Heteromeringia australiae Malloch, 1926

Lonsdale, Owen, 2009, The Heteromeringia (Diptera: Clusiidae: Clusiodinae) of Australia, Records of the Australian Museum 61 (3), pp. 229-262 : 237-239

Heteromeringia australiae Malloch, 1926

Figs 7, 8 , 15 , 22–27 , 89–91

Heteromeringia australiae Malloch, 1926: 48 . Frey, 1960: 25. D.K. McAlpine, 1960: 73. Sasakawa, 1966: 79.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: New South Wales: North Coast, Coramba (1♂, AMS). [not examined].

Material examined. Australian Capital Territory: Black Mtn. , xii.1987, M. Irwin, Malaise trap (1♀, DEBU) . New South Wales: Terania Ck. Near Lismore, D.K. McAlpine & K.C. Khoo, 5.ii.1983 (1♂, AMS; 1♂ USNM), 6.ii.1983 (2♂♂, AMS) , 4 mls SW of Jervis Bay , “ 8.10.1949 ”, K.H.L. Key (1♀, ANIC) . Queensland: N QLD, The Crater , near Herberton, D.K. McAlpine & G.A. Holloway, 29.i.1972 (1♂, USNM) , 30.i.1972 (1♀, AMS) , Mt. Haig 2km NE by E of Atherton, 18.xi.1981, D.H. Colless, Malaise trap (1♂, ANIC) , 17.27S 145.29E, Hugh Nelson Range , 1.viii–1. ix.1995, L. Umback, 1150 m, Malaise trap (1♂, DEBU) , 17.06S 145.37E, GS2, Mt. Edith , 31.v–30.vii.1995, P. Zborowski, Malaise trap (1♂, ANIC) , Birthday Ck. Falls via Paluma , 11–12.v.1980, I.D. Nauann & J.C. Cardale (1♀, ANIC) , Danbulla For. Res. , 13km NE by N of Yungaburra, 17.xi.1981, D.H. Colless, Malaise trap (1♀, ANIC) . Tasmania: 41.50S 146.03E, Pelion Hut , 3km S Mt. Oakleigh, 860 m, 8.i–12.ii.1991, A. Calder, W. Dressler, malaise #5, closed forest (1♂, ANIC) .

Redescription

Male ( Figs 7 , 22 ). Body length 4.1–4.5 mm. Anepisternal disc present and very large (approximately 2–3 times wider than that of other species). First flagellomere orbicular. Bristles black. Arista pubescent. Vibrissa relatively long and curved. Ocellar bristle thin and half length of postvertical. Genal bristles relatively long. Two dorsocentral bristles. Gena high and sometimes angled at midpoint. Face and buccal cavity evenly curving and velvety. Frons dark brown with lateral margin yellow and posterior margin (enclosing brown ocellar tubercle) reddish; first flagellomere with distal 2 ⁄ 3 of inner face (sometimes faded dorsally) and distal 1 ⁄ 3 –½ of outer face (sometimes variably faded) infuscated; back of head dark brown above foramen; dorsal half of gena light yellow and silvery tomentose and ventral half of gena dark brown to orange/dark yellow; palpus light brown (paler to base); anterior margin of occiput light yellow or entirely pale; face and buccal cavity reddish; anterior half of frons pilose. Scutum grey-yellow (orange to sides) with anterior margin (including anterior half of postpronotum, which is otherwise rusty) brown and with central stripe continuing onto yellow scutellum; also with one pair of lateral floating brownish stripes. Laterotergites dark brown. Pleuron dark brown with posterior half of meron yellow. Fore legs with entirely dark brown; anterior half of mid coxa dark brown; base of mid femur light brown or basal half brown; hind femur brown apically and (sometimes) medially; hind tibia dark brown on basal ¼, lightest subapically; remainder of legs yellow. Fore tarsi slightly compressed laterally. Abdomen dark brown. M 1+2 ratio 3.7–4.0. Wing dark with clear subapical band open to posterior margin of wing and with anterobasal margin lighter. Halter white with base and side of stalk infuscated.

Female. As described for male except as follows: thorax dark brown with postpronotum reddish and scutum with one pair of thin yellowish stripes continuing onto sides of scutellum; legs yellow with fore tibia and tarsi dark brown and fore femur with large inner-distal spot and small outer-distal spot; first flagellomere only infuscated along anterior margin; gena and parafacial yellowish-orange; apical margin of palpus very weakly infuscated; occiput yellow; terminalia yellow.

Male terminalia ( Figs 24, 26, 27 ). Epandrium relatively small. Cerci large and united, widest medially and emarginate apically. Surstylus thin and pointed, sparsely setulose on outer face and with several inner-distal tubercle-like bristles. Hypandrium+pregonite with two subequal distal lobes (anterior lobe setulose on inner and outer faces, and posterior lobe with apical bristle behind long shallow carina). Ribs of distiphallus of nearly equal length, with one terminating in reticulated leaf-like structure; both ribs with recurved medial processes.

Female terminalia (Fig. 89). Ventral receptacle short and rounded with flagellum apical, very long and straight. Spermatheca smooth, as long as wide (at base), slightly tapering apically and with several basal wrinkles.

Comments. Aside from the females described above, there are several others belonging to what are possibly one or two undescribed species. They differ in that the face meets the buccal cavity at an angle, the halter is light brown, the palpus is dark brown either apically (NSW—genitalia Fig. 90) or basally (QLD—genitalia Fig. 91), the wing infuscation extends to surround A 1 +CuA 2 basally ( Fig. 8 ), the notum is almost or completely dark brown and the internal genitalia differ slightly in morphology, although this latter difference may be negligible. One of these females may be the counterpart to the smaller male outlined below, but it will not be described as distinct until more material is available. [Label data: NSW: Bruxner Park FR, N Coffs Hbr., 30°15'S 153°06'E, 200 m, yellow pans on trib. Bucca Bucca Ck., 16.x.1999, D. Bickel (1♀♀, AMS), Werrikimbe NP, 31°11'56"S 152°10'23"E, 1025 m, E. Tasker, 29.i–4. ii.1998, sticky trap on E. camaronii, WC-WN-018-2 (1♀, AMS). QLD: E of Mt. Edith, 800 m, r’for ck, Malaise, B. Sinclair, 22–27.iv.1994, 17.05S 145.38E (1♀, AMS), N QLD, Mt. Edith Forest Road , 1.5 mi off Danbulla Road, 6.v.1967, D.H. Colless (3♀♀, ANIC), Danbulla For. Res. 13km NE by N of Yungaburra, 17.xi.1981, Malaise trap, D.H. Colless (1♀, ANIC)] .

In addition to the more widespread “typical” male described above, there is a smaller male with slightly different colouration and genitalia ( Figs 23, 26 ) that may represent a distinct species. Label data: N QLD, The Crater, near Herberton, 29.i.1972, D.K. McAlpine & G.A. Holloway (1♂, AMS). This male can be diagnosed using the following couplet:

1 Body length 4.1–4.5 mm. Scutum dark brown with pale shoulders, or orange to grey-yellow in ground colour with dark medial and sublateral stripes. Fore coxa and femur entirely dark brown. Mid coxa dark brown on anterior half. Basal ¼–½ of mid femur light brown to dark brown. Hind tibia dark brown at base and brownish subapically. Gena yellow with venter dark brown. Surstylus straight. Medial lobe on phallus broadly rounded and with recurved process; without bilobed anterior process .................................................................... typical male

—— Body length 3.4 mm. Scutum dark brown with shoulders reddish. Fore coxa and femur yellow with dark inner-distal spot on femur. Mid coxa, mid femur and hind tibia entirely yellow. Gena yellow. Surstylus with posterior curve. Medial lobe on phallus short and serrate; anteriorly with bilobed process ....................................................................... smaller male

Figures

Figures 1–8. Figs 1 and 2, head, Heteromeringia spinulosa McAlpine; (1) left lateral; (2) anterior. Figs 3 and 4, head, H. hardyi McAlpine; (3) left lateral; (4) anterior. Figs 5–7: wings; (5) H. spinulosa; (6) H. hardyi McAlpine; (7) H. australiae Malloch; (8) H. australiae, tentatively included NSW female.

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 22–27. Heteromeringia australiae Malloch. (22) left dorsolateral photo. Figs 23–27: male terminalia; (23) external, left lateral (atypical male); (24) external, left lateral (typical male); (25) external, posterior (typical male); (26) hypandrial complex, left lateral (atypical male); (27) hypandrial complex, left lateral (typical male). Scale bar = 0.25 mm.