Panops grossi (Neboiss, 1971) Neboiss, 1971

Winterton, Shaun L., 2012, Review of Australasian spider flies (Diptera, Acroceridae) with a revision of Panops Lamarck, ZooKeys 172, pp. 7-75 : 38-39

Panops grossi (Neboiss, 1971) comb. n. Figs 44-47

Panocalda grossi Neboiss, 1971: 214 - Schlinger and Jefferies 1989: 376.

Type material examined.

Holotype female, AUSTRALIA: Northern Territory: Koolpinyah, 21.iv.1916 [-12.331, 131.148] G. F. Hill, (in copula) (SAM).

‘Allotype’. AUSTRALIA: Northern Territory: same data as holotype (SAM).

Diagnosis.

Eye pilose dorsally only, relatively dense and elongate; proboscis shorter than head height; body colour and shape sexually dimorphic: male metallic olive green, female yellow and brown, globose; antennae yellow; parafacial without marginal pile; postpronotal lobe and legs concolourous with rest of body.

Redescription.

Body length: 9.0 mm (male), 12.0 mm (female). Head eye pilose dorsally only, dense and relatively elongate; occiput olive green, occipital pile dense white (male) or yellow (female); postocular ridge and gena overlain with grey pubescence; ocellar tubercle raised laterally or relatively flat; medial ocellus absent; clypeus shorter than oral cavity, yellow-brown; palpus black; margin of oral cavity (parafacial) glabrous; proboscis not extending beyond oral cavity; flagellum yellow, apex in male uniform width, truncated apically; scape and pedicel brown. Thorax with postpronotal lobe yellow (female) or green (male); scutum metallic olive green or yellow-orange; scutal vestiture dense white or yellow-gold pile; scutellum metallic olive green or orange-yellow with brown suffusion; pleuron orange or metallic olive green; coxae brown; femora brown-black, apices dark yellow; tibiae brown; tarsi brown; lower calypter white, brown marginally on membrane or white, with dark yellow margin; wing hyaline or slightly infuscate, venation dark; vein R4 without spur vein. Abdomen shape with male rounded, not larger than thorax, metallic olive green, vestiture dense short pile, longer laterally; female rounded globose, much larger than thorax (female), orange-yellow (female), vestiture elongate yellow pile.

Comments.

Panops grossi comb. n.was described by Neboiss (1971) as the sole species in the genus Panocalda but is transferred herein to Panops . This species is apparently closely related to Panops boharti comb. n. based on eye pilosity, and Panops schlingeri sp. n. and Panops jade sp. n. based on the short mouthparts. All of these species are northern Australian or Indonesian species. Panops grossi comb. n. can be distinguished from all other Panops based on the dense patch of relatively elongate pile on the dorsal part of the eye. This species displays a dramatic sexual dimorphism similar to that found in Panops conspicuus , with females being orange-yellow in colour.