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| Medeopteryx taprobana De Silva, Gamage, Wijekoon & Wegiriya, 2025 |
Highlights:
• For the first time, fireflies of the genus Medeopteryx Ballantyne have been recorded in Sri Lanka.
• Medeopteryx taprobana is a new species found in Sri Lanka.
• Males, females, and larvae of Med. taprobana were found in a coastal habitat with mangroves.
• The phylogeny of Med. taprobana was determined using mitochondrial DNA barcoding and morphological investigation.
Abstract
We present the first record of the firefly genus Medeopteryx Ballantyne from Sri Lanka with descriptions of male, female, and larvae of a new species, Medeopteryx taprobana De Silva, Gamage & Wijekoon sp. nov., from a mangrove–associated coastal habitat in Matara, Southern Sri Lanka, with their phylogenetic placement based on mitochondrial DNA barcoding. This new species is distinguished from other Medeopteryx by not having trisinuate posterior projections (with a weak median posterior projection) of ventrite 7 and other specific characteristics of the aedeagal sheath. An updated list of species and a key to Medeopterx described species in the world are presented.
Keywords: Barcoding, fireflies, new records, South Asia
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| Medeopteryx taprobana sp. nov. male andfemale: A, dorsal view; B, ventral view. <scale bar: 1 mm> |
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| Mating pair of Medeopteryx taprobana sp. nov. in tail-to-tail position (initial interaction). |
Medeopteryx taprobana sp. nov.
Etymology. This species is named "taprobana,” which was a Latin name that was used by the ancient Greeks for Sri Lanka. The name “Taprobana” was derived from the name "Tamraparni," which refers to the "copper–colored" shores of Sri Lanka. We use the name taprobana as a noun in apposition to preserve the original language.
Dilshan R. De Silva, Lahiru M.P. Gamage, Chandana D. Wijekoon and Hemantha C.E. Wegiriya. 2025. Medeopteryx taprobana sp. nov. (Coleoptera: Lampyridae: Luciolinae): A New Species from Coastal Habitats in Southern, Sri Lanka. Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity. DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.japb.2025.04.010 [24 May 2025]
