Austrosciara, Schmitz & Mjoberg. A, 1924

Mohrig, Werner, Kauschke, Ellen & Heller, Kai, 2017, Austrosciara Schmitz & Mjöberg, 1924, a senior synonym of Ctenosciara Tuomikoski, 1960 (Diptera: Sciaridae) and the description of a new brachypterous species in the genus, Zootaxa 4344 (2), pp. 357-366 : 362-363

Austrosciara sp.

( Fig. 5 A‒C )

Material: 1 female, 29.xi.1994 ‒ 20.i.1995, Australia, Victoria, Central Highlands, Donna Buang Road , 1 km SW of Mt Donna Buang, 37°43’S, 144°40’16’’E, pitfall trap, Nothofagus cunninghamii forest, leg. G. Milledge ; 1 female, 14.ix.‒14.xi.1995, Australia, Victoria, Strzelecki Ranges, Tarra-Bulga National Park , 0.2 km W of Tarra Valley Picnic Area, 38°27’S, 146°32’E, pitfall trap, Nothofagus cunninghamii forest, leg. G. Milledge ( PWMP) .

Description. Female. Head. Eye bridge 3 facets wide. 4th flagellomere with l/w-index of 1.8, with sparse pale hairs as long as the width of the basal node; a few curved hyaline sensilla-like bristles in between. Necks rather long. Palpus 3-segmented, short; basal segment without a deepened sensory area but with 2‒3 bristles. Thorax. Brown, the pleural sclerites are nearly normal in shape, not reduced or fused. Scutum with short and dark hairs. Wing strongly reduced, half as long as the thorax, scale-shaped. Haltere short, strongly reduced, misshapen. Legs brownish; apex of the fore tibia with a comb-like row of bristles, divided, with 2‒3 separated bristles; middle and hind tibia with equally long spurs, somewhat longer than the diameter of the tibial apex; claws without teeth. Abdomen. Brown with dark hairs. Body size: 2.2 mm.

Comments. Austrosciara sp. differs from the females of the other two species described above by possessing a 3-segmented palpus with no deepened sensory pit on the basal segments. The thorax has reduced wings and the halteres are very similar in all three species. We do not officially name this species, as its identification is more difficult than for Aus. pedibusa , due to the lack of distinctive characters. However, we do present it in order to illustrate the diversity of wing reduced Austrosciara .

Figures

FIGURE 5. Austrosciara sp. Female. A. Head and thorax with reduced wings and haltere; B. Part of thorax with reduced wing and haltere; C. Apex of fore tibia.