Thevenetimyia mimula Hall, 1969

Li, Xuankun, Rodrigues, Paula Fernanda Motta, Lamas, Carlos José Einicker & Yeates, David K., 2018, A Review of the Australian Species of Thevenetimyia Bigot, 1875 (Bombyliidae, Bombyliinae, Eclimini), with Description of Four New Species and the Pupal Case of T. longipalpis (Hardy), Records of the Australian Museum 70 (3), pp. 331-375 : 356-358

Thevenetimyia mimula Hall, 1969

Fig. 18

Thevenetimyia mimula Hall, 1969: 61 . Type-locality: not given [= Australia]; holotype, ANIC .

Types and other specimens examined. Holotype ♂, Australia, Macl [eay] M[useum], now in ANIC 29-009851 ( Fig. 18 ). QLD, 1♂, Rockhampton, Macl [eay] M[useum] [hind leg and abdomen missing], now in ANIC 29-038919 .

Diagnosis. Medium-sized Thevenetimyia , wing membrane hyaline, without infuscated marks; costa with two rows of small spines; scutum with two rows of short, thick spines and some adjacent, separate spines; three postalar setae present; abdominal tergites 5 to 7 with lateral dense long black hairs.

Redescription. Male. Body length 12.5 mm, wing length 10.7–11.8 mm.

Head. Head about 1.5× wider than long, mostly blackish with thick pale pruinescence and covered in admixed white to blackish brown hairs. Eye widely connected, by 1.0× length of ocellar tubercle. Frons slender and long, upper triangular section small, lower triangular section black with thin pale pruinescence, middle narrow part about 0.7× length of frons. Ocellar tubercle slightly raised, brown to blackish brown with grey pruinescence, with blackish brown hairs. Face with thick pale pruinescence and with brown hairs, parafacial area blackish brown and bare. Gena with thick pale pruinescence and long white hairs. Clypeus swollen, with thick pale pruinescence and long blackish brown hairs. Occiput with long white hairs except dorsal margin admixed with brown to black hairs. Posterior eye margin slightly sinuous. Antennae blackish brown; scape and pedicel with thin pale pruinescence and black hairs, ventral hairs of scape longer, hairs on pedicel short. Scape 3.5× as long as wide, and 4.0× as long as pedicel, uniform from base to apex. Pedicel 0.9× as long as wide. Flagellum 6.0× as long as wide, 1.2× as long as scape+pedicel (1.5× as long as scape), conical and slightly laterally compressed, one-segmented with apical style ( Fig. 18c ). Palp thin and long, extending beyond oral cavity, black with blackish brown hairs, twosegmented, with palpal pit. Mouthparts slender, 4.3× as long as eye length (2.6× as long as head length), labella thin and filiform ( Fig. 18f ).

Thorax. Integumental colour of scutum and scutellum mostly black with sparse grey pruinescence, pruinescence more dense around margins. Scutum and scutellum with admixed white and black hairs and white long scales. Three notopleural setae present, 3 postalar setae present. Posterior margin of scutellum with strong hairs. Pre- and postalar setae and strong hairs on postalar callus and scutellum pale yellow. Scutum with two rows of short, thick spines and some adjacent, separate spines. Pleura and coxae black with thick grey pruinescence, anepisternum with admixed long white hairs and scales, katepisternum and metepisternum with moderate long white scales, and mediotergite with dense white to pale yellow hairs and setae, anepimeron, meron and laterotergite bare.

Legs. Legs mostly black. Femora mostly covered with white scales except on apex, ventral face of basal half with long white hairs; fore and mid femora covered with brownish yellow scales. Hind femur with a row of short ventral bristles. Other hairs and bristles on legs short and blackish brown to black. Fore tibia 2.1× longer than fore basitarsus, mid tibia 2.1× longer than mid basitarsus. [Hind tibia and tarsus broken].

Wings. Wing membrane hyaline, without infuscated marks. Cell r 5 widely open; cell br much longer than cell bm, crossvein r-m arising a little over half way from the base of cell dm; crossvein m-m long, and 2.0× as long as crossvein r-m; cell cup open ( Fig. 18d ). Costa with two rows of short, thick spines. Haltere stem pale yellow, knob black.

Abdomen. Integumental colour of tergites black with thin pale pruinescence, except tergite 1 and lateral margin of tergites 2 and 3 with thick pruinescence. Tergites mostly covered with admixed white and black hairs. Tergites 1 to 4 and 8 with dense long white hairs on lateral margin, tergites 5 to 7 with dense long black hairs on lateral margin. Genitalia. Genitalia have been dissected and are poorly preserved. See description in Hall (1969: p61; p84, figure 48).

Female. Unknown.

Remarks. Thevenetimyia mimula Hall, 1969 could be separated easily from other Australian Thevenetimyia by having a hyaline wing membrane, three postalar setae present, and abdominal tergites with dense long white and black hairs laterally. However, it is considered to be rare (only two specimens been documented so far) and mysterious (type-locality unknown for 49 years).

We found a second specimen identified as Thevenetimyia mimula in ANIC. This specimen also with the label “Macl[eay]. M[useum].”, with another label “Rockhampton Queensland ”. Therefore, we are able to confirm the distribution of this species. Unfortunately , this specimen’s abdomen is missing, and the male genitalia of the holotype has been dissected but poorly preserved, so, we are unable to redescribe and photograph it. The female of this species is still unknown .

Distribution. QLD.

Figures

Figure 18.Thevenetimyia mimula Hall, 1969 ♂ holotype: (a) dorsal; (b) lateral;(c) flagellum; (d) wing;(e) head, dorsal; (f) head, lateral; (g) head, frontal; (h) head, profile. Scale bars = 1 mm (a, b, d–h); = 0.1 mm (c).