Molecular Systematics of the Firefly Genus Luciola (Coleoptera: Lampyridae: Luciolinae) with the Description of a New Species from Singapore.

Su Hooi Chan,Tuan Wah Wong,Darren Yeo,Kin Onn Chan,Lesley Ballantyne,Wan F. A. Jusoh,B. Nada

doi:10.3390/ani11030687

Abstract

Simple SummaryFireflies have a scattered distribution in Singapore but are not as uncommon as many would generally assume. A nationwide survey of fireflies in 2009 across Singapore documented 11 species, including “Luciola sp. 2”, which is particularly noteworthy because the specimens were collected from a freshwater swamp forest in the central catchment area of Singapore and did not fit the descriptions of any known Luciola species. Ten years later, we revisited the same locality to collect new specimens and genetic material of Luciola sp. 2. Subsequently, the mitochondrial genome of that population was sequenced and specimens were subjected to rigorous morphological examinations. We then collated published mitogenomes and shorter mitochondrial markers from closely related taxa to infer a phylogeny for the subfamily Luciolinae. Our results reveal that Luciola sp. 2 is both genetically and morphologically distinct from other congeners and is thus described herein as a new species Luciola singapura sp. nov. This marks the first time since 1909 that a new species of luminous firefly has been discovered in Singapore, highlighting the need for continued biodiversity research, even in small, well-studied and highly developed countries such as Singapore that can still harbor undescribed biodiversity.The firefly genus Luciola sensu McDermott contains 282 species that are distributed across major parts of Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific islands. Due to phenotypic similarities, species identification using external morphological characters can be unreliable for this group. Consequently, decades of piecemeal taxonomic treatments have resulted in numerous erroneous and contentious classifications. Furthermore, our understanding of the group’s evolutionary history is limited due to the lack of a robust phylogenetic framework that has also impeded efforts to stabilize its taxonomy. Here, we constructed molecular phylogenies of Luciola and its allies based on combined mitogenomes and Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COX1) sequences including a newly sequenced mitogenome of an unidentified taxon from Singapore. Our results showed that this taxon represents a distinct and hitherto undescribed evolutionary lineage that forms a clade with L. filiformis from Japan and L. curtithorax from China. Additionally, the Singaporean lineage can be differentiated from other congeners through several external and internal diagnostic morphological characters, and is thus described herein as a new species. Our phylogeny also strongly supported the paraphyly of Luciola with regard to L. cruciata and L. owadai, which were inferred to be more closely related to the genus Aquatica as opposed to other members of Luciola sensu stricto. The genus Hotaria was inferred as a derived clade within Luciola (sister to L. italica), supporting its status as a subgenus of Luciola instead of a distinct genus. This is the first time since 1909 that a new species of luminous firefly has been discovered in Singapore, highlighting the need for continued biodiversity research, even in small, well-studied and highly developed countries, such as Singapore.

Highlights

Beetles (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) comprise over 2000 species globally
We examined specimens deposited in the Zoological Reference Collection (ZRC) at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, Singapore, including two specimens collected by Chan and colleagues in 2009
Luciola sp. 2 differs from the following ten Luciola s. str. species in (a) biogeographic distribution—L. italica is a European species and the following four species are known only from the Pacific islands: L. antipodum, L. aquilaclara, L. hypocrita and L. oculofissa (Figure 1); (b) distinctive ecological state—two species from East Asia: L. satoi occurs at high elevations

Summary

Introduction

The subfamily Luciolinae—all of which are exclusively flashing fireflies—represents a diverse subfamily (>400 species) distributed across Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Pacific islands [1,2]. New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, and Australia [3]. In the 19th century, the taxonomy of Luciolinae relied heavily on external features such as colour pattern of the dorsal surface, male terminal abdomen, and prominence of the elytral carina as diagnostic characters [2,5]. For the genus Luciola Laporte, the most speciose genus in the subfamily Luciolinae [4,6,7], species identification based on external morphological characters is problematic due to overlapping phenotypic similarities [2,8]. Decades of piecemeal taxonomic treatments coupled with the lack of a robust phylogenetic framework have resulted in the genus being a dumping ground for ambiguous taxa, leading to protracted taxonomic instability, contentious classifications, and unnatural taxonomic groupings [9,10,11]

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Results

Conclusion