Pilosaphiura samanthae, DISNEY, 2003

DISNEY, R. H. L., 2003, Tasmanian Phoridae (Diptera) and some additional Australasian species, Journal of Natural History 37 (5), pp. 505-639 : 622-626

Pilosaphiura samanthae sp. nov.

(figures 60B–62)

Material

H  : male, Tasmania, Fern Tree, near Hobart, Grays Road , at window of builder’s shed, 18 September 1998 ( R. H. L. Disney —25-23) ( TMH).

P    : female—as holotype except ( UMZC).

Etymology

The species is named after my granddaughter Samantha Climie, who lives at the type locality.

Diagnosis As for genus, until a second species is described.

Male

Frons brown and almost 4× as wide as midline length. With about 20 hairs and dense minute microsetae. Anterolateral bristles about twice as far from antials as latter are from each other, and slightly higher on frons. Bristles of median row almost equally spaced and in an almost straight transverse row. A row of small bristles on cheek extend on to jowl. Third antennal segment brown, with>20 SPS vesicles, as figure 60B, with a dense pile of short and longer curved hairs, and hairs of arista of intermediate length. Palps brown with short robust hairs that gradually grade into longer more robust bristles distally. Yellowish brown labrum only about 0.6× as wide as third antennal segment. Labella each with brown band above, otherwise pale whitish yellow, with only a few spinules below but with conspicuous pseudotracheae. Thorax brown with chaetotaxy as in standard type for Megaselia . Three bristles on notopleuron, but middle one shorter than other two (and there is a supernumerary smaller one on right side of holotype only). Mesopleuron with 22–23 hairs. Abdominal tergites brown with small hairs, those at rear margins being a little longer. Venter brown with hairs below segments 3–6. Hypopygium brown, with paler anal tube, and as figure 61. Posterolateral lobe of right side of epandrium much larger than that of left side (partly visible in figure 61). Legs with dominantly brown femora, more yellowish brown mid and hind tibiae and rest of legs dominantly yellow. Ratios of lengths of fore tarsal segments about 3.0:2.2:1.4:1.1:1; all five having a posterodorsal hair palisade. Ventral edge of front femur with numerous short hairs. Ratios of lengths of segments of mid tarsus about 4.3:2.2:1.7:1.3:1. With three or four differentiated bristle-like hairs below basal third of mid femur. Hind femur about 3.9× as long as broad and with three to seven hairs below basal third clearly longer than those of anteroventral row of distal third. Spines of apical comb of posterior face of hind tibia all simple. Wing as figure 62A, the veins being brown and the membrane tinged grey, especially beyond costa. Haltere brown.

Female

Frons similar to male but not so abbreviated, being only about 3× as wide as long. Consequently, the AL bristles (but in only available specimen that of the right side failed to develop) are higher on frons and further from antials, and pre-ocellars are distinctly lower than mediolaterals and further apart than either is from a mediolateral bristle. Third antennal segment smaller and more globose than that of male (figure 62B). Palp similar to male. Labrum darker brown than male and about 1.1× as wide as third antennal segment. Labella a little narrower than male but with larger teeth on inner faces adjacent to glossa. Thorax as male. Abdominal tergites brown, with short hairs but longer ones posterolaterally on T 2 and progressively longer ones at rear margins of T 3– T 6. T 2– T 5 wider than long, but progressively narrower. T 6 a little longer than width of anterior margin, which is deeply emarginated in middle third. T 7 a narrow longitudinal strip with hairs. Sternite 7 similar but a little smaller. Venter brown with narrow pale intersegmental bands. With numerous hairs below segments 3–6 and also dorsolaterally adjacent to lateral margins of tergites. Pale brown cerci about twice as long as broad, with about a dozen hairs of which the pre-apical is clearly longer than rest, being about twice as long as cercus. Internally, with four rectal papillae, a well-sclerotized furca (0.04 mm in diameter), but no evidence of Dufour’s crop mechanism. Legs similar to male except segment 5 of front tarsus lacks the posterodorsal hair palisade and mid and hind femora lack the differentiated long hairs below their basal thirds. Wing as figure 62C. Otherwise colouring of it and haltere as male.