Pteroptyx

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Coleopterida
Ordo: Coleoptera
Subordo: Polyphaga
Infraordo: Elateriformia
Superfamilia: Elateroidea

Familia: Lampyridae
Subfamilia: Luciolinae
Genus: Pteroptyx

Species: P. amilae – P. asymmetria – P. atripennis – P. balinigana – P. bearni – P. corusca – P. curticoolis – P. cribellata – P. decolor – P. effulgens – P. elucens – P. flagrans – P. fulminea – P. galbina – P. gelasina – P. gombakia – P. hanedai – P. macdermotti – P. maipo – P. malaccae – P. masatakai – P. sayangia – P. similis – P. similisantennata – P. similispapuae – P. sublustris – P. sulawesiensis – P. surabayia – P. tener – P. testacea – P. torriceiiensis – P. truncata – P. valida
Name

Pteroptyx Olivier, 1902

Type species: Luciola testacea Motschulsky (designated by Lucas 1920)
References
Primary references

Olivier, 1902. Rev. Sci. Bourbonnais, 15, 72 (note).
Ballantyne, L. et al. 2011: Pteroptyx maipo Ballantyne, a new species of bent-winged firefly (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) from Hong Kong, and its relevance to firefly biology and conservation. Zootaxa, 2931: 8–34. Preview

Links

Pteroptyx – Taxon details on Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).

Pteroptyx is a genus of fireflies in the subfamily Luciolinae found in Southeast Asia. It has long been noted for the ability to perform synchronous flashing, though not all species synchronize.[1] These synchronizing species have been found on so-called 'firefly trees' and created a growing firefly-watching tour industry in some regions. Species of the genus have been identified in Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Hong Kong.[2]

Identification

The genus Pteroptyx was first proposed by Ernest Olivier in 1902 for Luciola-like species. He identified two species, Luciola malaccae and Luciola testacea, which were later reassigned to the Pteroptyx genus. Three subsequent species, P. tener, P. bearni, and P. valida were described by Olivier between 1907 and 1909.[3] Much of the work revising the genera within Luciolinae has been done by Australian entomologist Lesley Ballantyne, beginning in 1970.[4]

The genus was originally defined based on characteristics of adult males: deflexed elytral apex, trisinuate ventrite 7, and a metafemoral comb. However some of the recently assigned species do not have either the deflexed elytral apex or the metafemoral comb. Developments in molecular sequencing techniques have improved the ability of entomologists to identify and delineate new species based on only female or larval specimens that were not collected in association with males. Jusoh et al. (2014) used these techniques to propose a new species, P. balingiana, as distinct from P. malaccae, but it has not been widely accepted.[5][6]
Ecology

The males of two species, P. malaccae and P. tener, are often found in large groups on certain trees and perform synchronized flashing displays to attract females for mating. The first report of these synchronous displays was recorded in Thailand over a century ago, although the number of fireflies have decreased, likely due to the reduction of the necessary mangrove forests due to urbanization and shrimp farming in Thailand. Pollution and habitat loss have resulted in the loss of nearly all Pteroptyx populations from the area around Bangkok.[1]

Many of the species examined by Jusoh et al. in 2018 using genetic sequencing of the mitochondrial DNA were associated with mangroves, as their larva need a continuously damp environment to develop.[7] As a result, many of the species in the genus are at risk of habitat loss due to damage of mangroves as a result of rising sea levels from climate change.
Human interaction

Boat tours for observing the congregating, synchronous flashing of Pteroptyx species are popular in the Sundaic region of southern Thailand and Malaysia. This form of ecotourism has been used to stress the importance of mangrove protection and preservation, as many of the tour operators are local fishermen earning supplemental income.[8]
Species

As described by Ballantyne & Lambkin in 2015, there are 17 known species in Pteroptyx.

Pteroptyx asymmetria Ballantyne, 2001
Pteroptyx bearni Olivier, 1909
Pteroptyx decolor Olivier, 1911
Pteroptyx galbina Jusoh, 2015
Pteroptyx gelasina Ballantyne, 2001
Pteroptyx gombakia Ballantyne, 2015
Pteroptyx maipo Ballantyne, 2011
Pteroptyx malaccae (Gorham, 1880)
Pteroptyx macdermotti McLean, 1970
Pteroptyx masatakai Kawashima, 2003
Pteroptyx sayangia Ballantyne, 2015
Pteroptyx sulawesiensis Kawashima, 2003
Pteroptyx surabayia Ballantyne, 2015
Pteroptyx tener Olivier, 1907
Pteroptyx testacea (Motschulsky, 1854)
Pteroptyx trucata Ballantyne, 2001
Pteroptyx valida Olivier, 1909

References

Sartsanga, Channarong; Swatdipong, Akarapong; Sriboonlert, Ajaraporn (23 March 2018). "Distribution of the Firefly Genus Pteroptyx Olivier and a New Record of Pteroptyx asymmetria Ballantyne (Coleoptera: Lampyridae: Luciolinae) in Thailand". The Coleopterists Bulletin. 72 (1): 171–183. doi:10.1649/0010-065X-72.1.171. ISSN 0010-065X. S2CID 90806682.
Ballantyne, Lesley; Fu, Xin Hua; Shih, Chun-Hat; Cheng, Chui-Yu; Yiu, Vor (2011-06-27). "Pteroptyx maipo Ballantyne, a new species of bent-winged firefly (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) from Hong Kong, and its relevance to firefly biology and conservation". Zootaxa. 2931 (1): 8–34–8–34. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.2931.1.2. ISSN 1175-5334.
Ballantyne, Lesley A.; McLean, Miriam R. (1970). "Revisional Studies on the Firefly Genus Pteroptyx Olivier (Coleoptera: Lampyridae: Luciolinae: Luciolini)". Transactions of the American Entomological Society. 96 (2): 223–305. ISSN 0002-8320. JSTOR 25077994.
Ballantyne, Lesley; Lambkin, Christine L.; Boontop, Yuvarin; Jusoh, Wan F. A. (2015-05-20). "Revisional studies on the Luciolinae fireflies of Asia (Coleoptera: Lampyridae): 1. The genus Pyrophanes Olivier with two new species. 2. Four new species of Pteroptyx Olivier and 3. A new genus Inflata Boontop, with redescription of Luciola indica (Motsch.) as Inflata indica comb. nov". Zootaxa. 3959: 1–84. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3959.1.1. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 26249372.
Jusoh, Wan F. A.; Hashim, Nor Rasidah; Sääksjärvi, Ilari E.; Adam, Nur Azura; Wahlberg, Niklas (December 2014). "Species Delineation of Malaysian Mangrove Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) using DNA Barcodes". The Coleopterists Bulletin. 68 (4): 703–711. doi:10.1649/0010-065X-68.4.703. ISSN 0010-065X. S2CID 86004352.
"Validate User". academic.oup.com. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
Jusoh, Wan F. A.; Ballantyne, Lesley; Lambkin, Christine L.; Hashim, Nor Rasidah; Wahlberg, Niklas (2018-08-06). "The firefly genus Pteroptyx Olivier revisited (Coleoptera: Lampyridae: Luciolinae)". Zootaxa. 4456 (1): 1–71. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4456.1.1. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 30314190. S2CID 52977161.
Ng, Casey Keat-Chuan; Ong, Robert Cyril (2022-04-05). "A review of anthropogenic interaction and impact characteristics of the Sundaic mangroves in Southeast Asia". Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 267: 107759. Bibcode:2022ECSS..26707759N. doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2022.107759. ISSN 0272-7714. S2CID 246439532.