D3550: Redescription of Lucidota apicalis Gorham, 1880, a small step toward clarification of a taxonomically complex group

Lampyridae currently comprises around 2,600 described species, many of which occur in the Neotropics, where their taxonomy is in a rough state of development. With around 849 species and 34 genera, Lucidotini is one of the largest firefly lineages, and in the Neotropics its vast diversity has led to the accumulation of new taxa, however its taxonomy remains unstable due to diagnoses based on few, external homoplastic characters. Within Lucidotini, a great example of this taxonomic instability is Lucidota Laporte, 1833, one of the most speciose lampyrid genera. A cornerstone problem is a lack of clear boundaries among Lucidota and its allied genera, and vague original descriptions of its species. A lack of in-depth morphological comparisons and revisionary work is reflected in Lucidota’s long list of synonyms. To help stabilizing the taxonomy of Lucidota, we redescribe Lucidota apicalis Gorham, 1880, the type species of Leucothrix Olivier, 1911, one of seven junior synonyms of this genus. A highly detailed redescription was made based on ten males and three female specimens from Costa Rica. The specimens were imaged and dissected. The new description is compared to photos of the type specimen and the original description. Several structures are described for the first time in this species, including the male and female genitalia and secondary sexually dimorphic features. Taxonomically noteworthy features such as mouthparts, tarsi, pygidium and sternite VIII are discussed. This redescription represents a valuable contribution to our knowledge of Neotropical Lampyridae by taking a step toward unraveling the Lucidota taxonomic problem.