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| Medeopteryx alacauda, M. incisura, Medeopteryx isaanensis, M. maehongsonensis Sriboonlert, Swatdipong & Sartsanga, in Sriboonlert, Swatdipong, Sartsanga, Prommarit, Chittavichai, Jusoh et Wonnapinij, 2023. |
Highlights:
• Four new species of Medeopteryx fireflies from Thailand are reported.
• Detailed descriptions and a key to these four new species are provided.
• Phylogenetic analyses revealed close relationship among four Luciolinae genera.
Abstract
Four new species of fireflies from Thailand have been discovered and identified. These new species belong to the genus Medeopteryx Ballantyne, a firefly genus originally assigned based on species found only in Australia and New Guinea. This discovery adds four more species to the existing 21 species members of this genus. This report presents the first fully described species of Medeopteryx from Thailand. Detailed descriptions of Medeopteryx alacauda sp. nov., Medeopteryx maehongsonensis sp. nov., Medeopteryx incisura, sp. nov. and Medeopteryx isaanensis, sp. nov. are provided along with a key to the species of this genus. Phylogenetic trees of the partial mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and concatenated 13 mitochondrial protein coding genes were constructed to analyse the relationship among these new Medeopteryx species and other related firefly taxa. The phylogenetic trees revealed a close relationship of four Luciolinae genera (i.e. Pteroptyx, Inflata, Medeopteryx and Trisinuata) grouped into one monophyletic clade which was sister to the remaining genera of this subfamily. The results from these analyses suggest a further taxonomic revision for this group of Luciolinae.
Keywords: Fireflies, Medeopteryx, Inflata, Phylogeny, Taxonomy, cytochrome oxidase I
Medeopteryx alacauda Sriboonlert, Swatdipong, and Sartsanga sp. nov.
Etymology. The specific name refers to an outline of T8 posterior margin of the male which resemble bat wing outline (Latin ala = wing, cauda = extreme part/tail).
Remarks. Med. alacauda sp. nov. was found in two different habitats. One was an open forest on the mountain with small running stream in Chiang Mai province. Another habitat was a reservoir with much less vegetations than the first locality.
Medeopteryx incisura Sriboonlert, Swatdipong, and Sartsanga, sp. nov.
Etymology. The specific name derives from the slit light organ characteristic on V7 of this species (Latin incisura = slit).
Remarks. Medeopteryx incisura sp. nov. was collected using a sweep net in a rubber tree plantation on the Thung Phen canel, Chantaburi province.
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Medeopteryx isaanensis Sriboonlert, Swatdipong, and Sartsanga, sp. nov.
Etymology. The specific name refers to the region [i-saan = northeastern Thailand] the specimens were collected from.
Remarks. Med. isaanensis (pronounced: ee-săhn-en-sis) sp. nov. was collected using a sweep net at the reservoir in the northeastern Thailand. It is important to note that this Med. isaanensis can be found in the same region as I. indica, a species that is widespread across Thailand (Ballantyne et al. 2015; personal observation).
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Medeopteryx maehongsonensis Sriboonlert, Swatdipong, and Sartsanga, sp. nov.
Etymology. The specific name derives from Mae Hong Son province, the sampling locality of the holotype specimen.
Remarks. Med. maehongsonensis sp. nov. was collected using a sweep net. This species was found in two localities, 180 km apart in Mae Hong Son province, northern Thailand. Flash pattern has not been observed for this species.
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Ajaraporn Sriboonlert, Akarapong Swatdipong, Channarong Sartsanga, Kamonchat Prommarit, Thanyaporn Chittavichai, Wan F.A. Jusoh and Passorn Wonnapinij. 2023. Description of Four New Medeopteryx Ballantyne (Coleoptera, Lampyridae, Luciolinae) Species from Thailand and their phylogenetic placements based on mitochondrial DNA. Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology. 26(2); 102084. DOI: 10.1016/j.aspen.2023.102084
