Luciola sp.


熠螢 Flasher

形態特徵:雄螢體長8.5-10.0毫米,前胸背板前緣有粗黑線,鞘翅邊緣黄褐色,近翅尖加寬; 雄螢發光器位於整個第6腹板和第7腹板的前方3份之2。雌螢體型粗壯,複眼細小,鞘翅和後翅皆短小,伸至第四腹背板,不能飛;發光器位於整個第6腹板。


分佈地點:梧桐寨河谷、荃錦坳、大埔滘、鉛墩下、企嶺下、大潭、柏架山、畢拿山。


成蟲活躍月份:2月下旬至5月中旬


其他資料:成蟲在茂盛的樹林內活動,雄螢飛行時發放閃光,閃光持續240-300毫秒,閃光間距 140-340亳秒,每個閃光由三個相連脈冲組成。雌螢發出簡單脈冲,脈冲持續250-380毫秒,間距60-420毫秒。雄蛹全身發光。


從表面上看,它與 De Silva 等人在 2023 年重新描述的 Luciola nicollieri 相似,尤其是不尋常的、短翅、不會飛的雌性。然而,香港標本的雄外生殖器與他們的重新描述以及Jusoh & Ballantyne, 2024的重新描述並不一致。





Morphological features:Male body length 8.5-10.0 mm, a thin dark line runs along the anterior margin of pronotum. Elytra with yellowish brown margin which broaden near the elytra tips; Light organs occupying entire ventrite 6 & anterior 2/3 of ventrite 7 in male. Female body much thicker, compound eyes small, both elytra and hindwings are short, reaching only abdominal tergite 4, incapable to fly. Light organ occupying almost entire ventrite 6

DistributionNg Tung Chai Valley, Tsuen Kam Au, Tai Po Kau, Yuen Tun Ha, Kei Ling Ha, Tai Tam, Mount Parker, Mount Butler.


Adult flight periodLate February to Mid-May.


Other information:Adults are found at dense woodlands, Flying male displays flashes with 240–300 ms duration and inter-flash intervals of 140–340 ms, each flash is composed of 3 combined pulses. Female adults display simple flash pattern composed of repeated pulsations with varying duration of 250–380 ms and inter-pulse interval of 60–420 ms. The whole body of male pupa glows.

Superficially, it is similar to Luciola nicollieri re-described by De Silva et al., 2023, especially the unusual, brachelytral, flightless female. However, the male genitalia of the Hong Kong specimen is not consistent with the re-description by them, as well as the re-description by Jusoh & Ballantyne, 2024.






Male
20110325-19123039


Female
20100226-223740


Male
20070313-230732


Male
20110314-19301547


Male
20100322-193108


Male
20120403-20452528


雄蛹 Male pupa
20110321-19514954


Female
20100226-191259


Female


Female20100226-223733


Female
20120403-20411648


Female
20120329-23573234


Female
20140324-194634


求偶 Courtship
20120327-19540482


交配 Mating
20120327-19571046


雄螢閃光 Male flashes
20100315-191337


雄螢閃光模式 Male flash pattern
TLIA_Graph_20141206185945


雌螢閃光模式 Female flash pattern
TLIA_Graph_20141206190916


雄螢閃光 Male flashes

Luciola sp. (male) from Hong Kong Fireflies on Vimeo.





雌螢閃光 Female flashes

Luciola sp. (female) from Hong Kong Fireflies on Vimeo.