Megaselia amatorum, DISNEY, 2003

DISNEY, R. H. L., 2003, Tasmanian Phoridae (Diptera) and some additional Australasian species, Journal of Natural History 37 (5), pp. 505-639 : 528-529

Megaselia amatorum sp. nov.

(figure 10A, C)

Material

H  : male, Tasmania, Mount Field National Park, Russell Falls , 26 December 1991 R. H. L. Disney —25-50 ( TMH).

P    : female, same data as holotype, with which it was caught in copula.

Etymology The named refers to the holotype having been caught in copula!

Diagnosis

The combination of a scutellum with a pair of small hairs and a pair of bristles; mesopleuron with hairs but no bristles; costal index exceeding 0.44 but <0.52; no differentiated anterodorsals on the hind tibia; brown halteres; yellowish brown palps; and dense microsetae on the frons; takes this species to couplet 14 on p. 206 of Borgmeier’s (1967a) keys. Like M. alius , it differs from M. politiceps by its paler palps and denser microsetae on the frons, but the latter are absent in vicinity of sockets of antial bristles. Left side of epandrium with two bristles, less than 10 strong hairs, plus three or four hairs in a single row on posterolateral extremity; anal tube not as long as midline length of epandrium; hypandrium with small, pale, left lobe; female abdominal tergite 6 with concave hind margin; all legs entirely brown; front basitarsus swollen and with about three rows of hairs below modified as short spinules; near-dorsal hair palisade of mid tibia extends between a half and three-quarters of length; hairs below basal half of hind femur hardly differentiated from adjacent hairs of anterior face and shorter than anteroventral hairs of distal half; hind tibia with weak posterodorsal hairs; wing length 1.5 mm; costal cilia <0.1 mm long; no hair at base of vein 3; Sc not reaching R; veins brown and 1

membrane lightly tinged brownish grey.

Male

Frons brown and broader than long. Antials slightly lower than anterolaterals, almost level with upper supra-antennals, but clearly closer to ALs. The four SAs subequal in length. Pre-ocellars further apart than either is from a mediolateral, all four bristles forming an almost straight transverse row. Three bristles on cheek and two stronger ones on jowl. Third antennal segment brown and without SPS vesicles. Palps pale brown with three long bristles and three shorter ones. Labrum light brown and its greatest width about 0.8× that of third antennal segment. Labella paler and with only scattered hairs and spinules below. Thorax brown. Mesopleuron with 11–12 small hairs. Notopleuron with three bristles. Abdominal tergites brown with short hairs, only a little larger at rear of T 6. Venter brownish grey with hairs below segments 3–6. Hypopygium brown, apart from lobe from left side of hypandrium, and as figure 10A. Front tarsus with posterodorsal hair palisade on segments 1–4 only, and segment 4 distinctly shorter than 3 or 5. Mid tibia near-dorsal hair palisade extends more than two-thirds of length. Wing 1.39 mm long. Costal index 0.46. Costal ratios 3.45: 1.35: 1. Costal cilia 0.08 mm long. The two axillary bristles longer.

Female

Head similar to male but lower SAs shorter than upper pair, pre-ocellars closer to each other than either is to a mediolateral, and third antennal segment a little smaller but labrum the same, so that their widths are subequal. Thorax as male except mesopleuron with seven or eight hairs. Abdominal tergites brown and T 1– T 6 all clearly wider than long. T 5– T 7 as figure 10C. T 8 clearly longer than broad and rectangular. Rear of sternum 8 with paired lobes densely pilose and with scattered hairs of which the three submarginal ones are longer than the rest. Legs as male, except front basitarsus not so swollen and with only a single row of spinules below, and mid tibia hair palisade extends not quite two-thirds of length. Wing 1.16 mm long. Costal index 0.48–0.49. Costal ratios 3.29: 1.43: 1. Costal cilia 0.06 mm long.

Natural history The female was gravid, with 26 nearly mature eggs.