Sarginae, Walker, 1834

Lessard, Bryan D., Yeates, David K. & Woodley, Norman E., 2020, Review of Australian Sarginae Soldier Fly Genera (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), with First Records of Cephalochrysa, Formosargus and Microchrysa, Records of the Australian Museum 72 (2), pp. 23-43 : 25-26

Subfamily Sarginae

Diagnosis. Small to large flies (length 5–16 mm), usually slender, dull yellowish brown or metallic purplish or greenish blue ( Figs 3–14 ). Head large, wider than thorax, separated from thorax by the well-developed, anteriorly produced antepronotum; occiput strongly concave; eyes usually superficially appearing as bare, with short, relatively sparse hair-like setae visible under higher magnification, occasionally dense, holoptic or narrowly dichoptic in males, dichoptic in females, ommatidia slightly wider anteriorly, with or without distinct demarcation of change in dorsoventral size; ocellar triangle prominent. Males with upper frons narrow, triangular; lower frons diverging or converging ventrally at margins, occasionally bulbous and anteriorly produced; females with narrow to wide frons (index 1.4–4.8), margins parallel-sided or converging ventrally. Face narrow to wide, rounded and not visible in profile, or with a small, anteroventrally produced, beak-like protuberance that is narrowly visible in profile, usually with a well-defined horizontal impression separating face from ventrally receding oral margins, with two distinct, tentorial pits visible at lateral margins below horizontal impression. Antennae inserted below middle of head, short (equal to length of head) or long (exceeding length of head), scape cylindrical and apically expanded, pedicel sometimes expanded apically on inner surface, flagellum with five flagellomeres, first four flagellomeres compact, rounded and laterally compressed to form an ovoid basal complex, apical margin usually with short, dense, hair-like setae, apical flagellomere aristate, arising anterodorsally from basal complex, usually with two prominent, moderately long, basal hair-like setae. Palpi short, two-segmented, second segment ovoid, often obscured within oral cavity. Proboscis short, labella fleshy. Scutum elongate and slender, about 1.1–1.2 times as long as wide, cuticular surface convex, shining, yellowish brown or strongly metallic bluish purple or greenish, hair-like setae usually dense; scutellum slightly raised or in same plane as scutum, short, about 0.4–0.5 times as long as wide, rounded to almost triangular, posteromedially pointed, unarmed, with hair-like setae; mediotergite well-developed, rounded, subshining, visible in both dorsal and lateral views, usually with some hair-like setae. Legs slender, without significant modification. Wings usually hyaline, occasionally infuscated with brown, set with microtrichia; R 2+3 arising proximal or distal to r-m; R 4 always present; four medial veins strong or faint, terminating before or reaching margin, and issued from discal cell, m-cu usually connected to M 4 and separated from discal cell by dM 3+4, occasionally connected to discal cell; post-tegula present, with small dorsal tuft of hair-like setae; lower calypter with or without small membranous strap-like lobe at base of wings. Abdomen yellowish brown or metallic bluish purple or green, ovoid (about 1.2–1.4 times as long as wide) or elongate and slender (about 2–3 times as long as wide), with 5 large, well-defined tergites, usually with dense hair-like setae. Females with two segmented cerci.

Remarks. Closely related to the Hermetiinae and Chrysochlorininae , sharing the posterior surface of the head being concave, elongation of the antepronotum, and unarmed scutellum, but distinguished by the combination of the following characters: antennae with five flagellomeres, the apical flagellomere being aristate; wings with M 4 issued separately from discal cell by having m-cu connected to M 4.

Included genera. There are currently five Sarginae genera recognized from Australia: Ptecticus Loew, 1855 (cosmopolitan), Sargus Fabricius, 1798 (cosmopolitan), and the newly recorded genera Formosargus James, 1939 (also Oriental), Cephalochrysa Kertész, 1912 (cosmopolitan) and Microchrysa Loew, 1855 (cosmopolitan) ( Woodley, 2001).

Australian distribution of Sarginae . New South Wales, northern NT and Queensland ( Fig. 2 ).

Figures

Figure 2. Distribution of the Sarginae from Australia, including the first records of Formosargus James, 1939 and Microchrysa Loew, 1855.ACT, Australian Capital Territory; NSW, New South Wales; NT, Northern Territory; Qld, Queensland; SA, South Australia; Tas, Tasmania; Vic, Victoria; WA, Western Australia.

Figure 3. Cephalochrysa gselli (Hill, 1919) comb. nov., holotype ♀ (SAMA 29-003393): (a) dorsum; (b) lateral; (c) head, frontal; (d) head, anterolateral.

Figure 4. Formosargus melanogrammus Lessard & Woodley, sp. nov. holotype ♀ (AMS K.478681): (a) dorsum; (b) lateral; (c) head, frontal; (d) head, anterolateral.

Figure 5. Microchrysa wrightae Lessard & Woodley, sp. nov. holotype ♂ (ANIC 29-037422): (a) dorsum; (b) lateral; (c) head, frontal; (d) head, anterolateral;paratype ♂ (ANIC 29-037462):(e) genital capsule and phallic complex, dorsal;(f) genital capsule and phallic complex, ventral, and; (g) epandrium, proctiger and cerci, dorsal. Abbreviations: c, cercus; ep, epandrium; gc, gonocoxite; gs, gonostylus; pr, proctiger.

Figure 6. Microchrysa wrightae Lessard & Woodley, sp. nov. paratype ♀ (ANIC 29-037423): (a) dorsum; (b) lateral; (c) head, frontal; (d) head, anterolateral.

Figure 7. Ptecticus longipes (Walker, 1861) ♂ (AMS K.453307): (a) dorsum; (b) lateral; (c) head, frontal; (d) head, anterolateral.

Figure 8. Ptecticus longipes (Walker, 1861) ♀ (AMS K.453309): (a) dorsum; (b) lateral; (c) head, frontal; (d) head, anterolateral.

Figure 9. Ptecticus queenslandicus Daniels, 1979 holotype ♂ (= rogans Walker, 1858: syn. Rozkošný & de Jong 2003) (AMS K.70681): (a) dorsum; (b) lateral; (c) head, frontal; (d) head, anterolateral.

Figure 10. Ptecticus queenslandicus Daniels, 1979 paratype ♀ (= rogans Walker,1858:syn. Rozkošný & deJong 2003) (AMS K.364669): (a) dorsum; (b) lateral; (c) head, frontal; (d) head, anterolateral.

Figure 11. Sargus mactans Walker, 1859 holotype ♂ (BMNH: NHMUK010922300): (a) dorsum; (b) lateral; (c) head, frontal; (d) head, anterolateral.

Figure 12. Sargus meridionalis White, 1916 holotype ♂ (BMNH: NHMUK010922301): (a) dorsum; (b) lateral; (c) head, frontal; (d) head, anterolateral.

Figure 13. Sargus meridionalis White, 1916 non-type ♂ (ANIC 29-037454):(a) dorsum;(b) lateral; (c) head, frontal; (d) head, anterolateral.

Figure 14. Sargus meridionalis White,1916 non-type ♀ (ANIC 29-037455):(a) dorsum; (b) lateral; (c) head, frontal; (d) head, anterolateral.