Austrothaumalea queenslandensis, Sinclair, 2008

Sinclair, Bradley J., 2008, New Species of Austrothaumalea Tonnoir from Australia (Diptera: Thaumaleidae), Records of the Australian Museum 60 (1), pp. 1-12 : 8

Austrothaumalea queenslandensis n.sp.

Fig. 6

Type material. HOLOTYPE? “AUST: N.QLD: 400 m /Bellenden Ker N.P. / Kearneys Falls / 23.iv.1994 / B.J. Sinclair ”; “ HOLOTYPE / Austrothaumalea /queenslandensis /Sinclair [dissected]” ( AMS) . PARATYPES: Queensland: 2 !!, Mt. Windsor Tableland , 1000 m, creek, 16°26'S 145°12'E, 16.iv.1994, B.J. Sinclair ( AMS) .

Recognition. This species is similar in colouration to A. zentae but is distinguished by its shorter paramere and pair of apical teeth-like projections on the gonocoxal plate.

Description. Wing length 1.8–1.9 mm. Coloration: Head dull, dark brown. Thorax brownish-orange, somewhat shiny; legs pale yellow, becoming darker on apical tarsal segments; halter knob dark; abdomen dull greyish-brown, including pleural membrane; terminalia pale brown. Wing infuscate, darker along apical margin, especially at cell r 1+2; wing base pale, especially along wing folding; R+R 1 +R 1+2 with macrotrichia along entire length, remaining veins bare; R 2 situated towards apex of R 1; bend in R 3 sharply defined; R 3 and R 4+5 parallel toward wing margin; CuA with short basal appendage. Male abdominal sternites 1 and 2 not examined; 3–6 rectangular, sparsely setose; sternite 7 reduced to narrow, rectangular sclerite; sternite 8 membranous. Male terminalia ( Fig. 6 ): Epandrium broadly trapezoidal from ventral aspect; posterior margin somewhat uneven with pair of small, round lateral knobs; lacking pointed posterolateral processes. Hypandrium broad, with deep median U-shaped cleft, nearly one-half width of base of gonostylus. Gonocoxite long, gradually tapering. Gonostylus long, curved strongly before mid-length; gradually tapering to blunt tip; apical half lacking setulae. Parameres fused to form long tube, slightly arched from lateral aspect; subequal in length to gonocoxites. Gonocoxal plate Y-shaped, secondarily fused to ventral surface of hypandrium; posterolateral corners with pair of tooth-like processes.

Distribution. This represents the most northerly described species of thaumaleid recorded in Australia, collected at an altitude of 400 m or above.

Etymology. Named for its restriction to the northern tablelands of Queensland.

Remarks. The small pointed, knob-like lateral projections on the gonocoxal plate are very similar to A. macalpinei (not shown in Theischinger [1986, fig. 39]).

Figures

Figs 5–8. Male terminalia of Austrothaumalea: (5) A.concava, lateral view;(6) A. queenslandensis, ventral view; (7) A. ramosa, lateral view; (8) A. ramosa,