Emeia Fu, Ballantyne et Lambkin 2012

Emeia Fu, Ballantyne et Lambkin 2012

Figs 52, 53

Emeia Fu, Ballantyne et Lambkin 2012a: 1, figs 1–6, 8, 16–30.

Type species. Curtos pseudosauteri (Geisthardt 2004) by monotypy.

Diagnosis. Emeia is distinguished by its unusual terrestrial larva where the outlines of the explanate lateral margins of the thoracic and abdominal terga differ—the thoracic tergal margins are broad, while those of the abdomen narrow and curve posteriorly. It is presently only known from the Si Chuan Province in China where most records are from either E Mei or Tian Tai Mountains. Adult males have parallel sided pronota which are pinkish with dark median marking, and black elytra (Figs 52, 53). Females are flightless with elytra that cover most of the abdomen. Emeia belongs to a group of Luciolinae where the adult male aedeagal sheath has the posterior area of the sternite evenly emarginate on the right side only, and the LL of the aedeagus are widely visible at the sides of the ML from below. It differs from Aquatica Fu et al. which has pointed projections along both sides of the sheath sternite emarginations and fully aquatic larvae with gills. It is distinguished from genera in the Atyphella ‘ complex’ (Ballantyne & Lambkin 2009 fig. 9 Node 55) by the subparallel-sided pronotum where the hypomera are flattened and strongly adpressed along their length, and the pronotal width is narrower than the width across the elytral humeri. It differs from Missimia Ballantyne, in having both a distinct clypeolabral suture and flexible labrum (Missimia has no clypeolabral suture and an inflexible labrum); from Luciola cruciata and L. owadai (Ballantyne & Lambkin 2009 fig. 7 Node 1) in having an expanded base of the epipleuron and humerus not visible from beneath (both these Luciola spp. have the elytral epipleuron non expanded at its base and the humerus thus visible from below). Curtos Motschulsky has a distinctive longitudinal elytral humeral carina, large well-spaced elytral punctation and aedeagal LL of uneven length. Emeia is without the carina and pronounced punctation, and the aedeagal LL are subequal in length. Females are flightless (Fu obs. & pers. comm.) with slightly shortened fore wings, and hind wings less than half the length of the fore wings. There are no obvious bursa plates.