Rerecord of Asymmetricata impressa (Lampyridae) after 112 years from Central Province, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Asymmetricata impressa Olivier is one of the Luciolinae fireflies in Sri Lanka. The original description of this species as Luciola impressa was based on male and female specimens collected from Peradeniya, Kandy, Central Province of Sri Lanka in 1910. There were no subsequent records of A. impressa following its original description, and hence, its taxonomic status in Sri Lanka remained uncertain. However, the recent visual encounter survey of fireflies carried out in 2022 recorded male A. impressa from `Rikillagaskada` in Nuwalaeliya district, Central-Intermediate Zone of Sri Lanka, almost 112 years after its first record. The specimens were captured using an insect hand net for close examination, and photographs were taken. The present specimens were confirmed after a detailed assessment of their morphology with images of type specimens and consideration of expert reviews. Taxonomic description of A. impressa include: male: 11-12 mm long, 5-6 mm wide; Pronotum is 2-3 mm long, yellowish orange with a distinct pair of dark spots, black broad anterior margin; Head is black and antenna are black and filiform; Elytra are 8-9 mm long, yellowish–orange, dark base and pale apex, distinct regular punctures and interstitial lines on the elytron. Thorax is yellowish orange; abdominal ventrites: II-V black, light organ in ventrite VI entire and VII bipartite, last segment (tergite 8) asymmetric and inclined to right. The rerecord of A. impressa from the region, which was previously recorded in Sri Lanka helps fill the knowledge gap in firefly taxonomy and diversity in the country.