Howickia brevior (Richards)

(Figs. 3.3, 6.1–6.6)

Leptocera (Biroina) brevior Richards, 1973: 339 .

Biroina brevior (Richards), Marshall, 1989: 602; Roháček et al., 2001: 124.

Howickia brevior (Richards), Marshall et al., 2014.

Description. Body length: Male 1.5 mm, female 1.6 mm.

Head: Dark brown, lower half of frons orange extending upwards beside interfrontal plates to level of ocellar triangle; lower half of frontal vitta yellowish, upper half and ocellar triangle dark brown; frontal vitta, interfrontal plates and orbital plates with pale microtrichia; gena brown; antenna brown. Frontal width 2.0x interfrontal height. Two pairs of large interfrontal bristles preceded by a smaller pair 0.5x length of posterior pairs; 2 lateroclinate orbital bristles plus 2 minute setulae, anterior bristle 0.6x length of posterior bristle. Gena with strong upcurved bristle and 3–4 smaller setae, finely and densely striate, shiny, lower half microtrichose; vibrissal angle with 2 subvibrissal setae. Face normal, palpus clavate with 1 large apical and 1 large subapical setae. Eye height 2.8x genal height.

Thorax: Dark brown; scutum dull with brown microtrichose, edges narrowly lighter and with pale spots on posterior notopleural lobes; anepimeron with lighter posteroventral spot. Two pairs of dorsocentral bristles (anterior pair 0.4x length of posterior pair, not much larger than acrostichals); 6–7 rows of long, fine acrostichal setulae. Prosternum narrow, linear, posteriorly expanded. Scutellum large, microtrichose, semicircular, its length 0.7x its width; 4 scutellar bristles long, apical pair 1.5x length of basal pair.

Legs: Dark brown, tibiae proximally paler; tarsi brown (first 2 hind tarsomeres dark brown), basitarsus darkest. Male mid tibia with stout apicoventral seta and 2 rows of stout ventral setae, mid femur with 2 corresponding rows of strong proximoventral setae. Basal half of mid tibia with 4 dorsal bristles (2 anterodorsal and 2 posterodorsal), distal half with 3 dorsal bristles (2 anterodorsal and 1 posterodorsal).

Wing/halter: Strongly infuscate. CS2 0.5x length of CS3. R 2+3 strongly sinuate, curves roughly symmetrical rounded right angles, sometimes with a short appendage on distal curve; R 4+5 slightly upcurved, meeting costa just before wing tip; costa extending slightly past R 4+5 (3x costal width). Halter pale brown.

Male abdomen: Dark brown, shiny with microtrichose bands along T2–4 (according to Richards). T2–5 and S2–4 heavily sclerotized, uniformly long-setose along posterior half of sclerites. S5 concealed and undescribed by Richards; S6+7 small and constricting before epandrium. Epandrium (as can be seen from holotype photos) rather flattened, sparsely long-setose. Further details of postabdomen unavailable.

Female abdomen: Dark brown, heavily sclerotized. T2–5 uniformly long-setose in posterior two-thirds with large posterolateral setae, S2–5 uniformly long-setose along entire surface with large posterolateral setae; pleural membrane with sparse setae. Preabdomen subequal to length of thorax. Postabdomen retracted into preabdomen and hardened, making most of the postabdomen impossible to examine. Cercus subtriangular with 4 long sinuate setae (1 apical, 1 preapical, 1 basolateral and 1 ventral) and several smaller setulae. Hypoproct rounded, microtrichose with a preapical row of 4 stout setae. Spermathecae stout, ovoid, lightly grooved with a basal ring of small bumps; stem subequal in length to spermatheca and cylindrical.

Type material. Holotype: AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Otford, swept close to surface of rocks and water, 31.xii.1962, D.H. Colless (♂, ANIC) . Holotype photos provided by James Lumbers, ANIC .

Material examined. AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Upper Allyn River, 22.iv.1970, D.H. Colless (1 ♀, ANIC) .

Comments. The description of male characters is based on holotype photos. The only specimen available to us was a female with a collapsed abdomen. Features described above were visible through the preabdominal sclerites.