Zelothrix, Irwin, Michael E. & Winterton, Shaun L., 2016

Irwin, Michael E. & Winterton, Shaun L., 2016, New genera of Australian stiletto flies (Diptera, Therevidae), ZooKeys 618, pp. 97-128 : 113-115

Taxon classification Animalia Diptera Therevidae

Zelothrix gen. n. Figs 3, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28

Type species.

Zelothrix warrumbungles sp. n., designated here.

Diagnosis.

Male eyes contiguous dorsally; male occiput concave with a single row of postocular macrosetae present dorsally in male; antennal scape with macrosetae along medial surface; scape narrow and only slightly elongate; two pair of scutellar macrosetae; parafacial without setal pile; velutum patches absent on femora and sparsely present ventrally on gonocoxites; single anteroventral seta present apically on hind femur; wing cell m3 open; male genitalia with inner gonocoxal process well developed; gonostylus narrow apically; gonocoxites with medial atrium lacking; aedeagus with distiphallus broad apically; ventral apodeme of parameral sheath as broad plate, not forked; epandrium quadrangular. Female tergite 8 with narrow process anteromedially; two spermathecae, ducts joining to spermathecal sac duct; spermathecal sac present (Fig. 28A), female abdominal segment 8 with elongate posteriorly directed setae (Fig. 27).

Included species.

Zelothrix warrumbungles sp. n. and Zelothrix yeatesi sp. n.

Comments.

Zelothrix gen. n. is a distinctive genus with a disparate distribution. Similar genera include Squamopygia Kröber, Taenogerella Winterton & Irwin and Sidarena gen. n. This new genus can be differentiated from Squamopygia and Sidarena gen. n. by the presence of two scutellar macrosetae and a medial atrium in the male gonocoxites. The wing is extensively patterned in Zelothrix gen. n. but not banded as in Squamopygia . Zelothrix gen. n. is separable from Taenogerella by the latter having a downward directed distiphallus in the male genitalia and three spermathecae (two in Zelothrix gen. n.). A significant departure from the female genitalic complement of three spermathecae typically found in Agapophytinae, is that Zelothrix gen. n. only has two spermathecae, a condition found in Therevinae. No other genus of Agapophytinae has two spermathecae, although the distantly related agapophytine genus Bonjeania Winterton & Skevington has only a single spermatheca ( Winterton et al. 2000).

Zelothrix warrumbungles sp. n. is a locally highly abundant species found mainly in Warrumbungle National Park (New South Wales) (Fig. 4), while Zelothrix yeatesi sp. n. is a rarely collected species endemic to Porongurup National Park (Western Australia). The two species are very similar in appearance.

Etymology.

This name is derived from the Greek, Zelos– emulation, and thrix– hair, for the setal pile on the female abdomen. Gender is feminine.

Key to species of Zelothrix gen. n.: