Heteromeringia trisetosa, Lonsdale, 2009

Lonsdale, Owen, 2009, The Heteromeringia (Diptera: Clusiidae: Clusiodinae) of Australia, Records of the Australian Museum 61 (3), pp. 229-262 : 260-262

Heteromeringia trisetosa n.sp.

Figs 9 , 85–87 , 106

Type material. HOLOTYPE: Tasmania: 41.50S 146.03E, Pelion Hut 3km S Mt. Oakleigh, 850 m, 8.i–12.ii.1991, A. Calder & W. Dressler, Malaise #5, closed forest (1♂, ANIC) . PARATYPES: New South Wales: Penrose SF, nr. Marulan , 20.x.1989, D.K. McAlpine (1♂, AMS) , Mooney Mooney Creek near Gosford , 26.i.1984, B. Duckworth, B. Day and D.K. McAlpine (1♂, AMS) , E NSW, Royal National Park, E Waterfall rail. Stat. , 12.x.2002, 10, 34.09S / 151.01E, B. Merz / 10, diff. types forest (1♀, MHNG) . Queensland: SE QLD, Brisbane, Griffith Uni., Nathan Campus , 23.x.2002, 18, 27.33S / 153.04E, dry & wet sclerophyll forest, ferns, B. Merz / 18 (1♂, MHNG) . Western Australia: Shannon townsite camp, shrimp carrion trap, 25.xi.2003, S.A. Marshall (1♂, DEBU) . Tasmania: Pelion Hut , 30.xi.1990 – 9.i.1991, Nielsen & Edwards, Malaise #5 (1♂ 1♀, ANIC) , 41.50S 146.03E, Pelion Hut 3km S Mt. Oakleigh, 850 m, 8.i–12. ii.1991, A. Calder & W. Dressler, Malaise #5, closed forest (1♀, USNM) .

Description

Male. Body length 3.3–3.5 mm. Anepisternal disc present. First flagellomere orbicular. Bristles black. Arista closely pubescent. Vibrissa relatively long and curved. Ocellar bristle long and relatively thin. Three dorsocentral bristles (decreasing in height anteriorly) with one small bristle in front of anterior dorsocentral. Gena high and sharply incurved medially at mid-height. Face and buccal cavity evenly curving and velvety. Frons dark brown with anterior margin orange, and lateral and posterior margins yellowish; antenna (excluding arista) yellow with first flagellomere dark brown excluding base; back of head dark brown (reddish above); occiput and clypeus dark brown; face yellow or with orange tint; remainder of head yellow; frons pilose to level of ocellar tubercle; dorsal half of gena silvery tomentose. Thorax dark brown. Fore legs dark brown with base of tibia yellow and fore coxa dirty yellow/brown and silvery tomentose with base brown; mid and hind legs dark brown with distal half of mid femur brownish to yellow, apex of coxae to base of femora yellow, mid tibia and tarsi light brown and hind tibia yellow with two dark bands. Abdomen dark brown. M 1+2 ratio approximately 6.0. Wing lightly clouded around cross veins and along anterodistal and distal margins. Halter white with stalk brownish (darker to base).

Female. As described for male except as follows: first flagellomere infuscated on outer-dorsal margin, anterior margin and distal 2 ⁄ 3 of inner face; frons shiny laterally; tergites 2–5 slightly lighter.

Male terminalia ( Figs 85–87 ). Epandrium small and relatively wide. Cerci less than half height of epandrium and apically emarginate. Surstylus higher than long, rounded, almost bare on outer face and with inner-distal tubercle-like bristles. Hypandrium+pregonite triangular with two stout medial bristles and several setulae on elongate posteroventral process. One rib of distiphallus ending at 2 ⁄ 3 length and with floating sclerite near apex; second rib divided into two bifid processes with fringed ends.

Female terminalia (Fig. 106). Ventral receptacle narrowed at base and flagellum long, thin and straight. Spermatheca longer than wide, widest medially and wrinkled at base.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the three dorsocentral bristles characteristic of this species.

Comments. Heteromeringia trisetosa is unique among the Australian Heteromeringia in having three pairs of well developed dorsocentrals—all other species have two pairs, sometimes with a well developed setula in front of the anterior dorsocentral.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. I would like to thank the following people and institutions for lending the material used in this study: D. Britton, D.K. McAlpine and M. Moulds ( AMS) ; D.K. Yeates ( ANIC) , J. Cumming ( CNC) , F. Menzel ( DEI) , B. Merz ( MHNG) , C. Lambkin ( QMBA) , A. Freidberg ( TAU) and Greg Daniels ( UQIC) . D. Bickel, R. Russell and D. Yeates are thanked for their help in locating type material. Lastly, W.N. Mathis and D.K. McAlpine are thanked for their review of this manuscript and D.K. McAlpine is thanked for his correspondence regarding the Australian Clusiidae . This study was supported by a Schlinger Postdoctoral Fellowship grant.

Figures

Figures 9–16.Eggs.(9) Heteromeringia trisetosa n.sp.; (10) H.hardyi McAlpine; (11) H. spinulosa McAlpine; (12) H.bisetosa n.sp.; (13) H. digitula n.sp.; (14) H. laticornis McAlpine; (15) H. australiae Malloch; and (16) H. hypoleuca McAlpine.

Figures 78–87.Figs 78–80:male terminalia,Heteromeringia spinulosa McAlpine