Amydetes apicalis Germar 1824
Creators: name: Silveira, Luiz Felipe Lima Da
name: Mermudes, José Ricardo M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Lampyridae
Amydetes
Amydetes apicalis

description: Amydetes apicalis Germar, 1824
(Figs. 2, 24, 43, 62, 80, 99, 108, 126, 144, 151–154)
Amydetes apicalis Germar, 1824: 67; Westwood, 1830: 64 (figs Aa, Bb, pl. d. Suppl. f. 2); Laporte, 1833: 127; 1840: 264; Motschulsky, 1853: 49; 1854: 25; Lacordaire, 1857: 334; Olivier, 1907a: 48; Blackwelder, 1957: 360. (lis.); McDermott, 1964: 36; 1966: 77 (cat.).
Amythetes apicalis [sic] Gorham, 1880: 97.
Amydetes brasiliensis Pic, 1925: 15; Blackwelder, 1957: 360. (lis.); McDermott, 1966: 76 (cat.). syn. nov.
Amydetes suturalis Pic, 1925: 15; Blackwelder, 1957: 360 (lis.); McDermott, 1966: 76 (cat.). syn. nov.
Diagnosis. Antennomere III 1 /5 longer than pedicel, pronotum with posterior angle weakly developed, abdominal sternum VIII with posterior margin medially prohected, Pygidium with median lobe notably longer than lateral lobe.
Colouration. (Fig. 2) Variation gradient: integument from dark-brown with black elytron, to yellowish-brown except the black elytron apex. Antenna with scape and pedicel yellowish-brown, flagellum from dark-brown to yellowish-brown darkening toward apex. Pronotum with disc from dark-brown to yellowish-brown, expansions pale yellow. Abdomen generally with posterior 1/2 dark-brown.
Head. (Figs. 24, 43) Fronto-clypeus depressed up to antennal sockets, anterior margins 2x wider than distance between sockets and slightly wider than distance between antennifers. Antenna with 37–44 antennomeres (n=3); antennomere III 1 /5 longer than pedicel; antennomere III with flabellum 2– 3 x longer than antennomere III. Labrum emarginate. Maxillary palpomere IV 3 /4 longer than III, as long as labial palpomere III. Gular sutures as separeted as maxillary palpomere IV width.
Thorax: (Figs. 62, 80, 99) Pronotum with lateral margins acuate, slightly divergent posteriad, posterior angle weakly developed and fairly straight; setigerous punctures irregularly separeted 1–1.5x the diameter of a puncture. Hypomeron 1.5x longer than wide. Scutellum with lateral margins slightly convergent posteriad. Elytron slightly dehiscent, slightly broader subapically; marginal costa with anterior margin not projected. Mesosternum with posterior projection rounded.
Abdomen. (Figs. 108, 126, 144, 151–154) Abdominal sternum V with posterior margin straight. Abdominal sternum VI with lantern as long and wide as 3/5 sternum length and width. Abdominal sternum VII with lantern almost as long as and with 3/5 sternum width. Abdominal sternum VIII with posterior margin medially projected. Pygidium with median lobe slightly acuminate, at least 3x longer than lateral lobe and as wide as 3/5 width of posterior margin; lateral lobe acute and weakly projected. Terminalia: Syntergite with anterior and posterior margin asymmetric; suture between abdominal tergites IX and X conspicuous. Abdominal sternum IX 2x longer than syntergite; slightly more than 3x longer than wide; bristled at the posterior 1/2, lateral margins divergent posteriad up to 2/3 sternum length. Aedeagus: Phallobase asymmetric. Parameres basally constricted and close-set subapically. Phallus and paramere apically rounded. Phallus 1/4 longer than paramere; ventral plate straight and well-sclerotized, except by apical expansion.
Ecology. Active from the sunrise up to the dusk, notably more active on moist days, generally slowly flying 1– 1.5m above the ground.
Type-material. Four male syntypes examined, deposited at ZMB. Labels: Brasil, apicalis Germar, v. Olfers col. [green label, printed]. One of the specimens bear two other labels: Brasil, apicalis Germar [aged paper]; 3180 [aged paper]. The holotype of A. brasiliensis bears the following labels: Brésil [more two unreadable words] [label light brown]; brasiliensis [more two unreadable letters] [green label]; Type [yeallow label]; TYPE [red label]. The holotype de Amydetes suturalis bears the following labels: Sao [sic] Paulo, Brésil [white label]; Amydetes suturalis [more two unreadable letters] [green label]; Type [yellow label]; TYPE [red label].
Remarks. We propose the new synonyms of Amydetes brasiliensis Pic, 1925 and A. suturalis Pic, 1925 after comparison of the types of both species, deposited at the ex-coll. Olivier at MNHN.
Common colourations in Amydetes apicalis are: 1) integument dark-brown, except the pronotal expansions, pale yellow, and elytron, black; 2) integument dark-brown or yellowish-brown, pronotum with disc yellowishbrown or dark-brown, outer lateral 1/3 of elytron pale yellow, sutural 2/3 black, distal 1/2 of legs dark brown; 3) integument pale-yellow, pronotal expansions and elytron pale yellow with apices black.
A. apicalis is similar in general aspect to A. itatiaia sp. nov. (Fig. 14). It differs by its antennomere III longer than pedicel (subequal in A. itatiaia sp. nov.), and pygidium with median lobe slightly acuminate, lateral lobe acute and weakly projected (pygidium with median lobe slightly beveled; lateral lobe rudimentary in A. itatiaia sp. nov.). It also resembles A. vagalume sp. nov. (Fig. 17) and A. luzecu sp. nov. (Fig. 18). It differs from both by its antennomere III longer than pedicel and abdominal sternum VIII with posterior margin medially projected. It differs from A. vagalume sp. nov. by its pronotum with posterior angle less projected and fairly straight down (projected and deflexed in A. vagalume sp. nov.), hypomeron 1.5x longer than high (1/4 longer than high in A. vagalume sp. nov.) and pygidium with median lobe acuminate (beveled in A. vagalume sp. nov.). It differs from A. luzecu sp. nov. by its pronotum with anterior margin menos projetada. The darker specimens of A. apicalis also resembles A. bellorum sp. nov., but with fronto-clypeus with anterior margin 2x wider than distance between antennal sockets (3x in A. bellorum sp. nov.); maxillary palpomere IV 3x longer than III (at least 6x in A. bellorum sp. nov.), as long as labial palpomere III (1/3 longer in A. bellorum sp. nov.); abdominal sternum VI with lantern as long as 3/5 sternum length and abdominal sternum VII with lantern almost as long as sternum and as wide as 3/5 sternum width (abdominal sterna VI and VII with lanterns as long as 3/4 sternum length and as wide as 4/5 sternum width in A. bellorum sp. nov.); and diurnal habit (nocturnal in A. bellorum sp. nov.).
Material examined. Without locality and collector, 1 male, IX/ X/1951 (DZRJ). BRAZIL. Rio de Janeiro: 1, I/ 1967, Alvarenga col., (MZSP), without other data, 1 male, Marques col. (MNRJ). Rio, 1 male, without other data and collector (DZRJ); Cachoeira de Macacu (Boca do Mato), 1 male, 10/III/2000, Tangerini col. (MNRJ), (Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçu, Sede), 18 males, 15/V/2010, Mermudes, Ávila and Silveira col. (DZRJ); Mauá, 1 male, 22/ X/1982, Cruz col. (DZRJ); Rio de Janeiro (Grajaú), 1 male, XII/1942, Newton Santos col. (MNRJ), (Tijuca), 1 male, 18/VIII/2010, Takiya, D. and Gonzaga, L. col., (Floresta da Tijuca), 2 males, III/1982, Lopez col. (DZRJ), 1 male, 26/VI/2011, Rodrigues, J. col. (DZRJ), (idem, Represa Rio Grande), 2 males, I/1968, Alvarenga col. (MZSP), 4 males, V/1966, Alvarenga col. (MZSP), (Ilha do Fundão), 1 male, IX/1976, L. Klug col. (DZRJ), (Copacabana), 2 males, V/1998: C. Carvalho col. (MNRJ); 25 males, 9/VIII/2001, Ferreira-JR. and Baptista, R. col. (DZRJ); Teresópolis (Parque Nacional da Serra dos Órgãos), 1 male, 8–10/XII/2010, Silveira, L. col. (DZRJ).
description: Published as part of Silveira, Luiz Felipe Lima Da & Mermudes, José Ricardo M., 2014, Systematic review of the firefly genus Amydetes Illiger, 1807 (Coleoptera: Lampyridae), with description of 13 new species, pp. 201-248 in Zootaxa 3765 (3) on pages 207-208, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3765.3.1, http://zenodo.org/record/252104