Molophilus (Molophilus) avia, Billingham & Theischinger, 2022

Billingham, Zacariah D. & Theischinger, Gunther, 2022, New and Poorly Known Species of Crane Flies (Diptera: Limoniidae) from New South Wales, Australia, Records of the Australian Museum (Rec. Aust. Mus.) 74 (1), pp. 19-40 : 20

Molophilus (Molophilus) avia sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:0897FEEB-8893-4EAB-9001-4C582C077F4C

Figs 1–2

Holotype ♂, Australia, New South Wales, Upper Karuah River, Burrawang Creek off Frying Pan Rd (32.232°S 151.764°E), 9 Nov 2018, Z. Billingham & G. Theischinger, AM (K.394953) . Paratypes 1♂, Avon River , Tributary of Avon River off Berrico Rd (32.151°S 151.844°E), 10 Nov 2018, Z. Billingham & G. Theischinger, GHD ( T 22391) ; 1♂, Bulahdelah , Black Camp Creek off Knob Rd (32.377°S 152.153°E), 17 Nov 2018, Z. Billingham & G. Theischinger, AM (K.394954).

Description ♂ (♀ unknown).

Head ( Fig. 1 ): golden yellow, vertex with prominent dark greyish brown teardrop-shaped marking, antennal pedicel and scape pale whitish yellow, antennal flagellum with basal segments pale whitish yellow, terminal segments darkening to greyish brown, palpus dark greyish brown. Antenna of moderate length, extending back to the transverse suture.

Thorax. Pronotum with lateral edges golden yellow and dorsal angle dark greyish brown, otherwise whitish yellow. Prescutum and scutum golden brown, the posterior margins of scutal lobes pale yellowish brown. Scutellum mostly golden yellow with small darker golden brown basal area. Mediotergite largely golden yellow with darker golden brown central area. Paratergite bright white, in combination with pale portions of pronotum forming a distinct pale stripe between terga and pleura. Cervical sclerite, propleuron and pleurites golden yellow. Forecoxa golden yellow, meso- and metacoxa and trochanters pale whitish yellow. Basal ⅓ of femora pale golden yellow, remainder of femora darkening to greyish brown. Tibiae and tarsi dark greyish brown. Wing pale grey tinged with yellow, veins yellowish brown. Halter with stem and knob whitish yellow.

Abdomen: greyish brown.

Terminalia ( Fig. 2 ). Hypopygium golden yellow, lobe of tergite 9 rather long, rectangular, caudal margin shallowly concave. Gonocoxite with large, tapering, apically rounded, ventral lobe bearing a fringe of strong setae on the medial edge, dorsal and medial lobes of gonocoxite undeveloped. Outer gonostylus short and club-shaped, caudal margin irregular serrate with a short prominent spine, ventral face with a serrate spine. Inner gonostylus long, heavily sclerotized and terminating in an axe-head-shaped blade, strongly bent at about half its length to project caudad. Aedeagus long and narrow. Parameres fused, poorly developed.

Dimensions. Body length (excluding antenna) 4.3 mm, wing length 4.5 mm.

Etymology. Latin for grandmother, this species is named in memory of Theresa “Tess” Billingham.

Discussion. Molophilus (M.) avia is allied to a large group of morphologically similar species around M. (M.) capitatus Alexander, 1927 and M. (M.) auriculifer Theischinger, 1988 (see Theischinger, 1992 for more details on these species), and most closely resembles M. (M.) gununo Theischinger, 1992 . Molophilus (M.) avia is readily distinguished from all similar species by the form of the inner gonostylus, with terminal axe-head shaped blade.

Figures

Figures 1–2. Molophilus (Molophilus) avia sp. nov., male. (1) head colouration, dorsal; (2) hypopygium, ventral view.