Ironomyia White, 1917

Grimaldi, David A., 2018, Basal Cyclorrhapha In Amber From The Cretaceous And Tertiary (Insecta: Diptera), And Their Relationships: Brachycera In Cretaceous Amber Part Ix David A. Grimaldi, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2018 (423), pp. 1-97 : 1-97

Ironomyia White

Ironomyia White, 1916: 216 . Type species I. nigromaculata White, 1916 ; J.F. McAlpine, 1967 (as family); D.K. McAlpine, 2008 (revision of Ironomyia species).

DIAGNOSIS: (based on McAlpine and Martin, 1966; J.F. McAlpine, 1967; D.K. McAlpine, 2008, with modifications): Relatively stout flies with dark, bold velvety markings that contrast with pruinescent silvery and gray areas; patterns sexually dimorphic. Head: Antennal pedicel with fingerlike lobe inserted into deep, notchlike emargination of flagellomere 1 (flagellomere 1 strongly reniform, with two “sacculi” [ McAlpine, 2008], i.e., sensory pits). Proboscis relatively long and slender, labellum small. Thorax: Dorsocentral setae small, reduced in number; acrostichals in two rows. Wing: R 2+3 and R 4+5 close, parallel, slightly sinuous; cell d apically acute, with strongly oblique dm-cu; cell cup relatively short; anal lobe well developed. Abdomen and Terminalia: Tergites 1 and 2 partially fused (separated via sulcus only, no intersegmental membrane [D.K. McAlpine, 2008]); sternites well developed. Male terminalia circumverted 360°, symmetrical, ventroflexed; surstyli well developed, not fused to epandrium; postgonites absent (as in Phoridae ), sternite 8 fused to epandrium, phallapodeme articulated ( Sinclair et al., 2013). Female terminalia telescoping, with long membranous section posterior to segment 7; three spermathecae.

TYPE SPECIES: I. nigromaculata White.

COMMENTS: There are three species of Ironomyia , all Recent, the other two species besides the type being I. francisi D.K. McAlpine and I. whitei D.K. McAlpine. The genus is distributed in eastern Australia from Queensland to Tasmania ( McAlpine, 2008). According to McAlpine (2008) these flies are uncommon, usually found on tree trunks, sometimes attracted to lights. Their life histories are unknown.