Dasyrhicnoessa priapus, 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 : 44-45

Dasyrhicnoessa priapus n.sp.

Figs. 20–22

Type material. HOLOTYPE 3 Australia, Queensland “ Mangroves / Eurimbula , Qld. / 28 Mar. 1975 / D.K.

McAlpine // HOLOTYPUS / Dasyrhicnoessa / priapus sp.n. 3 / L. Munari des.” AM K186742. The specimen is in relatively good condition: head, thorax, wings, and forelegs are very well preserved (including setal vestiture), but, unfortunately, the hind legs are missing, the left mid leg is glued near the specimen, the right mid leg has both tibia and tarsus missing, and the surviving femur is broken medially. The specimen 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. PARATYPE: same data as holotype, 1♀. Holotype and paratype are deposited in AM.

Description. Size. Body length 2.2 mm (3.0), wing length 1.9 mm (2.6), wing width 0.7 mm (0.9). Habitus.Yellowish species with setal vestiture dark brown having golden reflections. Head yellow with antenna bearing long-haired arista. Wings yellowish grey. Head. Entirely yellow; frons, including orbital vittae, homogeneously yellow, except for usual, golden yellow patch on both sides of ocellar triangle; paravertical setae very long and rather strong, inclinate; inner vertical seta inwardly curved, strong, about as long as lateroclinate outer vertical seta; postocular and postgenal setae somewhat long, former ones very distinctive and in single row; upper postocular seta long and strong, inclinate towards inner vertical seta; ocellar triangle bearing pair of long pseudopostocellar setae in addition to pair of strong ocellars; two very short, thin setulae between ocellars and pseudopostocellars; 3 very strong, lateroclinate orbital setae; a few long, thin setulae on orbital vitta in addition to orbital setae; 3 pairs of frontal setae plus 2 pairs of thin setulae, all setae and setulae inclinate, former ones cruciate at apex; antenna with large and pubescent postpedicel, bearing dark brown, long-haired arista; eye micropubescent, very large, slightly oblong vertically, its longest diameter 6.6× as long as genal height; parafacial very narrow, as a consequence vibrissal angle distinctly protruding; anterior margin of gena distinctly curved upwards, bearing three strong peristomal setae (including vibrissa); 5 dark brown peristomal setae decreasing in length and strength from front to back; vibrissal seta very long and strong; mouth parts pale yellow, with labellum distinctly shorter than length of buccal cavity; palpus long, slightly clavate, bearing scattered black setulae. Thorax. Entirely yellowish, with mesonotum slightly darker than pleura; 1+3 long dorsocentral setae; 6 rows of acrostichal setulae on anterior half of scutum, otherwise arranged in 4 rows; prescutellar acrostichals very long and strong; postpronotal lobe bearing 3 setae, each with different inclination, posterior seta long and strong, anterior setae shorter and slightly weaker; 1 long presutural seta; 2 notopleurals about subequal in length; 1 supra-alar, below and before it 2 shorter and weaker setae; 2 postalars, external one distinctly longer and stronger; scutellum with 4 long marginal setae; both proepisternal and proepimeral setae present; anepisternum with scattered pubescence, bearing 2–3 long, posteriorly directed, posteromarginal setae, mid one (missing in holotype) longer and stronger, and 1 erect seta (missing in holotype) at posterodorsal margin; katepisternum with scattered pubescence on anterior part, bearing long and strong posterodorsal seta; anepimeron, katatergite, and meron without setae and setulae. Legs. (In holotype the hind legs and the tibia and tarsus of the right mid leg are missing, the left mid leg is glued near the specimen) Evenly setulose, bearing short black setae and setulae, except for foreleg having coxa with very long setae, and femur with posterodorsal and posteroventral setae; fore femur without true ctenidium, only with long row of thin setulae; mid femur of male with posteroventral armature formed by spine-like, very long and spaced setae on distal half; legs, including coxae, yellow; tarsi entirely yellowish. Wing. Veins yellowish brown, membrane yellowish grey; alula with fringe formed by very long, erect, diaphanous setae; costal vein reaching end of M 1, bearing several, spaced, microscopic setulae on dorsal and ventral surfaces; R 2+3 slightly 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 distinctly shorter than half of last section of CuA 1; halter yellowish, slightly infuscate on outer surface. Abdomen. Mostly yellowish, with setal vestiture formed by dark setulae and blackish posteromarginal setae on each tergite; transverse stripes at posterior edge of tergites yellowish, hardly discernible. Male terminalia ( Figs. 20– 22). Epandrium unusually long and narrow in lateral view, tapered on distal half, bearing pair of very long setae dorsally, and several short setae on remaining posterior surface; cercus very large, pubescent, covered with microscopic hairs and with long setae dorsally; anterior surstylus small and narrow, very slightly sinuous, bearing few, thin setae; posterior surstylus very large, of peculiar shape ( Figs. 20–21), bearing characteristic cluster of several, thin setae as well as numerous stout tubercles on posteromarginal inner surface, 2–3 of such tubercles also present on subapical anterior inner side; aedeagal apodeme long, sinuous at basal half, slightly bent apically; ejaculatory apodeme diaphanous, with broad apical fan; distiphallus ( Fig. 22) long, ribbon-like, bearing several, short, spinelike papillae on basal half, and cluster of numerous, more or less pointed, papillae subapically; ventral membranous lobe distinctly visible before apex of distiphallus.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Australia (QLD).

Etymology. From the Latin Priapus or Priapos, a god from classical mythology, represented by a creature having a misshapened subhuman body endowed with an enormous phallus. The specific epithet refers to the large surstyli of the male terminalia in the new species.