Two new firefly species of the genus Diaphanes Motschulsky, 1853 (Coleoptera: Lampyridae: Lampyrinae) from Meghalaya, Northeast India

Nonglang, Emma Magdalene; Wijekoon, Chandana Dammika; Ryndong, Memorial M; Das, Dhiraj Kumar; Sengupta, Samrat; Shangpliang, Jane Wanry

doi:10.48311/jibs.12.02.415

Two new firefly species of the genus Diaphanes Motschulsky, 1853 (Coleoptera: Lampyridae: Lampyrinae) from Meghalaya, Northeast India

Document Type : Full-length Research Article

Authors

Emma Magdalene Nonglang ¹

Chandana Dammika Wijekoon ²

Memorial M Ryndong ¹

Dhiraj Kumar Das ¹

Samrat Sengupta ³

Jane Wanry Shangpliang ¹

¹ Department of Zoology, Assam Don Bosco University, Sonapur, Assam, India

² Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Ruhuna, Matara, Sri Lanka

³ Department of Zoology, Debraj Roy College (Autonomous), Golaghat, Assam, India

10.48311/jibs.12.02.415

Abstract

Two new Diaphanes Motschulsky 1853 species, D. meghalayanus Nonglang, Das, Shangpliang sp. nov., and D. mawlynnong Nonglang, Das, Shangpliang sp. nov., from Meghalaya, Northeast India, are described. Diaphanes meghalayanus sp. nov., is characterised by a unique colour pattern of the central disc, the absence of a typical circular pronotal areolet area, brownish-yellow pronotum and elytra, and other specific features of male genitalia. Diaphanes mawlynnong sp. nov., is distinct with rare moniliform antennae, circular-shaped pronotal areolet areas with blunt posterior lateral corners, and specific genital aedeagus characters. The female of D. mawlynnong sp. nov., which is apterous, was found in the same habitat where its males were associated. 13 Diaphanes species have been recorded from India, and with the discovery of these two new species, the number of Diaphanes species recorded in the country increases to 15. This knowledge significantly contributes to the existing information gap of Diaphanes diversity and distribution in this region.

Graphical Abstract

Two new firefly species of the genus Diaphanes Motschulsky, 1853 (Coleoptera: Lampyridae: Lampyrinae) from Meghalaya, Northeast India

Keywords

Biodiversity Hotspot

Indo-Burma

Lampyrids

Oriental

taxonomy

Subjects

Taxonomy

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