Drilini are soft-bodied predatory click beetles with incompletely metamorphosed females. Approximately 150 described species are distributed in the Afrotropical, Palaearctic and Oriental realms, with the highest diversity known from sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, we describe Namibdrilusalbertalleni gen. et sp. nov. from Namibia which brings the total number of genera in Drilini to 16. The discovery of this unique taxon sheds new light on the diversity and evolution of the enigmatic paedomorphic beetle lineage and is interesting for several reasons. This new species is the only known representative of Drilini that has unidentate mandibles and lacks a hook on the dorsal part of the aedeagal median lobe, two of the few characters heretofore used for the unambiguous identification of members of this group. Furthermore, based on its morphology it belongs to a group of genera (Drilus clade) which heretofore contained only taxa from the Palaearctic Realm. We provide an updated diagnosis of the tribe Drilini, as well as an updated diagnosis and an identification key for the genera of the Drilus clade based on adult males. Further, we explain how to easily recognize adult Drilini from similar-looking soft-bodied elateroids like Elateridae: Omalisinae, Rhagophthalmidae, and Lampyridae: Ototretinae.

• Keywords
• Afrotropical Realm, Agrypninae, Elateroidea, click beetle, distribution, identification key, male genitalia, new genus, new species, paedomorphosis, taxonomy,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

The beetle superfamily Elateroidea comprises the most biodiverse bioluminescent insects among terrestrial light-producing animals. Recent exceptional fossils from the Mesozoic era and phylogenomic studies have provided valuable insights into the origin and evolution of bioluminescence in elateroids. However, due to the fragmentary nature of the fossil record, the early evolution of bioluminescence in fireflies (Lampyridae), one of the most charismatic lineages of insects, remains elusive. Here, we report the discovery of the second Mesozoic bioluminescent firefly, Flammarionella hehaikuni Cai, Ballantyne & Kundrata gen. et sp. nov., from the Albian/Cenomanian of northern Myanmar (ca 99 Ma). Based on the available set of diagnostic characters, we interpret the specimen as a female of stem-group Luciolinae. The fossil possesses deeply impressed oval pits on the apices of antennomeres 3-11, representing specialized sensory organs likely involved in olfaction. The light organ near the abdominal apex of Flammarionella resembles that found in extant light-producing lucioline fireflies. The growing fossil record of lampyrids provides direct evidence that the stunning light displays of fireflies were already established by the late Mesozoic.

• Keywords
• Lampyridae, Mesozoic, bioluminescence, diversity,
• MeSH
• Biological Evolution MeSH
• Phylogeny MeSH
• Luminescence MeSH
• Fireflies * MeSH
• Arthropod Antennae MeSH
• Fossils * MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Female MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Geographicals
• Myanmar MeSH

Rhagophthalmus Motschulsky, 1854 is the most speciose genus in Rhagophthalmidae, distributed in the region encompassing South, East, and Southeast Asia. Here, we describe R.nanussp. nov. from the Houaphanh Province of eastern Laos, which represents the smallest known species in Rhagophthalmus and one of the smallest in Rhagophthalmidae. We compare it with the morphologically similar and geographically close congeners and provide a preliminary identification key to adult males of Rhagophthalmus species from mainland Southeast Asia. Additionally, we discuss the morphology and variability of male genitalia within Rhagophthalmus.

• Keywords
• Bioluminescent beetles, Elateroidea, Oriental Realm, Southeast Asia, distribution, diversity, identification key, neoteny, taxonomy,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH