. 4. Lateral margin narrowly pale in region of epipleuron only, suture narrowly pale in basal only: Taam Island 13; head antennae and palpi dark brown, sometimes appearing reddish brown; ventral surface of thorax dingy to bright orange; legs 1, 2 with coxae trochanters and femora orange, tibiae and tarsi dark brown; coxae 3 sometimes light brown otherwise all orange except for dark brown tarsi; V2–5 pale yellow, 6, 7 creamy white in area of LO; V7 yellowish in median area and orange across posterior margin; PLP sometimes tipped with brown; all tergites dingy yellow. Pronotum: W/L 1.5; L/EL 0.24–0.36; L/BL 0.26; W/GHW 1.2. Head: GHW/SIW 2.5–3.0. Antennae (Fig. 7): scape elongate clavate, FS 1 subequal in length to pedicel and laterally expanded at its apex; FS 2–10 elongate slender (L approx 3 x W) and not laterally expanded. Legs (Fig. 6): MFC with 6–10 teeth; femora 3 swollen and curved, tibiae 3 strongly curved and expanding towards their apices. Abdomen (Figs. 3, 10, 11−14, 17): median area between LO halves in V7 may appear trough like with muscle impressions often visible; PLP short and broad (L=W) except in Wankowari and some Sulu Is males where W>L; incurving lobes with base slightly expanded (Figs. 12, 13, 17) and curving medially a little posterior to apex of PLP except in Sulu Is where the curvature begins well beyond apex of PLP; MPP very short, apically shallowly emarginated with posterolateral corners acute, scarcely projecting beyond PLP; ventral surface of T8 (Figs. 14, 17); posterior margin without posterolateral corners, rounded in Banaran and Dapitan, and angulate in Bongao and Wankowari (Fig. 14); median emargination deep and wide. Aedeagus: L/W approximately 3–4; b/a 0.8. (Figs. 15, 16, 17). Aedeagal sheath as figured (Figs. 15 ̄17).
Female (Figs. 18−20). Associated by label data only which may not be a reliable indication of species as more than one similarly coloured species may occur in the same locality. Coloured as for male with elytral patterns as follows: 1. Both lateral and sutural margins widely pale, suture wider than lateral margin, neither extending around apex which is dark: Banaran 1, Bongao 6, Dapitan 2. 2. As for 1 with sutural margin narrower than lateral margin, apex dark: Banaran 17, Bongao 1, Dapitan 8. 3. Lateral margin pale, sutural margin dark, apex dark: Wankowari 10; LO confined to V6; ventrites posterior to LO pale (Figs. 18, 19). Bursa with paired wide plates (Figs. 19, 20).
Remarks. Specimens included here range from the Philippines through to the eastern half of the island of New Guinea. Variation in elytral colouration was noted. In one male (Bongao, Sulu Islands), the pale lateral and sutural borders approach so closely that the elytral colouration is similar to that of Py. quadrimaculata. The females examined share the same geographical elytral colour variation with the exception of the Wankowari and Benkoelen specimens where all males and associated females have elytral pattern 3. At the Benkoelen site both Py. appendiculata and Py. semilimbata were taken together, with both exhibiting elytral colour pattern 3.
Several specimens have the posterior margin of V7 (excluding the PLP) inclined dorsally; in one specimen the MPP is almost at right angles to the long axis of the body, thus increasing the area of the PLP; the median emargination of the MPP closely envelops the apex of the aedeagal sheath. Ballantyne (1987a) described similar modifications to the posterior margin of V 7 in certain Pteroptyx (now Medeopteryx) species and Ballantyne & Lambkin (2009: 114; 2013: 132) discussed them in more detail. These modifications are probably due to contraction of the longitudinal abdominal muscles.
Interpretation of antennal structure and shape of T8 proved difficult with some USNM specimens which had been somewhat flattened when placed on cards. The outline of T8 is more likely to appear angulate in specimens which have been soaked in ethanol rather than in pinned specimens.
description: Published as part of Ballantyne, Lesley, Lambkin, Christine L., Boontop, Yuvarin & Jusoh, Wan F. A., 2015, Revisional studies on the Luciolinae fireflies of Asia (Coleoptera: Lampyridae): 1. The genus Pyrophanes Olivier with two new species. 2. Four new species of Pteroptyx Olivier and 3. A new genus Inflata Boontop, with redescription of Luciola indica (Motsch.) as Inflata indica comb. nov., pp. 1-84 in Zootaxa 3959 (1) on pages 19-22, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3959.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/14951429