Gynoplistia (Gynoplistia) lutruwita Billingham & Theischinger

Billingham, Zacariah D., Theischinger, Gunther & Levesque-Beaudin, Valerie, 2023, Two new species of crane fly (Diptera: Limoniidae) from Tasmania, Australia, Zootaxa 5256 (1), pp. 77-83 : 78-80

Gynoplistia (Gynoplistia) lutruwita Billingham & Theischinger sp. nov.

( Figs 1–5 )

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C4FE5C99-D3A1-4AC1-8EEC-DE70E3A0CC92

Type material. HOLOTYPE male, Australia, Tasmania, Huon Valley, Warra long term ecological research site (- 43.095°S, 146.654°E), 18 Nov 2014, Tim Wardlaw, AM (K.394951; BOLD Process ID: GMATO017-16 ), BIN ADC4645 . PARATYPES: 2 males, same data as holotype, BIOUG ( GMATO019-16 , GMATO361-16 ), BIN same as holotype .

Diagnosis. A deep reddish-brown species with polished sheen. Wing heavily patterned with dark grey to brown. Male hypopygium with gonocoxite bearing basal thumb-shaped medio-ventral process and strongly developed dorsal lobe; outer gonostylus thin and bluntly tipped, inner gonostylus broad, fleshy; aedeagal complex on each side with a single lateral element, strongly curved dorsad.

Description. Male. Body length 7.9 mm, wing length 8.2 mm, antenna missing.

Head. Head dark brown, palpus greyish brown.

Thorax. Dorsal thorax and pleuron deep reddish brown with polished sheen. Legs with coxae dark brown, trochanters yellowish brown, remainder of legs missing.

Wing ( Fig 1 ). With extensive dark patterning; costal and subcostal cells dark brown; stigma dark brown; three dark brown marks present: just distal to MA, extending from R to Cu; at origin of Rs, roughly quadrate, extending from R to M; and at the fork of Rs, encompassing the stigma and extending to the base of the discal medial cell. Paler brownish grey markings in the distal 1/3 of r 3, along the margins of the discal medial cell, along m-cu, through much of the anterior cubital cell and at 2/3 and 1/2 the length of CuP and A 1 respectively.Apex and posterior margin lightly infuscate, apex especially so. Venation: Sc 1 long, extending to the fork of Rs, Sc 2 at its tip; Rs in direct alignment with the short R 2+3+4; R 2+3 and R 3 approximately equal in length; R 4 approximately 1 1/3 times the length of Rs; base of R 5 perpendicular to Rs, approximately 2 1/2 times the length of R 2+3+4, beyond r-m running parallel to R 4; m-cu situated at approximately half the length of the discal medial cell; cell m 1 present, a little longer than its petiole; A 1 sinuous at about midlength. Halter yellowish white.

Abdomen. Dark reddish brown.

Hypopygium ( Figs. 2–5 ). Hypopygium deep reddish brown. Posterior margin of tergite 9 with broad and wide Ushaped excision ( Fig. 2 ). Ventral part of tergite broadly concave ( Fig. 3 ). Gonocoxite large, with basal thumb-shaped medio-ventral process, about 1/4 the length of the gonocoxite ( Fig. 3 ); dorsomedial surface weakly sclerotised, almost membranous; dorsal lobe strongly developed, produced to a blunt tip, approximately 1/2 the length of the outer gonostylus ( Fig. 2 ). Outer gonostylus a thin, gently curved rod, apex narrowing to a blunt tip. Inner gonostylus broad, fleshy, lobate, moderately setose, about 2/3 the length of the outer gonostylus. Aedeagal complex on each side with a single lateral element, strongly curved dorsad and sharply pointed, approximately 2/3 the length of the aedeagus ( Fig. 4 ). Aedeagus gently curved dorsad from midlength, not extending beyond the tip of the medioventral process of the gonocoxite ( Fig. 5 ).

Female. Not studied.

Etymology. Lutruwita is the most widely accepted indigenous name for Tasmania and is given to this species in reference to its distribution and in recognition of the indigenous heritage of Tasmania.

Remarks. The strongly developed and pointed dorsal lobe of the gonocoxite readily distinguishes G. (G.) lutruwita Billingham & Theischinger sp. nov. from most Australian species of Gynoplistia . While a developed dorsal lobe is present in several species it is often short or rounded and G. (G.) bickeli Theischinger, 1993 is the only other Australian species known to have a long, pointed dorsal lobe. Gynoplistia (G.) lutruwita is distinguished from G. (G.) bickeli by the presence of a medio-ventral process on the base of the gonocoxite and by the simple, lobate inner gonostylus, which is bifid in G. (G.) bickeli .

Figures

FIGURES 1–5. Gynoplistia (Gynoplistia) lutruwita Billingham & Theischinger sp. nov., male. 1. wing; 2. hypopygium, dorsal view; 3. hypopygium, ventral view; 4. aedeagal complex, dorsal view; 5. aedeagal complex, lateral view.