Mormotomyia, Austen, 1936

Austen, E. E., 1936, A Remarkable Semi-Apterous Fly (Diptera) found in a Cave in East Africa, and representing a new Family, Genus, and Species., Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 106 (2), pp. 425-431 : 426-428

Genus MORMOTOMYIA , gen. n.

With somewhat the appearance of a spider, or of a long-legged, semi-apterow Scatophaga, devoid of ocelli and halteres (thoughthe latter mayperhaps be represented by a pair of small sessile knobs), with exceedingly small, more or less horizontal, elliptical ovate or lozenge-shaped eyes, and entirely without macrochztz either on head (apartjrom slender vibrissz?),body, or legs; wings vestigial, short, rod-like, muminate, and useless for jlight.

Head (cf. text-fig. 2 ) large, equal to thorax in its greatest width, and wider than abdomen; vertical triangle extending forwards nearly to anterior margin of front (frons) and ending bluntly; jowls greatly swollen; eyes longer than deep, their horizontal diameter about twice so long as the vertical one, facets convex and relatively coarse; proboscis short, stout and swollen, palpi somewhat clavate; antenns with third segment small, disciform, partly overlapped a t base by extinguisher-shaped second segment, and bearing on its outer side a long, fine, microscopically pubescent arista.

Abdomen: hypopygium of 6 (cf. text-fig. 3 ) small, with superior claspers outwardly convex, and resembling the two halves of a bivalve shell.

Wings (cf. text-fig. 4 ) consisting of vestiges of five longitudinal veins in addition to costa, squeezed together in a manner somewhat reminiscent of position of corresponding veins in wing of C r a t z r i m pallida Latr. ( Diptera Pupipara: fam. Hippoboscids), but without any trace of wing-membrane, and ending in a blunt, narrow point.

Legs (cf. text-figs. I and 5 ) very long; claws large, slender and strongly curved, with, a t base on under side, a downwardly directed, tooth-like process, especially noticeable in case of hind pair; middle and hind claws nearly parallel to longitudinal axis of leg and not a t right angles to it; pulvilli long and narrow, pointed a t tips, with a row of hairs along edges of under side; empodium present, slender and styliform, pointed a t tip; near distal extremity of last tarsal segment, on upper side, a long, downwardly curved hair.

Genotype: Mormotomyia hirsuta , sp. n.

Figures

Text-figure 2. Mormotoinyia hirsuta Austen, 6. Head in profile. Greatly enlarged

Text-figure 3. Miirinotomylte hirsuta Austen, d. Distal extromity of abdomen: lateral view, showing hypopygium. (:reatly riilargetl.

Text-figure 4. Mormotomyia iiirsutcc Austen, 8. Wing. Greatly enlarged.

Text-figure 5. Mormotomyia hireuta Austen, d. Hind leg. Greatly enlarged.