Ceratomerus sp.

Bradley J Sinclair, 2003, Taxonomy, Phylogeny and Zoogeography of the Subfamily Ceratomerinae of Australia (Diptera: Empidoidea), Records of the Australian Museum 55, pp. 1-44 : 33

Ceratomerus sp. (undescribed)

Material examined. ♀, Philip Island (nr. Norfolk Is.) 29°07'S 167°57'E, Upper Long Valley , 26.iii–2.iv.1984, MT , D.C.F. Rentz ( ANIC) .

Diagnosis. This female specimen is in very poor condition and consequently not described. It appears to be most closely related to C. falcatus and C. maculatus on the basis of wing venation and lengthened pedicel.

Diagnosis. Female with wing length 2.5 mm. Pedicel cylindrical, slightly greater than half length of scape; radial fork proximal to medial fork; cell dm rectangular, slender; auxiliary crossvein between R 2+3 and R 4 present.

Biology. This specimen was collected on Philip Island, which lies about 6 km south of Norfolk Island ( Rentz, 1989). This island is ecologically devastated, primarily the result of the introduction of rabbits which striped the island of vegetation and caused widespread erosion ( Rentz, 1989, figs. 4–9). This species of Ceratomerus has surprisingly survived the changes to this island in narrow damp valleys protected by low shrubs. As discussed in “Biology” under C. maculatus , it is hypothesized that this species group breeds in damp soil near streams. Thus the breeding habitat of this species has remained protected in the narrow sheltered valleys.

Unplaced Australian species

Although the following species are considered to be most closely related to other Australian species, they could not be confidently assigned to a particular Australian species group. They remain problematic, especially C. albistylus which differs greatly from all other Australian species.