Amobia (s. str.) burnsi ( Malloch, 1930 )

Johnston, Nikolas P., Wallman, James F., Dowton, Mark, Szpila, Krzysztof & Pape, Thomas, 2020, Taxonomic revision of Australian Amobia Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 (Sarcophagidae: Miltogramminae): integrating morphology and genetics finds a new species and tackles old problems, European Journal of Taxonomy 722, pp. 75-96 : 84-87

Amobia (s. str.) burnsi ( Malloch, 1930)

Figs 4–5

Austrometopia burnsi Malloch, 1930: 438 .

Material examined

Holotype

AUSTRALIA • ♂; QLD, Meringa ; 28 Jun. 1926; A.N. Burns leg.; [label indicates ‘Parasitic on Eumenid’]; ANIC.

Other material

AUSTRALIA • 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; NT, 15 km N Katherine; 16 May 2005, R.W. Matthews leg.; [label indicates ‘Reared: ex. Nest of Delta latreillei (Saussure) ’]; ANIC • 1 ♀; QLD, Lockhart R; Rev. Hint leg.; ANIC • 1 ♂; NSW, North Head , Sydney Harbour; 14 Feb. 1978; G. Daniels leg.; AM • 1♀; [neither locality, date nor collector; label indicates ‘parasitic on Sceliphron laetum ’]; QM .

Diagnosis

Males of this species can be distinguished from the other two Australian species of Amobia by the combination of distinct bright golden microtomentum on the fronto-orbital as well as parafacial plates and yellow-brown basicosta.

Redescription

SIZE. 8.0–10.0 mm (n = 7).

Male

HEAD ( Fig. 4B, D, G ). With golden microtomentum on fronto-orbital and parafacial plates; frontal stripe dark brown and concave; fronto-orbital plate setose with two distinct rows of setae, one row of frontal setae (> 10 setae) and one row of proclinate fronto-orbital setae (> 10 setae) and additional fine frontoorbital setulae, setal rows ending before lunule; third aristomere broad at base and tapering to fine hairlike tip distally, black and twice as long as first flagellomere; pedicel and scape setose; first flagellomere black and slightly longer than pedicel; parafacial plate with fine setae near facial ridge in multiple disordered rows; gena and postgena grey with black setae; genal groove present, dark brown; vibrissa located midway between tip of first flagellomere and mouth margin; numerous supra-vibrissal setae present in two rows, inner row strong and ordered, outer row weak and unordered.

THORAX ( Fig. 4A, C ). Grey with some dull yellow microtomentum anteriorly; one major median, two major lateral and two faint minor lateral stripes (located mediad to lateral major stripes and approximately one quarter of their width); major stripes ending at anterior margin of scutellum; minor stripes ending just anterior to suture; scutellum with some darkening on lateral margins; two notopleural setae, with numerous additional fine setae; proepisternum setose; katepisternal setae 1+1.

WING ( Fig. 4F ). Hyaline; vein R 1 bare; vein R 4+5 with several setae at base; cell r 4+5 open; tegula black; basicosta light yellow brown.

LEGS ( Fig. 4A ). Black; claws of fore tarsus slightly longer than tarsomere 5; pulvilli slightly shorter than fore tarsal claws; mid tibia with one anteroventral and one anterodorsal seta.

ABDOMEN ( Fig. 4A, C, E ). T1+2 black; setose, with two distinct median marginal setae; T3–T5: setose, with two distinct median marginal setae and additional finer setae along entire posterior margin of each tergite; black ground colour most clearly visible towards posterior margin; dull grey microtomentum present (occupying almost the entirety of each tergite); three distinct black spots (two lateral and one median) on T3 and T4; T5 with only one median black spot.

MALE TERMINALIA ( Fig. 5 A–D). Cercus sickle-shaped in lateral view, broad at base and pointed apically; densely setose dorsally; cerci diverging in posterior view with a weak curve away from one another; surstylus straight in lateral view, shorter than the cerci; in posterior view, surstyli slightly curved medially towards cerci; phallus blunt with small spines on distal lobe, swollen apically.

Female

As male except with generally paler microtomentum, especially on head where it appears dull grey. The authors have chosen not to redescribe the female genitalia.

Biology

Label data indicate [klepto]parasitism of wasps of the families Vespidae ( Delta latreillei (Saussure, 1852)) and Sphecidae ( Sceliphron laetum (Smith, 1856)) .

Distribution

Australasia – Australia (NSW, NT, QLD, WA).

Remarks

Amobia burnsi was described in the monotypic genus Austrometopia Malloch, 1930 . This classification has since been rejected as it rendered the genus Amobia paraphyletic ( Kurahashi 1970; Pape 1996). Pape (1996) specified that, in the genus Amobia , the fore-tarsal claws are longer than the fifth tarsomere in both sexes; however, this was not observed in females of A. burnsi examined in this study, and as such may not be a character of all Amobia .

It should be noted that proepisternal setosity has been observed to be variable in this species and as such cannot be used to diagnose it.

Figures

Fig. 4. Amobia burnsi (Malloch, 1930), ♂, NSW, North Head, Sydney Harbour, 14 Feb. 1978, G. Daniels leg. (AM) A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Head, lateral view. C. Habitus, dorsal view. D. Head, dorsal view. E. Abdomen, dorsal view. F. Left wing, dorsal view. G. Head, anterior view. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Fig. 5. Amobia burnsi (Malloch, 1930), male terminalia, NT, 15 km N Katherine, 16 May 2005, R.W. Matthews leg (ANIC). A. Epandrium, cerci, surstyli and phallus, posterior view. B. Epandrium, cerci, surstyli, phallus and pre-gonite, lateral view. C. SEM image of epandrium, gonites, cerci and surstyli, posterior view. D. SEM image of epandrium, gonites, phallus, cerci and surstyli, lateral view. Abbreviations: c = cercus; d = distal lobe of phallus; s = surstylus; p = pre-gonite. Scale bars: 100 µm.