Luciola owadai Satô et Kimura

Luciola owadai Satô & Kimura, 1994: 159. Ohba et al., 1994: 13.

Diagnosis. Similar to larvae of Aquatica spp., distinguished only by the dorsal colour patterns, especially that of the protergum; protergum with extensive median dark area prolonged in middle along anterior and posterior margins; dark area may extend to sides; [Satô & Kimura (1994) and Ohba et al. (1994) described the median dark area on the protergum as cross shaped with each arm relatively wide and subequal in width, unlike cruciata where the anterior and posterior margins narrowly prolonged]; most of posterior half of thoracic terga obliquely pale across corners and narrowly across posterior margin; pale areas across posterior margins of most abdominal terga restricted to 2 separate areas with the outer area larger; median line wide (maximum width across abdominal terga 3, 4), and terga widely separated (as in Figs 81, 82); abdominal glands not investigated; antennal segment 3 with closely adpressed finger like projections subequal in length to adjacent sense cone; mandibles lacking retinaculum.

Remarks. The authors herein did not examine specimens of this species which is now protected in Japan (Ohba pers. com.). Ohba et al. (1994:17 Fig. 1) depicted the gills as single branched with a very short posterior swelling which could be the retracted second branch. Jeng et al. (2003:544) differentiated owadai and hydrophila on pronotal colouration, length of gills (those of hydrophila are shorter with more obtuse apices), and pygopod structure (in owadai the basal row of pygopods has four retractable filaments).