Scaptia (Myioscaptia) collessi Lessard

Lessard, Bryan D. & Yeates, David K., 2013, New species of the hairy-eyed horse fly subgenera Scaptia (Myioscaptia) Mackerras, 1955 and Scaptia (Scaptia) Walker, 1850 (Diptera: Tabanidae) from Australia, Zootaxa 3680 (1), pp. 118-129 : 121-123

Scaptia (Myioscaptia) collessi Lessard , sp.n.

( Fig. 2 )

Type material. Holotype female, Qld, 18 km north of Ravenshoe near The Craters, 28 Nov 1981, D. H. Colless (AM).

Diagnosis. A small (length 8 mm) Calliphora- like species, closely related to the Northern form of Scaptia (Myioscaptia) bancrofti (Austen, 1912) , but distinguished as having longer, narrower palpi, flagellomeres swollen at base and tapering towards tip, abdomen less tomentose, with dark brown to black tergites without blueish hues, coxae with mixed black and gold hairs, and femora with dark brown to black hairs.

Female. Length 8mm. Head. Eyes with pale brown hairs. Frons parallel, index 2.5, brownish grey with grey zones along margins, hairs dark brown to black; ocellar tubercle raised, dark brown to greyish with long dark brown hairs. Subcallus greyish fawn with a slight yellowish hue, lighter at base of antennae; parafacials greyish fawn, and with brown hairs at lower margins; face yellowish brown to greyish fawn with widened rows of dark brown hairs below each antennae. Antennae. 1st and 2nd segment greyish fawn with black hairs; 3rd yellowish brown with basal three flagellomeres swollen, remainder of flagellomeres conspicuously tapering at tip and darkening on apical two, contrasting. Palpi. 1st segment yellowish brown with dense brown hairs; 2nd flat, relatively long, length twice as long as it is wide, obviously tapered, and with sparse pale yellow marginal hairs. Beard dull pale yellow to brown.

Thorax. Scutum and scutellum grey to light slate blue, shining, with pale grey median, dorsocentral lines, transverse suture and lateral margins, hairs on disc black, supra- and postalar tufts mixed black and cream to gold. Pleura greyish brown, darkening below, hairs gold on pronotum and dense on upper anepisternum, dense gold on laterotergite, and with occasional mixed brown hairs on above posteriorly, remainder of hairs predominantly black with some shorter golden hairs on katepisternum.

Legs. Coxae grey to yellowish brown, and with gold hairs dorsally and black ventrally; tarsi and tarsomeres slightly darker than yellow femora, hairs predominantly black, with the exception of the hind femora with sparse golden hairs.

Wings. Grey, somewhat yellowish towards costal cell and basal cells; stigma inconspicuous yellowish brown; veins yellowish brown; R4 sinuous and with very short appendix; cell R5 widely open.

Abdomen. Shining, semi-metallic black, and with first tergite brown, remainder black with bronze to golden brown apical bands; hairs on disc golden, black on first tergite with small medial tuft of mixed black and golden hairs, remainder of tergites with dense golden hairs at lateral margins. Venter. Shiny, all sternites black with golden apical bands, hairs short and golden.

Remarks. The collection label declares that this specimen was caught “at light”. Nothing further is known regarding the species behaviour. This species is closely related to Scaptia (Myioscaptia) bancrofti but notably differs from either form to warrant recognition as a new species.

Distribution. Known only from the holotype locality of north eastern Queensland ( Fig. 1 ).

Etymology. This specific epithet is in honour of the late Don Colless, research scientist and curator of Diptera in the Australian National Insect Collection (ANIC) from 1960 until 1987, and associated with the collection as an Honorary Fellow until 2012. Don Colless collected the only known specimen of this species.

Figures

FIGURE 1. The distribution of Scaptia (Myioscaptia) Mackerras, 1955 and Scaptia (Scaptia) Walker, 1850 species described in this paper, noting the first records of Scaptia (Myioscaptia) from inland Western Australia. Black locations represent new collection records for the novel species; grey represent previous collection records for the subgenus S. (Myioscaptia).

FIGURE 2. Scaptia (Myioscaptia) collessi Lessard, sp. n. Holotype female: (a) dorsum; (b) side; (c) front; (d) profile.