Integrative taxonomy of new firefly taxa from the Atlantic Rainforest

Illuminating Firefly Diversity: Trends, Threats and Conservation Strategies

Fireflies are a diverse group of bioluminescent beetles belonging to the family Lampyridae. Recent research on their diversity, evolution, behavior and conservation has greatly advanced our scientific understanding of these charismatic insects. In this review, we first summarize new discoveries about their taxonomic and ecological diversity, then focus on recent endeavors to identify and protect threatened fireflies around the world. We outline the main threats linked to recent population declines (habitat loss and degradation, light pollution, pesticide overuse, climate change and tourism) and describe relevant risk factors that predict which species will be particularly vulnerable to these threats. Although global coordination of firefly conservation efforts has begun only recently, considerable progress has already been made. We describe work by the IUCN SSC Firefly Specialist Group to identify species currently facing elevated extinction risks and to devise conservation strategies to protect them. To date, IUCN Red List assessments have been completed for 150 firefly taxa, about 20% of which face heightened extinction risks. The conservation status for many species has yet to be determined due to insufficient information, although targeted surveys and community science projects have contributed valuable new data. Finally, we highlight some examples of successful firefly habitat protection and restoration efforts, and we use the framework of the IUCN SSC Species Conservation Cycle to point out high-priority actions for future firefly conservation efforts.

A new species of Jurasai Rosa et al., 2020 and the first record of the family Jurasaidae (Coleoptera: Elateroidea) in the northern Brazilian Atlantic Forest

A new species, Jurasai parahybanum sp. nov., from the recently discovered elateroid family Jurasaidae is described. This is the first record of the family to Paraba state and the Northern Atlantic Forest of Brazil. Photographs and drawings of the important morphological characters of the new species are provided. An updated key and distribution map to the known species of the family are provided.

Firefly (Coleoptera, Lampyridae) species from the Atlantic Forest hotspot, Brazil

Background

We compiled a database of firefly species records from the Atlantic Forest hotspot in Brazil and made it available at GBIF. Data were gathered from literature and from several key entomological collections, including: Coleção entomológica Prof. José Alfredo Pinheiro Dutra (DZRJ/UFRJ) and Coleção do Laboratório de Ecologia de Insetos from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (CLEI/UFRJ); Coleção Entomológica do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (CEIOC); Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo (MZSP); Coleção Entomológica Pe. Jesus Santiago Moure from Universidade Federal do Paraná (DZUP/UFPR); and Coleção Entomológica from Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE). This database represents the largest contribution to a public repository of recorded occurrences from Neotropical fireflies.

New information

This dataset shows the occurrence and abundance of firefly species in the Atlantic Forest hotspot. Firefly species endemic to this biome are also present and considered in the study. These data can assist scientific and societal needs, by supporting future research projects and conservation decision-making.

First Phylogeny of Pseudolychnuris Reveals Its Polyphyly and a Staggering Case of Convergence at the Andean Paramos (Lampyridae: Lampyrini)

South America is likely the cradle of several New World firefly lineages but remains largely understudied. Despite several advances in firefly systematics in the Neotropical region, the Andean region has been largely unstudied for over a century. The Colombian Páramos are a critically threatened biodiversity hotspot that houses several endemic species, including the firefly genus Pseudolychnuris, with two species-P. vittata and P. suturalis. Here, by analyzing the phylogenetic relationships of Pseudolychnuris, we found that this genus is polyphyletic. Pseudolychnuris vittata and P. suturalis were found to be distantly related despite the striking similarity in outline and color pattern of males and females. We redescribe Pseudolychnuris and its type species P. vittata. Moreover, we revalidate Alychnus Kirsch, 1865 stat. rev. to accommodate A. suturaliscomb. nov., also redescribed here. We provide updated distribution maps and report field observations for both monotypic genera. Since adults visit flowers and interact with pollen and nectar, Pseudolychnuris and Alychnus may be occasional pollinators of Andean-endemic plants, a phenomenon previously neglected. Our findings reveal an interesting case of convergence between Pseudolychnuris and Alychnus-probably associated with life in the Páramos-and shed light on character evolution in the Photinini lineage of fireflies.

Comparative morphology and key to Amydetinae genera, with description of three new firefly species (Coleoptera, Lampyridae)

Amydetinae is an exclusively Neotropical subfamily of fireflies, distributed among three genera: Amydetes Illiger, 1807, Magnoculus McDermott, 1964, and Memoan Silveira & Mermudes, 2013. Here, we describe three new species of Amydetinae: two belonging to Amydetes (A.alexi sp. nov. and A.marolae sp. nov.) and one to the previously monotypic Memoan (Me.conani sp. nov.). All three species are known only from the Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil. Endoskeletal structures of Memoan and Magnoculus species are described and compared with those of Amydetes for the first time. After studying the type material, Photinusfruhstorferi Pic, 1942 is transferred to Memoan, generating Memoanfruhstorferi comb. nov., and Me.ciceroi Silveira & Mermudes, 2013 syn. nov. is placed as a junior synonym. We also redescribe Magnoculusobscurus Olivier, 1885 and compare it to other species of genus and to other amydetine taxa to identify potential new diagnostic traits for the Amydetinae and its constituting genera. We provide an updated diagnosis for Memoan, illustrations for all four species, and a distribution map for the three new species, as well as a key to adult males of the three amydetine genera, and an updated key to Amydetes species based on males.

Haplocauda, a New Genus of Fireflies Endemic to the Amazon Rainforest (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)

Simple Summary

The Amazon Rainforest is still a frontier in the study of insect biodiversity, housing several species yet to be described and studied. Yet, its continuous deforestation urges scientists to study insect diversity there before it is too late. Here, we identified and described new species and a new genus of fireflies from the Amazon Rainforest. These new species are unique among other fireflies due to their unique abdominal morphology, supposed here to involve a clamping mechanism used during mating.

Abstract

Most firefly genera have poorly defined taxonomic boundaries, especially in the Neotropics, where they are more diverse and more difficult to identify. Recent advances that shed light on the diversity of fireflies in South America have focused mainly on Atlantic Rainforest taxa, whereas lampyrids in other biomes remained largely unstudied. We found three new firefly species endemic to the Amazon basin that share unique traits of the male abdomen where sternum VIII and the pygidium are modified and likely work as a copulation clamp. Here we test and confirm the hypothesis that these three species form a monophyletic lineage and propose Haplocaudagen. nov. to accommodate the three new species. Both maximum parsimony and probabilistic (Bayesian and maximum likelihood) phylogenetic analyses confirmed Haplocaudagen. nov. monophyly, and consistently recovered it as the sister group to Scissicauda, fireflies endemic to the Atlantic Rainforest that also feature a copulation clamp on abdominal segment VIII, although with a different configuration. We provide illustrations, diagnostic descriptions, and keys to species based on males and females. The three new species were sampled from different regions, and are likely allopatric, a common pattern among Amazonian taxa.

Systematic review and phylogeny of the firefly genus Dilychnia (Lampyridae: Lampyrinae), with notes on geographical range

Dilychnia (Lampyridae: Lampyrinae) is a poorly known Neotropical genus of lampyrid firefly. Descriptions of Dilychnia species were traditionally based on differences in colour pattern, which are usually not reliable for species discrimination. Here, we review and redescribe the genus Dilychnia and its species, after examining the type material of all species, and we present the first phylogenetic analysis for the group, including 70 morphological characters and 15 species. After the proposal of new taxonomic combinations, Dilychnia was recovered as monophyletic with high support. We provide a key to species identification, updated geographical ranges and illustrations of diagnostic features for all species. We transfer Lucidota propinqua and Photinus succensus to Dilychnia and describe the new species Dilychnia dumasi sp. nov. We report, for the first time, that these three taxa are nocturnal and flash with an orange-yellow light. Phenotypic diversity within the genus is most pronounced in characters involved in mate tracking (i.e. antennae, eyes and light organs).

Hidden diversity in the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest: the discovery of Jurasaidae, a new beetle family (Coleoptera, Elateroidea) with neotenic females

Beetles are the most species-rich animal radiation and are among the historically most intensively studied insect groups. Consequently, the vast majority of their higher-level taxa had already been described about a century ago. In the 21st century, thus far, only three beetle families have been described de novo based on newly collected material. Here, we report the discovery of a completely new lineage of soft-bodied neotenic beetles from the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest, which is one of the most diverse and also most endangered biomes on the planet. We identified three species in two genera, which differ in morphology of all life stages and exhibit different degrees of neoteny in females. We provide a formal description of this lineage for which we propose the new family Jurasaidae. Molecular phylogeny recovered Jurasaidae within the basal grade in Elateroidea, sister to the well-sclerotized rare click beetles, Cerophytidae. This placement is supported by several larval characters including the modified mouthparts. The discovery of a new beetle family, which is due to the limited dispersal capability and cryptic lifestyle of its wingless females bound to long-term stable habitats, highlights the importance of the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest as a top priority area for nature conservation.