Luiz Felipe Lima Da Silveira

Systematic review of the firefly genus Amydetes Illiger, 1807 (Coleoptera: Lampyridae), with description of 13 new species

A systematic review of Amydetes Illiger, 1807, based on examination of the type-material. We fix A. fastigiata Illiger, 1807 as the type-species of the genus; redescribe the genus and six out of eight species; describe 13 new species; and provide illustrations and a key to species. We place A. vigorsi Westwood, 1830 syn. n. and A. gorhami Kuntzen, 1912 syn. n. in synonymy with A. fastigiata; A. suturalis Pic, 1925 syn. n. and A. brasiliensis Pic, 1925 in synonymy with A. apicalis; and A. flavicollis Olivier, 1888 syn. n. in synonymy with A. lucioloides Olivier, 1888. We report the first record of Amydetes from Venezuela and Argentina, and establish more precise distributions of the studied species. We describe the circadian period of A. apicalis (diurnal), A. fastigiata and Amydetes bellorum sp. nov. (nocturnal) and discuss the circadian diversity of the genus. Fronto-clypeus, antenna, labrum, maxillary palpomere, prothorax, mesosternum, lanterns, abdominal segment VIII and terminalia were structures that provided important characters for delimitation and diagnosis of the species.

Ybytyramoan, a new genus of fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae, Lampyrinae, Photinini) endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest, with description of three new species

Here we describe a new Photinina genus with three species endemic to Serra dos Órgãos Mountains in Brazil. Ybytyramoan gen. nov. occurs in high altitudes, from 980m up to 2000m, and has the following unique set of characters: head abruptly depressed at vertex; lanterns not fully developed, somewhat rounded or anteriorly rounded, straight posteriad, with posterolateral rounded projections (billycock-shaped), at the middle of the abdominal sterna VI and VII; abdominal sternum VIII not covered by VII; phallus and parameres apically teethed. We provide illustrations and a key to the three species in this genus: Ybytyramoan praeclarum sp. nov. (type-species), Y. diasi sp. nov., Y. monteirorum sp. nov.

Systematic review of the firefly genus Scissicauda (Coleoptera, Lampyridae, Amydetinae) from Brazil.

Abstract The Amydetinae genus Scissicauda McDermott, 1964 is reviewed and redescribed. We describe Scissicauda balena sp. n. from Brazil as new, and provide illustrations of the structural features and a key to species of both sexes.

Integrative taxonomy of new firefly taxa from the Atlantic Rainforest

Tropical mountains are hotspots of biodiversity, hosting many endemic species. Here, we propose Luciuranus gen. nov. and four new firefly species dwelling in montane habitats of the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest. Luciuranus gen. nov. is unique in the shape of the last abdominal segments of both males and females, varying in a clear species-specific fashion. Luciuranus josephi sp. nov. and L. jameshooki sp. nov. are restricted to Serra dos Órgãos mountain range, while L. dextrus sp. nov. and L. sinistrus sp. nov. are restricted to Serra da Mantiqueira formation. DNA barcoding with COI gene confirmed species identities and male–female associations. We propose that terminalia structures work together as a lock-and-key mechanism, avoiding hybridization in overlapping zones along heterogeneous habitats, such as montane forests, where temperature, moisture, and vegetation cover can change significantly even in small spatial and temporal scales. Such morphological displacement is discussed in terms of sexual selection on both male and female features. We also provide detailed morphological descriptions, illustrations, and a key to species based on males and females. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:05598351-4655-49E5-9011-B90DFC7D9435

Four new species of Luciuranus fireflies from the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)

Luciuranus Silveira, Khattar Mermudes, 2016 is a firefly genus whose species bear an intricate, species-specific lock-and-key mechanism of reproductive isolation. Here we propose four new species, Luciuranus magnoculus sp. nov., L. desideratus sp. nov., L. takiyae sp. nov. and L. carioca sp. nov., and provide illustrations of their diagnostic features and an updated key to species. As previously reported for their congenerics, each of the four new species have stereotypical morphology of both male and female terminalia, and are regarded as prima facie endemics of single massifs of the Serra da Mantiqueira and Serra do Mar, in the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest.

Insect elevational specialization in a tropical biodiversity hotspot

Tropical montane organisms are vulnerable to climate change because of elevational specialisation, but little is known of the variability in elevational specialisation across tropical insects. We assessed elevational specialisation across several insect taxa comprising four trophic groups 80–2263 m up an elevational transect in Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest, using community‐based and species‐based approaches. We sampled 697 species, of which 32% were found only in the top and 45% only in the bottom half of the transect. Considering only the 182 species with at least five individuals recorded, the percentage of species found exclusively in the top or bottom half drops to 16% and 24%. Across four vegetation belts (lower montane forest, montane forest, upper montane forest and Campos de Altitude) the Eumolpinae (herbivores) were more specialised than Scarabaeinae (saprotrophs), or Lampyridae (predators). This result was robust to the treatment of rare species, and the difference was most marked at higher elevations. Lampyridae lacked upper montane forest specialists. Using all species sampled, specialisation to the upper or lower half of the transect was greatest among Chrysomelidae, Curculionidae (both herbivores) and Lampyridae, and lowest among Tiphiidae (parasitoids) and Coccinellidae (predators). Considering only better sampled species, however, Lampyridae were the most specialised and Braconidae the least specialised. Trophic groups also varied consistent with these findings. Our findings suggest high elevational specialisation and concomitant extinction risk in Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest insects. Differences in elevational specialisation between taxonomic groups may alter the functioning of insect communities under climate change.

A new tropical montane firefly genus and species, active during winter and endemic to the southeastern Atlantic Rainforest (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)

Here we describe Araucariocladus hiems gen. et sp. nov. (Lampyridae: Amydetinae), a firefly species endemic to high montane forests, and occurring during June, a relatively cool and dry month in the Southeastern Atlantic Rainforest of Brazil. We tentatively place it in Psilocladina McDermott, and discuss the limitations of its classification. We also provide illustrations of key structural features of the new taxa and discuss its affinities.

Taxonomy of the Brazilian firefly Cladodes illigeri (Coleoptera, Lampyridae): morphology and new records

Cladodes illigeri (Kirby, 1818) is redescribed, and can be distinguished by the following features: color pattern overall black, paired spots and elytral margins pale yellow; pygidium bisinuate, posterior angles rounded, as long as median margin; and aedeagus with phallus 1/3 shorter than the parameres, which are sinuated apically. Cladodes lamellicornis (Motschulsky, 1854) is proposed as a junior synomym of C. illigeri. New records from the Atlantic Rainforest and illustrations for structural features are provided.