Diadiplosis plumbea ( Skuse, 1888 ) Skuse, 1888

Kolesik, Peter & Gagné, Raymond J., 2016, Revision of early taxa of Australian gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), Zootaxa 4205 (4), pp. 301-338 : 315-316

Diadiplosis plumbea ( Skuse, 1888) , new combination

[ Fig. 8 ]

Cecidomyia (Diplosis) plumbea Skuse, 1888: 69 .

Diplosis koebelei Koebele, 1893: 38 . New synonym.

Silvestrina koebelei Felt, 1932:167 .

Nipponodiplosis koebelei (Felt) , new combination for Silvestrina koebelei Felt by Harris (1968: 462). Diadiplosis koebelei Felt , new combination by Gagné (1973: 869).

Diadiplosis koebelei (Koebele) , redescription and new combination by Gagné in Gagné & Stein (1982: 66). Diadiplosis koebelei (Felt) , junior synonym of Diadiplosis koebelei (Koebele) by Gagné in Gagné & Stein (1982: 66).

Material studied. Syntypes, males and females, “ Elizabeth Bay ( Skuse ). January. I found this in large numbers on some small cob-webs about the bases of the fronds of four species of tree-ferns [ Alsophila australis (N.S.W.), Cunninghami (Gipsland), Cooperi (Norfolk Island), and Cyathea medullaris ( New Zealand)], planted in Mr. Macleay’s garden. They probably occupied such situations for shelter only”, in ANIC . Two males (one of them designated here as lectotype, ANIC 29-38506, the other as paralectotype, ANIC 29-38507), and five females (paralectotypes ANIC 29-38501–5), were mounted. Next to these seven labeled specimens four other pins with cards bearing six adults without data labels were stored in ANIC. As the provenence of these six unlabeled specimens is unknown they were not examined. The types have a particular body part in satisfactory condition on at least one specimen except the male terminalia that are partially shrivelled in both males. We compared the types of Diadiplosis plumbea to those of Diadiplosis koebelei ( Koebele, 1893) in the USNM and found that they are conspecific.

Description. Colour (extracted from Skuse (1888), based on fresh specimens of both sexes): antenna grayish brown-yellow; face and palpus brown-yellow; thorax pale reddish brown; abdomen in male brown-yellow, second to fifth tergum with small indistinct ferruginous spot, in female reddish brown-yellow, with distinct black spot on third tergum; coxae and femora pale brown-yellow, proximal part and distal tip of femora and tarsi cinereous.

Male. Wing 1.5 mm long, 0.6 mm wide, R4+5 slightly curved at distal third, joining C at wing apex, C broken at juncture with R4+5, Rs and wingfold not apparent, Cu forked. Head with 4-segmented palpus, palpiger present, occipital protuberance absent. Antenna with 12 flagellomeres; flagellomeres with two nodes, circumfilum of proximal node with 20–22 loops, distal node longer and constricted between circumfila, the circumfila each with 15–18 loops. Tarsal claws toothed on all legs, bent before midlength with abruptly narrowed tip, empodia reaching bend of claws. Terminalia: gonocoxite cylindrical; gonocoxal apodeme diverging; aedeagus tapered, longer than hypoproct; gonostylus entirely microtrichose with scattered setae; cerci tapered, with a few setae apically; hypoproct broadly rounded apically, with several ventral setae posteriorly and laterally and two widely separated apical setae.

Female. Wing 1.6 mm long, 0.6 mm wide. Flagellomeres barrel-shaped; circumfila with many closely approximated connections to flagellomere, with basal and distal bands, the basal extensively bowed and usually interconnecting with distal, transverse band. Ovipositor barely protrusible; cerci large, obtuse-triangular in dorsal view, bearing setae and microtrichia; hypoproct wide in dorsal view, short, with pair of terminal setae.

Remarks. See Gagné & Stein (1982) for descriptions of adults and larvae (yellow-orange in colour), morphological differences to other congeners, and names of hosts of this predator of scale insects.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Diadiplosis plumbea (Skuse). a – d: male; e – g: female. (a) wing, (b) terminalia in dorsal view (partially damaged, part of one gonostylus missing), (c) claw and empodium, (d) sixth flagellomere, (e) part of mouthparts with palpus, (f) ovipositor in dorsal view (one cercus missing), (g) third flagellomere (partially shrivelled).