Ceratomerus bulbosus, Bradley J Sinclair, 2003

Bradley J Sinclair, 2003, Taxonomy, Phylogeny and Zoogeography of the Subfamily Ceratomerinae of Australia (Diptera: Empidoidea), Records of the Australian Museum 55, pp. 1-44 : 19-21

Ceratomerus bulbosus n.sp.

Figs. 45, 46, 100

Type material. HOLOTYPE 3, “TAS[mania, Australia]: nr Cradle Mtn./ Pencil Pine Ck ; 800 m / 30-i-1989; D.Bickel / high woodlands;pans”; “ HOLOTYPE / Ceratomerus / bulbosus / Sinclair [red label]” ( AMS K175244 ) . PARATYPES: Tasmania: 13, 1♀, same data as holotype ( AMS) .

Diagnosis. Recognized by the strong inflexion of R 2+3 around the stigma, heavily sclerotized and broad male cerci, and short, narrow posterior and bilobed anterior hypandrial processes. Females can also be partially identified on the basis of a broad, yellow pleural band extending to the katepisternum.

Description. Wing length 3–3.3 mm, similar to C. attenuatus except as follows:

Male. Head. Antenna with length of scape slightly less than height of eye; postpedicel length less than height of head; three-segmented stylus longer than postpedicel; segment 8 elongate, 4× as long as wide. Palpus brown, slender, onesixth length of labrum.

Thorax. Scutum and postnotum dark brown; upper margin of pleura brown, remaining pale brown; postpronotal lobe pale; long, broad yellow pleural band extending to katepisternum; scutum lacking vitta of pruinescence.

Wing as in C. attenuatus .

Legs. Fore and mid coxae and ventral margin of femora pale yellow, remaining leg segments brown, darker towards tip. First tarsomere greater than half length of fore tibia.

Mid femur slender with pv row of long, dark setae; proximal half with av row of dark setae, increasing in length basally, biserial at base. Mid tibia very slightly swollen at mid-length, with 4 stout av; pv surface with row of slender setae, longer than width of tibia; ventroapically with row of short erect setae on apical fourth; 1 ad seta on proximal half. First tarsomere 4 5 length of remaining 4 tarsomeres, with 4 erect pv setae.

Hind femur straight with 1 preapical dorsal and 1 ad seta; ventral surface with av row of fine setae, shorter than width of femur. Hind tibia with 2 erect dorsal setae on apical half; 4 erect ad setae. Hind tarsomeres slightly longer than tibia.

Abdomen pale brown, concolorous with thorax, sclerites thinly sclerotized; T8 bow-tie shaped, with very short ventral process.

Terminalia ( Figs. 45, 46). Hypandrium with pair of short, slender posterior processes; 1 pair of short anterior, bilobed, hooked, articulated processes arched posteriorly near surstyli; postgonites arched anteriorly, flanking pair of phallic processes; stout, blade-like, median phallic process arched anteriorly, distant from postgonites and posterior phallic processes. Epandrial lamella greatly inflated laterally, round; fused ventrally to lateral wall of hypandrium. Surstylus hammer-shaped, shorter than cercus. Subepandrial plate subrectangular, heavily sclerotized; more than half length of cercus. Cercus heavily sclerotized, long and broad in posterior view; apex expanded with fringe of subapical setae; strong setae clustered along anterior and posterior margins.

Female. Similar to male and female of C. attenuatus except as follows: Terminalia (based on undissected specimen): T10 bearing stout setae; cercus bearing similar modified setae.

Distribution. This species is restricted to Tasmania ( Fig. 100).

Etymology. The specific name is from the Latin bulbosus (swollen), referring to the greatly swollen or inflated male hypopygium.