Dasyrhicnoessa humilis, Munari, 2004

Munari, L., 2004, Beach Flies (Diptera: Tethinidae: Tethininae) From Australia and Papua New Guinea, with Descriptions of Two New Genera and Ten New Species, Records of the Australian Museum 56 (1), pp. 29-56 : 37-38

Dasyrhicnoessa humilis n.sp.

Figs. 9–10

Type material. HOLOTYPE 3 Australia, New South Wales: “ Careel Bay, / Avalon , NSW. / 15 Dec. 1964 / D.K. McAlpine / Mangroves // HOLOTYPUS / Dasyrhicnoessa / humilis sp.n. 3 / L. Munari des.” AM K186737 .The specimen is in excellent condition, and is double mounted (glued on the tip of a triangular card); abdomen dissected, stored in glycerol in a small plastic tube, and pinned below the specimen . PARATYPES: Australia, New South Wales: same data as holotype, 333 4♀♀; “ Careel Bay / N. South Wales / 27 Oct. 1962 / Mangroves / D.K. McAlpine ”, 1 3; “Mangroves / Careel Bay, / Avalon, NSW. / 3 Feb. 1973 / D.K. McAlpine ”, 1 3; “In mangroves / North Cronulla / NSW., 1 March, 1962 / D.K. McAlpine ”, 13 . Australia, Queensland: “Mangroves. / Gladstone , Qld. / 19 Dec. 1961 / D.K. McAlpine ”, 3 33 6♀♀. The holotype and most of the paratypes are deposited in AM , a few paratypes are preserved in MCV .

Description. Size. Body length 1.7 mm (1.6–2.0), wing length 1.5 mm (1.4–1.7), wing width 0.5 mm (0.5–0.6).

Habitus. Yellowish grey to dark grey species with setal vestiture golden brown to blackish. Wings yellowish grey. Head. Yellowish, with frons reddish yellow and occiput greyish yellow; frons with frontal and orbital vittae covered with whitish microtomentum, and golden yellow patches, on both sides of ocellar triangle, merging before anterior ocellus; paravertical setae well developed, strongly inclinate; inner vertical seta inwardly curved, strong, about as long as lateroclinate outer vertical seta; postocular and postgenal setae short, former ones in two irregular rows; upper postocular seta long, inclinate towards inner vertical seta; ocellar triangle bearing pair of moderately long pseudopostocellar setae in addition to pair of strong ocellars; 3 very short, thin setulae between ocellars and pseudopostocellars; 3 strong, lateroclinate orbital setae; row of thin, inclinate setulae on orbital vitta between 2 anterior orbitals and frontals; 4 short, strong, additional setulae before anterior orbital seta, between this one and anterior margin of orbital vitta; 3 pairs of frontal setae intercalated with 3 pairs of short, thin setulae, all setae and setulae inclinate, mid pair cruciate at apex; antenna with postpedicel slightly infuscated, brownish, bearing microscopically pubescent, brown arista; Eye micropubescent, large, distinctly oblong vertically, its longest diameter 5.6× as long as genal height; 7 blackish peristomal setae, 3 anterior ones, including vibrissa, long and strong; mouth parts pale yellow, with labellum stumpy, distinctly shorter than length of buccal cavity, and palpus long, slender, bearing scattered black setulae. Thorax. Yellowish grey; 1+3 dorsocentral setae; 6 rows of acrostichal setulae on anterior half of scutum, otherwise arranged in 4 rows; prescutellar acrostichals long; postpronotal lobe bearing 3 setae, each with different inclination, posterior seta long and strong, anterior setae shorter and weaker; 1 very long presutural seta; 2 notopleurals about subequal in length; 1 supra-alar, below and before it four short and weak setae; 2 postalars, external one distinctly longer and stronger; scutellum with 4 long marginal setae; proepisternal seta long and strong, proepimeral one weak and slightly shorter; anepisternum with scattered setulae, bearing 3 long, posteriorly directed, posteromarginal setae, mid one distinctly longer and stronger, and 1 erect seta at posterodorsal margin; katepisternum with few scattered setulae, bearing long and strong posterodorsal seta; anepimeron, katatergite, and meron without setae and setulae. Legs. Evenly setulose, bearing short, blackish setae and setulae, except for foreleg having coxa with scattered, pale brownish, long setae, and femur with posterodorsal and posteroventral rows of spaced, long setae; fore femur without true ctenidium, only with single row of very short, thin, black setulae (possibly spinelike) anteroventrally on distal half; mid femur of male with row of spaced, spine-like, posteroventral black setae, decreasing in length distally; all legs, including coxae, yellow, with last tarsomere slightly infuscated. Wing. Veins pale brownish, membrane yellowish grey; alula with fringe formed by long, erect, blackish setae; costal vein reaching end of M 1, bearing several, spaced, microscopic setulae on both dorsal and ventral surfaces; R 2+3 distinctly bisinuate, diverging from R 4+5 distally; R 4+5 and M 1 parallel; crossvein r-m ending at basal third of cell dm; crossvein dm-cu slightly shorter than one third of last section of CuA 1; halter yellowish. Abdomen. Syntergite 1+2 yellowish, remaining tergites black, each of them with narrow, apicomarginal, whitish stripe; setal vestiture blackish. Male terminalia ( Figs. 9–10). Epandrium bearing some long to very long setae on distal half, in particular on anteroapical surface, intermixed with shorter setae on entire posterior surface; cercus small, pubescent, dorsally covered with microscopic hairs and with long setae; anterior surstylus short and stumpy, bearing scattered, thin setae; posterior surstylus rather squat, bearing several long setae and apical cluster of thick tubercles on inner side; aedeagal apodeme long and straight, distinctly sclerotized on distal half; ejaculatory apodeme with well-developed distal fan; distiphallus long and slender, ribbon-like, bearing micropubescence on its basal half and subapically.

Female. Similar to male, except for slight sexual dimorphism. Female terminalia. Cerci long, straight, bearing scattered, thin setulae; spermathecae spherical, smooth.

Distribution. Australia (NSW, QLD).

Etymology. From the Latin humilis meaning poor, humble or unpretentious. The specific epithet refers to the modest habitus and size of the new species as well as to the simple morphological features of the male terminalia.