Pyrophanes elongata Ballantyne, 2015

Pyrophanes elongata Ballantyne sp. nov.

( Figs. 33−39 View FIGURES 33-39 )

Type. Male. PHILIPPINES. Palawan Iraan , 14.i.1981 R. de Keyzer ( ANIC) .

Paratypes (9). PHILIPPINES. Luzon : Manila D Fullaway 2 males (one identified by HSB as Colo infuscata or? (bimaculata E O 1886) ( USNM) ; Cavite Province Bacoor P Stangl 2 males ( USNM) ; Sorsogon Province, Donsol, Ogod River , in mangrove at night, 15.iii.2010, T. Wong male ( ANIC) . Negros Occidental Aug. 28 1929 A. Lopez male ( USNM) . Negros Is 27.viii.1981 male ( ANIC) . Palawan Iraan , 13.i.1981 R de Keyzer male ( ANIC) ; St Paul’s underground R. 11.i.1980 R. de Keyzer male ( ANIC) .

Diagnosis. Elytra pale light yellowish brown with elytra having black apical markings, pronotum orange yellow; distinguished from all other Pyrophanes by the MPP which is much wider than long and projecting considerably beyond the short narrow PLP; distinguished from the similarly coloured Py. similissima sp. nov. in having straight non swollen or curved hind femora and tibiae, and from Py. similis in the elongate non swollen FS 2–3, and the outline of V7.

Male. 5.3 (Negros)–7.3 (Manila) mm long. Colour ( Figs. 33−35 View FIGURES 33-39 ): Pronotum orange-yellow, elytra paler light yellowish brown, semitransparent, with black apices black in apical 1 / 4, (apical in Negros male); ventral surface orange yellow except for creamy LOs in V6, 7; head deep reddish brown; antennae incomplete, very dark brown with anterior margin of scape, pedicel and FS1 light brown; legs incomplete except in single Bacoor male, yellow, with apical two tarsomeres of legs 3 on left side brown in one Manila male; all tarsi dark brown in one Bacoor male; abdomen pale with white LOs, posterior half of V5 may appear whiter than rest, tips of PLP brown. Pronotum: W/L 1.5–1.6; L/EL 0.2; L/BL 0.17–0.19; W/GHW 1.3–1.5. Head: GHW/SIW 5.0. Antennae ( Figs. 34, 35 View FIGURES 33-39 ): ASD <ASW; scape gently clavate; FS 1 subequal in length to scape, not laterally expanded, slightly longer than subequal remaining FS none of which are expanded. Legs ( Fig. 34 View FIGURES 33-39 ): MFC with 6–9 teeth; femora 3 not swollen or curved, tibiae 3 not curved nor expanded at their apices. Abdomen ( Figs. 34, 36, 37 View FIGURES 33-39 ): median area between LO halves in V7 may appear trough-like; PLP short, slightly longer than wide; incurving lobes short not extending far medially and with tuft of hair at their apices; pointed projections not obvious from below, dense brush of hairs on dorsal surface in this region; MPP apically shallowly emarginated, elongate with very broad base and projecting posteriorly well beyond the apices of the PLP. T8: lateral troughs smooth shiny hairless, not prolonged into flanges at their anterior inner margins; lateral margins may appear sinuous; posterior margin with narrow shallow median emargination. Aedeagus ( Figs. 38, 39 View FIGURES 33-39 ): elongate, very slender (L/W 7/1) with LL twisted, inturned slightly at their apices, closely approximate in apical half and separated by half their dorsal length (it is unclear if the twisting of the LL is due to desiccation); ML very narrow expanding a little at its apex; b/a = 0.9.

Female and larva unknown.

Etymology. The specific name is latinised from the English word elongate, thus highlighting the pronounced elongation of the MPP of the abdomen in this species.

Remarks. This unusual species is known only from the few specimens described here. However the record of a single specimen from the Donsol river Ogod site, where a popular firefly watching site exists, suggests that the species is much more widely distributed in the wild. The incurving lobes are shorter in this species, T8 is without spines or hairs in the lateral troughs of the ventral surface which also lacks flanges.