Howickia fuscalis (Richards)

(Figs. 3.7, 10.1–10.9)

Leptocera (Biroina) fuscalis Richards, 1973: 338 .

Biroina fuscalis (Richards), Marshall, 1989: 602; Roháček et al., 2001: 125.

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

Description. Body length: Males 1.4–1.6 mm, females 1.4–1.9 mm.

Head: Dark brown, shiny despite brown microtrichia, lower quarter of frons reddish extending upwards along orbital plates, frontal vitta dark reddish-brown; entire head uniformly microtrichose except two shiny spots on either side of ocellar triangle; gena reddish-brown; antenna orange. Frontal width 1.8x interfrontal height. Two pairs of large interfrontal bristles preceded by a smaller pair 0.5x length of posterior pairs; 2 lateroclinate orbital bristles, anterior bristle 0.7x length of posterior bristle. Gena with strong upcurved bristle and 2–3 smaller setae, finely and densely striate, shiny, lower half microtrichose; vibrissal angle with 2 subvibrissal setae. Face normal; palpus clavate with 2 large apical setae. Eye height 2.9x genal height.

Thorax: Dark brown; scutum shiny despite brown microtrichia, posterolateral edges lighter and with pale spots on posterior notopleural lobe; anepisternum with large shining bare patch. One pair of dorsocentral bristles; 7– 8 rows of short, somewhat stout acrostichal setulae. Prosternum narrow, linear, posteriorly expanded. Scutellum microtrichose, distinctly flattened, semicircular, its length 0.7x its width; 4 scutellar bristles long, apical pair 2.0x length of basal pair.

Legs: Dark brown, tibiae proximally paler; tarsi brown. Male mid tibia with a moderate apicoventral seta and 2 rows of short ventral setae along distal half, 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 0.8x length of CS3. R 2+3 sinuate, distal curve slightly stronger than basal curve; R 4+5 strongly upcurved, meeting costa well before wing tip; costa extending past R 4+5 (5x costal width). Halter dark; knob dark brown; stem brown.

Male abdomen: Black, heavily sclerotized, shiny despite microtrichia. T2–5 wide, sparsely long-setose along posterior two-thirds with large posterolateral setae, S2–4 sparsely long-setose along entire surface with large posterolateral setae; pleural membrane bare. S5 large, shiny, laterally sparsely long-setose, posteromedially with a patch of stout setae below a broad, T-shaped desclerotization with a row of 20 stout, flattened teeth along the posterior margin and 2 flanking tab bearing many fine, sinuate setae. Epandrium small, wedge-shaped, and sparsely longsetose; cercus flattened, rectangular with 2 long setae and numerous smaller setae. Hypandrium medially strongly sinuate; ventral lobe narrow, sinuate, largely membranous with many ventral spicules; posterodorsal lobe elongate, slightly sinuate. Surstylus bipartite: anterior lobe broad, rectangular with many lateral setulae; posteroventral lobe clavate, densely-setose apically with an especially large, ventral thorn-like seta. Postgonite elongate, gently tapered, and curved forwards in apical half, proximally with a pair of anterior setulae, distal quarter with numerous minute anterior setulae, apex curved forwards into a slight hook. Phallapodeme gently curved with anterior apex broadened; basiphallus short, arms broadened medially. Distiphallus relatively simple, tubular, largely desclerotized and slightly sinuate, apically with a wrinkled membrane covering apex.

Female abdomen: Black, heavily sclerotized, shiny despite microtrichia. T2–5 wide, sparsely long-setose along posterior two-thirds with large posterolateral setae, T4–5 elongated causing tip to be curved downwards, S2–5 uniformly long-setose along entire surface with large posterolateral setae; pleural membrane bare. Preabdomen slightly shorter in length to head + thorax. Postabdomen elongate, 2.7x length of T5. T6 and T7 reduced to a pair of L-shaped lateral plates, each bearing a posterior row of 3 setae. Epiproct rectangular with a slight posteromedial tab and dorsomedially bearing a pair of setae. Cercus subtriangular with 5 long sinuate setae (2 apical, 2 lateral and 1 dorsal) and several smaller setulae. S6 and S7 fairly well-developed, present as rectangular plates with some anteromedial desclerotization and bearing posterior rows of 10 and 8 setae, respectively. S8 present as a broad, posteriorly microtrichose plate with a preapical row of 5–6 setae. Hypoproct rounded, posteriorly microtrichose with a row of 6 stout setae. Spermathecae stout, spherical and strongly grooved; stem subequal in length to spermatheca and cylindrical.

Type material. Holotype: AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Katoomba, 15.i.1959, G.H. Hardy (♀, AMSA) . Holotype photos provided by Natalie Tees, AMSA .

Paratype: AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Katoomba, 19.xii.1960, G.H. Hardy (1 ♀, AMSA) .

Material examined. AUSTRALIA: Australian Capital Territory: Black Mountain, 700 m, carrion trap, 11– 18.iv.1978, S. & J. Peck (1 ♀, DEBU) ; Black Mountain, 700 m, dry sclerophyll, carrion trap, 11–18.iv.1978, S. & J. Peck (3 ♂, 3 ♀, DEBU) ; Mount Gingera, 19.xi.1968, D.H. Colless (1 ♂, ANIC) . Tasmania: near Weldborough, 41˚10’00”S 147˚08’00”E, Nothofagus forest, 20–25.ii.1993, J. Trueman et al., Site A: #3.1 (1 ♀, ANIC) ; Rattray’s Marsh, 41˚12’00”S 148˚09’00”E, buttongrass swamp, 20–25.ii.1993, J. Trueman et al., Site E: #2.q pit (1 ♀, ANIC) ; Rattray’s Marsh, 41˚11’50”S 148˚09’30”E, buttongrass swamp, 23–28.viii.1993, J. Trueman et al., Site E: #YP2 4 Day (1 ♀, ANIC) .

Comments. This species is externally most similar to H. capitalis, which also has a dark brown halter and shining anepisternum. Howickia fuscalis can be separated from H. capitalis by the presence of a single posterodorsal seta in the proximal half of the mid tibia, as well as unique male and female terminalia.