On Lampyroidea dispar in Bulgaria (Coleoptera, Lampyridae)
Travaux du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle
“Grigore Antipa” 65 (1): 45–54 (2022)
doi: 10.3897/travaux.65.e79706
RESEARCH ARTICLE
On Lampyroidea dispar in Bulgaria (Coleoptera,
Lampyridae)
Denis Gradinarov1, Fabrizio Fanti2
1 Faculty of Biology, St. Kliment Ohridski Sofia University, 8 Dragan Tzankov Blvd, 1164 Sofia,
Bulgaria
2 Via del Tamburino 69, I-53040 Piazze (SI), Italy
Corresponding author: Denis Gradinarov ()
Received 23 December 2021 | Accepted 9 February 2022 | Published 30 June 2022
Citation: Gradinarov D, Fanti F (2022) On Lampyroidea dispar in Bulgaria (Coleoptera, Lampyridae). Travaux du
Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle “Grigore Antipa” 65(1): 45–54. https://doi.org/10.3897/travaux.64.e79706
Abstract
In this paper we provide information on the distribution and biology of Lampyroidea dispar (Fairmaire,
1857), based on males collected in Bulgaria. After its description, little research was conducted on this
species. Here, for the first time, we provide habitus and aedeagus photographs. For comparison we also
provide a photo of the aedeagus of Luciola mingrelica (Ménétriés, 1832).
Keywords
firefly, Balkan Peninsula, biology, bioluminescence, distribution.
Introduction
Lampyroidea A. Costa, 1875 (Costa 1875) is a small genus of Lampyridae (fireflies),
inhabiting the eastern Mediterranean from Greece to Iran. It is present in Greece,
Bulgaria, Turkey, Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Iran (Reiche and Saulcy
1857; Costa 1875; Geisthardt and Day 2004; Geisthardt and Satô 2007). The genus,
which includes only 13 species (Geisthardt and Day 2004; Geisthardt and Satô 2007),
has always been understudied and this is reflected in the lack of information on the
bio-ethology of the various species. In this document we present new data on the taxon
Lampyroidea dispar Fairmaire, 1857 which is known from Turkey (Bosphorus) and
Bulgaria (Fairmaire 1857; Gemminger and Harold 1869; Hicker 1925; Geisthardt and
Copyright Gradinarov & Fanti. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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Gradinarov & Fanti
Satô 2007; Geisthardt 2013). For Bulgaria the species is reported without a specified
locality (Geisthardt and Satô 2007). In the literature we also find a recent data and
a photo of this species for Iran (Berger et al. 2021), which we consider not correct.
Furthermore, the representation provided (Berger et al. 2021) is compatible only
with Lampyroidea persica J. E. Olivier, 1907 having the pronotum with a black spot
at the anterior margin. A drawing of the pronotum of Lampyroidea dispar is instead
present in Olivier (1884). Little variable of Lampyroidea dispar, as small differences
in size and in the black pronotal spot (Figs 1–2) appear in its range.
A
B
Figure 1. Habitus of Lampyroidea dispar (male from Sakar Mountains): A dorsal view; B ventral view.
Scale bar = 1 mm.
On Lampyroidea dispar in Bulgaria
A
47
B
Figure 2. Habitus of Lampyroidea dispar (male from Burgas, Black sea coast): A dorsal view; B ventral
view. Scale bar = 1 mm.
Materials and methods
Material for the present study has been collected in the period 2017–2021 from
several localities along the Southern Black Sea Coast of Bulgaria and in the Bulgarian
part of Sakar Mountains. Both regions are located in the Southeastern part of the
country, not too far from the type locality of Lampyroidea dispar (Béikos, Istanbul).
The fireflies were collected at artificial light or were captured in flight. Two types of
light traps were used – automatic light traps and two portable work lamps placed on
a white cloth. In both cases a combination of two 8W white and black tubes, powered
by 12V batteries, were used. The automatic traps were left overnight, the work lamps
were turned on at dusk and were periodically inspected for about two hours after
sunset. The specimens were glued on standard tags or stored in ethanol. From two
specimens the aedeagus was extracted for detailed studies.
The pictures of the habitats were taken using a Olympus SZ-30MR digital camera
(Fig. 6) or a Canon PowerShot SX420 IS (Fig. 7). The other pictures were taken using
a combination of Canon EOS 2000D digital camera, PRO-CA Camera Adapter and
a Olympus SZ61 microscope (Figs 1–2) or Olympus BX41 (Figs 3–5). The examined
specimens are preserved in the Zoological Collection of Sofia University “St. Kliment
Ohridski”, Faculty of Biology, Sofia (BFUS) and in the collection of the second author.
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Gradinarov & Fanti
A
B
C
D
Figure 3. Aedeagus of Lampyroidea dispar (male from Ustrem Village, Sakar Mountains): A dorsal
view; B ventral view; C, D lateral view. Scale bar = 1 mm.
Material studied
Bulgaria: Black Sea Coast, Rosenets Park, 7 km SE Burgas, 42°27.165’N, 27°32.931’E,
0 m a.s.l., beach and coastal vegetation, 04.vii.2017, at light (portable work lamps),
D. Gradinarov & Y. Petrova legit, 1 male (BFUS, glued); Black Sea Coast, Rosenets
Park, 9 km SE Burgas, 42°26.139’N, 27°33.560’E, 70 m a.s.l., edge of oak forest, 09–10.
vii.2017, automatic light trap, D. Gradinarov & Y. Petrova legit, 1 male (BFUS, in
ethanol); Sakar Mts, 6 km SE Topolovgrad, approx. 42°01.815’N, 26°20.852’E, 550
m a.s.l., oak forest with Corylus avellana L., 17–18.vii.2017, automatic light trap, Y.
Petrova legit, 1 male (BFUS, in ethanol); Sakar Mts, W Ustrem Village, 42°01.449’N,
26°27.084’E, 100 m a.s.l., riverine vegetation, 12.vii.2020, at light (portable work
On Lampyroidea dispar in Bulgaria
49
lamps), between 8:40 and 10:20 pm, D. Gradinarov legit, 1 male (BFUS, glued); the
same locality, 22.vii.2021, at flight, 9:27 pm, D. Gradinarov legit, 1 male (BFUS, glued);
the same data, 42°01.416’N, 26°27.130’E, 100 m a.s.l., 23.vii.2021, at flight, 9:58 pm,
D. Gradinarov legit, 1 male (coll. Fanti).
Discussion
Lampyroidea dispar (Fairmaire, 1857)
Luciola dispar Fairmaire, 1857: 739. Locus typicus: “Béikos, dans le Bosphore”.
= Colophotia bosphorana Dejean, 1836: 116 nomen nudum. Locus typicus:
“Constantinop.” [synonymized by Baudi, 1872: 100]
(Figs 1–4)
The genus Lampyroidea A. Costa, 1875 appears closely related to Luciola Laporte,
1833, from which it differs in the posterior angles of the pronotum not pronounced
and not prolonged backwards which therefore appear to be about 90 degrees (Olivier
1884; Geisthardt and Day 2004), thus, with the posterior margin of the pronotum
A
B
Figure 4. Aedeagal sheath of Lampyroidea dispar (male from Ustrem Village, Sakar Mountains). A
dorsal view; B ventral view. Scale bar = 1 mm.
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Gradinarov & Fanti
A
B
C
Figure 5. Aedeagus of Luciola mingrelica (male from Ustrem Village, Sakar Mountains): A dorsal view;
B ventral view; C, D lateral view. Scale bar = 1 mm.
almost straight. The taxon studied here, Lampyroidea dispar (Fairmaire, 1857),
appears to be quite rare compared to other spe (...truncated)
