Hydropeza queenlandensis, Sinclair, 2016

Sinclair, Bradley J., 2016, Revision of the Australian species of Hydropeza Sinclair (Diptera: Empididae: Ragadinae subfam. nov.), Records of the Australian Museum 68 (1), pp. 1-22 : 16-17

Hydropeza queenlandensis sp. nov.

Figs 7, 25

Type material. Holotype ♂, labelled: “AUST: N.QLD: 4km / up Mt. Edith Rd , 800m / Danbulla S.F., malaise/ tp.across ck. 22–27.iv./ 1994, B. J. Sinclair / 17°05'S 145°38'E ”; “ HOLOTYPE / Hydropeza / queenslandensis/ Sinclair [red label]” (AMS) . Paratypes: Queensland: 2♂♂, 3♀♀, Mt. Hypipamee NP, 960 m, Barron R., 27.iv.1994, 17°26'S 145°29'E, B. J. Sinclair (CNC) ; 3♂♂, 11♀♀, same data as holotype (AMS) ; 2♀♀, 14.7 km up Mt. Lewis Rd. , 860 m, 22.iv.1994, cascading ck, 16°30'S 145°17'E, B. J. Sinclair (CNC) ; 11♀♀, 31.6 km up Mt. Lewis Rd. , 1000 m, 21.iv.1994, cascading ck, 16°30'S 145°17'E, B. J. Sinclair (AMS, CNC) ; 5♂♂, 4♀♀, Paluma, Mt. Spec St. For. , 3.6 km S Paluma Dam, ck, 29.iv. 1994, 800 m, B. J. Sinclair (CNC) .

Additional material. Queensland: 2♀♀, Mt. Finnigan , 14.v.1981, MT, D.H. Colless (ANIC) .

Diagnosis. This species is distinguished from other Queensland species by restriction of the acrostichal setae anteriad to an imaginary line connecting the first (anteriormost) dorsocentral setae; male scutellum with several elongate discal setae; male mid femur with short row of basal posteroventral setae and mid tibia with short row of spine-like setae on apical third; male hind trochanter with single spine-like anteroventral seta; and male cercus deeply forked, Y-shaped. Females are distinguished from all other species by the highly setose scutellum.

Description. Head and abdomen dark brown, thorax brown with paler patches; coxae brownish yellow, legs progressively darker towards tips. Wing length 3.5–4 mm.

Male. Head. Ocellar setae very long, erect, divergent, inserted posterior to anterior ocellus; ocellar tubercle with some long setulae; postocellar seta stout and dark; upper postocular setae stout and dark, lower setae fine and slender; postgenal setae similar to lower postoculars. Face without setulae. Scape and pedicel paler than postpedicel; scape short and slender, slightly longer than length of globular pedicel; postpedicel not greatly prolonged, 3× longer than scape, basal portion elongate-oval, longer than slender, straight apical portion; arista-like stylus slightly longer than postpedicel, concolorous with postpedicel. Proboscis stout and robust, extended slightly beyond mid-length of fore coxa, directed posteriorly; palpus less than half length of proboscis, clothed in long pale setae; apex of palpus rounded; apical third of palpus somewhat flattened with dense pubescence.

Thorax. Clothed in fine pruinescence; mesonotum brown, with postpronotal lobe, lateral margin and postalar ridge pale brown; pleura paler than notum, pale along sutures. Setae generally long and stout; 3–4 acrostichal setulae anterior to 1st dorsocentral seta, less than 0.33× length of dc; pprn with 1 seta and several short setulae; 1 long presut spal; 5 uniserial dc, about subequal in length, without intermixed finer setae; 3 npl; 1 long psut spal and 1–2 finer setae; 1 pal seta; 1 pair of sctl, with 1–2 pairs of finer outer marginal setae; disc of scutellum with several long setae. Antepronotum without pair of setae.

Legs. Coxae and femora ventrally yellowish-brown; remaining segments increasingly darker apically. Inner anterior margin of fore coxa with some 15 dark, variously lengthened and thickened spine-like setae, mostly concentrated apically; basal most seta longer than width of coxa. Anterior surface of mid and hind coxae with long brown setae. Legs clothed in very long setae as typical for genus, especially ventral faces. Fore femur straight, slightly inflated, with row of 2 stout anterior setae at apical fifth; 6–8 posterodorsal setae, stouter towards apex. Fore tibia with 2 anteroventral setae on apical third; 2 anterodorsal setae; 1 anterodorsal and 1 ventral preapical seta. Fore tarsomere 1 with 1 basal anteroventral and 1 preapical anterovental seta, more than 2× width of segment; 1 long basal ventral and 1 shorter ventral seta on basal third. Mid femur with 2–3 anterodorsal setae, 1 anterior seta and 1 posterodorsal seta on apical third; basal half with row of 3–4 stout posteroventral setae; apex with 1 anterior and 1 posterior preapical seta. Mid tibia with width reduced on ventral apical third, with row of 5 short spine-like setae; apex with short spur-like ventral seta; 1 anterior seta at mid-length; apex with 1 anterodorsal and 1 posterodorsal seta. Mid tarsomere 1 with 1 long anteroventral basal seta. Hind femur slightly broader than mid femur, without erect dorsal setae; with anteroventral row of stout setae along entire length; apical fourth with 2 anterodorsal, 1 anterior and 1 posterior seta. Hind trochanter with single spine-like anteroventral seta. Hind tibia with 2 anterodorsal and 4 posterodorsal setae; 1 apical anteroventral seta; apical third with dense posterior setae. Hind tarsomere 1 without erect setae. Tarsomeres of fore and midlegs longer than tibia; ventral apical margin of tarsomere 4 of fore and midlegs somewhat pale, flattened and expanded; tarsomere 4 of hindleg not laterally compressed ventrally; tarsomere 5 of each leg lacking dorsoapical extension.

Wing. Infuscate with 1 long basal costal seta, longer than sctl; all veins lacking setulae; R 4 and R 5 distinctly divergent apically; bm-m complete; cell dm truncate to slightly produced, longer than length of cell bm; CuA + CuP reduced to streak. Halter brown.

Abdomen. Tergites and sternites clothed in setae; setae of posterior margin overlapping more than half length of following tergite. T8 broad, more than half length of T7; posterior marginal setae slightly shorter than preceding tergites.

Terminalia ( Fig. 25 ). Cercus elongate and projected, deeply forked, Y-shaped; apex of upper branch flattened, with short, sharp projection medially; lower branch subequal in length to upper. Epandrium narrow, tapered apically. Surstylus weakly differentiated, apex prolonged as stout, sharp thorn-like projection. Hypandrium keel-like, not greatly prolonged; apical margin with deep medial notch; gonocoxal apodeme short, rounded; postgonite digitiform, divergent, with hooked apex. Phallus broad, apically flattened and spoon-shaped; ejaculatory apodeme longer than gonocoxal apodeme.

Female. Similar to male except as follows: scutellum highly setose; mid femur lacking row of stout posteroventral basal setae; mid tibia not narrowed apically, lacking row of spinelike setae; hind femur lacking anteroventral row of stout setae. Terminalia (not dissected): cercus slightly longer than epiproct, slender with rounded apex.

Distribution. This species is widespread in the high tablelands in the wet tropics region of northern Queensland (Fig. 7).

Etymology. The specific name refers to the distribution of this species.

Remarks. The two females from Mt. Finnigan were excluded from the type series because the acrostichal setae extend beyond the first dorsocentrals. Collection of male specimens from this locality is required to confirm species identity.

Figures

Figures 23–25. Male terminalia of Hydropeza, lateral view. (23) H. divaricata. (24) H.intricata. (25) H. queenslandensis.Abbreviations:cerc, cercus; ph, phallus; pgt, postgonite; sur, surstylus. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.