Ceratomerus inflexus Hardy, 1930

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 : 21-23

Ceratomerus inflexus Hardy

Figs. 53, 63, 71

Ceratomerus inflexus Hardy, 1930: 247 .

Type material. NEOTYPE (here designated) 3, “TAS[mania, Australia]: Sandy Bay [Hobart]/ creek, U[niversity of].Tas. campus/ 18–21-1-1993; pans/ wet scler; D. Bickel ”; “ NEOTYPE / Ceratomerus / inflexus Hardy / des. B.J. Sinclair 2000 [red label]” AMS K175253 .

As discussed in “Materials and methods”, all Hardy type series have been lost, and this species, C. inflexus , was not mentioned in the list of damaged Hardy types by Daniels (1978). But it was possible to associate this species on the basis of wing venation. In addition, the original type material was collected from Mount Nelson ( Hardy, 1930), which is a suburb near Sandy Bay (Hobart) and the University campus where the Neotype was collected. The description by Hardy (1930) of the hypopygium as “rather small” is considered incorrect and was likely confused with C. ordinatus . Given the inaccuracies of the original description which may lead to future misidentifications, the designation of a neotype was deemed necessary.

Additional material. Australian Capital Territory: 13, 2♀♀, Blundells Ck, 35°22'S 148°50'E, vi, viii.1987 ( ANIC) . Tasmania: 1♀, same data as neotype ( AMS) . Victoria: 233, 1♀, Alexandra, 27.v.1953 ( ANIC, MVM) ; 13, Burrowa-Pine Mtn NP, Bluff Ck, picnic area, 400 m, rainfor., y.pans, 29.xi.1994 ( AMS) .

Diagnosis. Recognized by the strong inflexion of R 2+3 around the stigma, inflated male terminalia, stout male cerci, and short, broad posterior and truncate anterior hypandrial processes.

Description. Wing length 3–3.4 mm, similar to C. attenuatus except as follows:

Male. Head. Postocular bristles short, erect shorter than one-third of eye. Antenna with length of scape slightly less than height of eye, with 3 dorsal setae; postpedicel length less than height of head; three-segmented stylus longer than postpedicel; segment 8 elongate, 4× as long as wide. Palpus brown, slender, one-sixth length of labrum.

Thorax. Scutum and postnotum dark brown; upper margin of pleura brown, remaining pale brown; postpronotal lobe pale.

Wing ( Fig. 53). R 2+3 running parallel and close to costa, strongly deflected around stigma.

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.

Mid femur slender with pv row of long, dark setae; base with long erect pv seta; proximal half with av row of dark setae, increasing in length basally, biserial at base. Mid tibia slightly swollen at mid-length, bearing 2–3 stout av setae; pv surface with row of slender setae, longer than width of tibia; av surface with row of setae, decreasing in length apically; apical 4–5 av setae, shorter than width of tibia, held erect, perpendicular to tibia; 2 ad setae on proximal half. First tarsomere 3 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 short ventral process.

Terminalia ( Fig. 63). Hypandrium with pair of short posterior processes; 1 pair of short, anterior, hooked articulated processes arched posteriorly near surstyli, with truncate apex; 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, spherical; fused ventrally to lateral wall of hypandrium. Surstylus finger-shaped, shorter than cercus. Subepandrial plate trapezoidal, 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 margin.

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 known from Tasmania, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory ( Fig. 71).

Remarks. The mainland population differs somewhat from the neotype in having more pronounced setae on the inner margin of the surstylus.