Heteromeringia asteia, Lonsdale, 2009

Lonsdale, Owen, 2009, The Heteromeringia (Diptera: Clusiidae: Clusiodinae) of Australia, Records of the Australian Museum 61 (3), pp. 229-262 : 237

Heteromeringia asteia n.sp.

Figs 17–21 , 88

Type material. HOLOTYPE: Tasmania: Hellyer Gorge , 41°16'24"S 145°36'55"E, on horizontal log, 20.xii.2003, S.A. Marshall (1♂, AMS) . PARATYPES: Australian Capital Territory. 35.22S 148.50E, Blundells Ck., D.H. Colless, i.1988 (2♂♂, ANIC; 2♂♂ USNM), ii.1987 (1♀, ANIC) . New South Wales: Coombadjah Ck., Washpool S.F., 10.i.1982, B.J. Day (1♂, AMS) , Carrai SF, 30°58'48"S 152°17'06"E, 975 m, E.Tasker, 3–8.xii.1997, sticky trap on E. viminalis, CS-RO-127-1 (1♀, AMS) , Carrai SF, 30°59'45"S 152°16'23"E, 930 m, E.Tasker, 3–8.xii.1997, sticky trap on E. campanulata, CS-FZ-127-6 (1♀, DEBU) , Werrikimbe NP, 31°11'56"S 152°10'23"E, 1025 m, E. Tasker, 1–7.xii.1997, sticky trap on E. campanulata, WC-WN-127-1 (1♀, AMS) . Queensland: N QLD, Birthday Crk. near Paluma, 18.i.1967, D.K. McAlpine & G. Holloway (1♀, AMS) . Tasmania: Hellyer Gorge , 41°16'24"S 145°36'55"E, on horizontal log, 20.xii.2003, S.A. Marshall (1♂, DEBU) , 42.44S 146.25E, 4km SW by W, T. Shea, 460 m, 3.ii.1980, Lawrence & Weir (1♀, ANIC) , 42.13S 146.01E, Franklin R., 22.i.1983, I.D. Naumann & J.C. Cardale, ex. ethanol (1♀, ANIC) .

Description

Male ( Fig. 17 ). Body length 3.3–5.0 mm. Anepisternal disc present and relatively large, multiple times width of base of anepisternal bristle. First flagellomere orbicular. Bristles black. Arista closely pubescent. Vibrissa relatively long and curved. Ocellar bristle thin and short, but distinctly longer than ocellar tubercle. Two dorsocentral bristles. Gena shallow and not strongly angled or bent. Face and buccal cavity pilose and meeting at an angle. Posterior ½– 2 ⁄ 3 of frons dark brown (lateral and posterior margins paler) and anterior 2 ⁄ 3 tomentose; back of head, occiput (sometimes only posterior margin) and posteroventral corner of gena dark brown; antenna (excluding arista) light yellow (Tasmanian specimens with brown infuscation bordering base of arista on inner face); face with dark yellow to orange tint; clypeus dark brown; remainder of head yellow; upper 2 ⁄ 3 of gena pilose. Thorax dark brown with postpronotum dark piceous, notopleuron slightly lighter brown, lateral margins of scutellum and posterolateral corner of scutum light yellow and ventral margin of katepisternum yellow; scutum sometimes with thin yellowish stripes extending from lateral half of anatergite to side of scutellum and anterior dorsocentral. Legs yellow with fore tarsi, fore tibia and inner-distal spot on fore femur dark brown; Tasmanian specimens with mid tibia light brown subbasally, hind tibia dark brown sub-basally and hind femur with light apical infuscation on outer face. Abdomen dark brown. M 1+2 ratio 5.5–8.0. Wing dark on distal 1 ⁄ 3 (fading posteriorly) and with cloud around cells br and dm (infuscation sometimes restricted to region immediately around veins). Halter white with base and side of stalk infuscated.

Female. As described for male except as follows: scutum and pleuron entirely dark brown (scutellum and anatergite still with yellowish spot); first flagellomere with anterior margin and dorsal 2 ⁄ 3 of inner face (or entire inner face) brown; face orange; ventral margin or medial longitudinal stripe on gena brownish; frons black with anterior margin and posterolateral corner orange; anterior half of frons tomentose. NSW females smallest of material examined, with distal ¼ of fore femur and base of hind tibia dark brown.ACT and Tasmanian females sometimes with palpus, first flagellomere, face and ventral half of gena darker.

Male terminalia ( Figs 18–21 ). Epandrium as long as high and wider than long. Surstylus small and rounded with several inner-distal tubercle-like bristles. Length of cerci half width of epandrium, widest medially and emarginate. Hypandrium subtriangular, with bristles along basal and posterior margins; with one small anterior lobe bearing two stout bristles. Distiphallus twisted medially with fan-shaped frill and two distal/medial U-shaped sclerites.

Female terminalia (Fig. 88). Spermatheca dark with apex barely invaginated; width approximately 2 ⁄ 3 length. Spermathecal duct not longer than twice length of spermatheca. Ventral receptacle small with loosely coiled and relatively short flagellum.

Etymology. The specific name is derived from a Greek word for “pretty” (asteios).

Comments. This attractive and widespread species is characterized by a large body size, yellowish notal patches and a distinct wing pattern. It is similar to Heteromeringia australiae in having a large male anepisternal disc, minute ocellar bristles and a strong medial wing spot, but the latter has confluent spots on the wing, (sometimes) pale patterning on the notum and femora, distinct male genitalia and shorter spermathecae.

Figures

Figures 17–21. (17) Heteromeringia asteia n.sp., left dorsolateral photo; arrow indicates pilose disc on anepisternum. Figs 18–21: Heteromeringia asteia, male terminalia; (18) external, posterior; (19) external, left lateral; (20) phallus, anterior; (21) hypandrial complex (distal portion of distiphallus removed) with ejaculatory apodeme, left lateral. Scale bar = 0.25 mm.