Bradysia exsequialis ( Skuse, 1890 ) Skuse, 1890

Broadley, Adam, Kauschke, Ellen & Mohrig, Werner, 2016, Revision of the types of male Sciaridae (Diptera) described from Australia by F. A. A. Skuse, Zootaxa 4193 (3), pp. 401-450 : 421

Bradysia exsequialis ( Skuse, 1890) comb. n.

( Figs 12 A‒C, 3 B)

Sciara exsequialis ( Skuse, 1890) [ Skuse (1890): 409 ‒410].

Type locality. Australia, Victoria, Benalla.

Lectotype (here designated): Male. Slide bears original label data ( Fig. 3 B) verbatim ‘ S. exsequialis / Ƌ ♀ (ink) TYPE./ F. A. A. Skuse’ (print), ‘Benalla/ Nov. Helms.’ (ink). Mounted in Canada balsam Dec. 2015. ( ANIC; Slide No. 018-1).

Paralectotypes. 2 males, 1 female (018-4: in copula with paralectotype 018-3), same data (1 male, 1 female in ANIC, 1 male in PWMP; Slide No. 018-3) ; 4 specimens missing.

Remarks. Original description states “ Hab.—Benalla, Victoria (Helms). Eight specimens in November.”

Preservation. Flagellomeres missing (in paralectotypes the flagellomeres are present), all other details in good condition.

Additional description. Male. Head. Brown. Eye bridge 3 facets wide. Antennae brown, necks rather short, brownish, weakly bicoloured; 4th flagellomere with l/w-index of 4.0, with dense hairs, that are somewhat longer than the width of the basal node; palpus short, 3-segmented, basal segment with sensory pit and 2 bristles. Thorax. Brown, scutum with three somewhat darker stripes and long prescutellar as well as a few long lateral bristles; scutellum with 4 longer marginal bristles; postpronotum bare. Wing brownish; R1 = 3/4 R; R5 with dorsal macrotrichia only; C = 2/3 w; y = x, without macrotrichia; M-fork as long as M-stem; posterior veins without macrotrichia. Haltere short, yellow. Legs brown; fore tibia with a rather short comb of 4 pale bristles; spurs of middle and hind tibia equal in size, somewhat longer than the width of apex of tibia; claws without teeth. Abdomen. Brown, with sparse and rather short hairs. Hypopygium brown, with broad v-shaped ventral base, without lobe or patch of bristles; gonocoxite with short sparse fine hairs at the inner ventral margin; gonostylus bulbous, without apical tooth, with 2 spines dorsally and five subequal apical spines; tegmen apically straight, with large area of rather strong teeth and with short ventral parameral apodeme; aedeagus rather short, robust. Body length: 2.6 mm.

Female. Flagellomeres shorter than in males, all other characters are identical in both sexes. It is characterized by a pale haltere (in contrast to the dark thorax) and a long M-fork.

Comments. This species is characterized by a dark brown thorax with yellow halteres and brown legs, long densely hairy flagellomeres, by a bulbous gonostylus with 2 apical spines and 5 spines below, and an apically truncate tegmen with a large area of rather strong teeth and a short ventral parameral apodeme. It belongs to the B. hilaris group.

Distribution. Australia (Victoria).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Images showing some of the Skuse types on cards. The scale bar refers to the specimens only. a): Sciara amabilis, showing legs that had been glued separately; b): four S. exsequialis specimens comprising three males, and a female that had been carded in copula with one of the males; c): the type specimen of Trichosia mastersi. Note the hypopygium is detached and glued separately to the card.

FIGURE 12. Bradysia exsequialis (Skuse, 1890). A. Hypopygium; B. Apex of gonostylus; C. Thorax with head (female).