Atyphella aphrogeneia
Creators: name: Ballantyne, Lesley A.
name: Lambkin, Christine
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Lampyridae
Atyphella
Atyphella aphrogeneia

description: <i>Atyphella aphrogeneia</i> (Ballantyne, 1979) <b>(Figs 118–121</b>) <i>Luciola (Luciola) aphrogeneia</i> Ballantyne, in Ballantyne &amp; Buck, 1979:119. Case, 1984:201. <i>Atyphella aphrogeneia</i> (Ballantyne). Ballantyne &amp; Lambkin, 2000:15; 2001:374, 2006:30. <b>Holotype.</b> Male. <b>PAPUA, NEW GUINEA</b>: Madang Pr., 4.59S, 145.40E, Cape Croisilles, Madang District (ANIC). <b>Other material examined. PAPUA, NEW</b> <b>GUINEA</b>: Madang Pr., 4.59S, 145.40E, Madang, B. Challis, male (SAM). <b>VANUATU (</b> New Hebrides <b>):</b> 16.19S, 167.30E, Malakula (Atchin Island), L. Cheesman, iii.1930, 2 males; vi. 1929 male (NHML). Rana Island, 30.v.1903, male (AMS). <b>Diagnosis.</b> Dorsal colouration of dark brown elytra and pronotum with median dark markings is similar to that of some <i>Magnalata carolinae</i>; distinguished by the apical expansion of the male elytra, which are not contiguous dorsally in apical half, taper towards their thickened apices, where the apical ¼ of both epipleuron and sutural ridge and elytral apex are wider than remainder (Figs 118, 119); females macropterous and capable of flight; larva dorsally black with lateral yellow markings on all but terminal two terga (Ballantyne &amp; Buck, 1979, Figs 28, 29). <b>Remarks.</b> <i>Atyphella aphrogeneia</i> occurs in the salt spray zone of coral outcrops near Madang, Papua New Guinea (Ballantyne &amp; Buck, 1979), where, during the premating exchange of light signals, the female is sessile (but not wingless, see Case, 1984:202) and the male ‘patrols a narrow strip between the surf spray zone and the jungle’ (Case, 1984:201). It also occurs on island locations in Vanuatu. It is only the second firefly species known from such an unusual habitat (the other is a Jamaican firefly larva, McDermott, 1953). The larva is neither aquatic nor apparently semiaquatic. Ballantyne (1987b:175) suggested that the elytral apex thickening might contribute towards a means of securing mating pairs in an otherwise precarious position on coral outcrops, and the narrowing of the elytral apices afford the abdomen more flexibility. This has not been substantiated by observation.
description: Published as part of <i>Ballantyne, Lesley A. &amp; Lambkin, Christine, 2009, Systematics of Indo-Pacific fireflies with a redefinition of Australasian Atyphella Olliff, Madagascan Photuroluciola Pic, and description of seven new genera from the Luciolinae (Coleoptera: Lampyridae), pp. 1-188 in Zootaxa 1997</i> on page 42
description: {"references": ["Ballantyne, L. A. &amp; Buck, E. (1979) Taxonomy and behavior of Luciola (Luciola) aphrogeneia, a new surf firefly from Papua New Guinea. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 105, 117 - 137.", "Case, J. F. (1984) Vision in Mating Behaviour of Fireflies, 195 - 222 in Lewis, T. (ed). Insect Communication. Royal Entomological Society symposium. Academic Press.", "Ballantyne, L. A. &amp; Lambkin, C. (2000) Lampyridae of Australia (Coleoptera: Lampyridae: Luciolinae: Luciolini). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 46 (1), 15 - 93.", "McDermott, F. A. (1953) Glow-worms in a marine littoral habitat in Jamaica (Coleoptera, Lampyridae). Entomological News XIV, 89 - 90.", "Ballantyne, L. A. (1987 b) Lucioline Morphology, Taxonomy and Behaviour: A Reappraisal. (Coleoptera, Lampyridae). Transactions of the American Entomological Society 113, 171 - 188."]}