Manestella obscura, Winterton, Shaun L. & Lambkin, Christine L., 2012

Winterton, Shaun L. & Lambkin, Christine L., 2012, New Australian stiletto flies: revision of Manestella Metz and description of Medomega gen. n. (Diptera, Therevidae, Agapophytinae), ZooKeys 240, pp. 1-119 : 13-14

Manestella obscura sp. n. Figs 3738394041

Type material.

Holotype male, AUSTRALIA: Queensland: Brisbane Forest Park, Scrub Road, [-27.417, 152.833], 3. x– 10.x.1997, Malaise trap, S. Winterton, N. Power, D. White (MEI_091115, T174965, QM).

Paratypes. AUSTRALIA: Queensland: male, 3 females, Brisbane Forest Park, Scrub Road, [-27.417, 152.833], 12. ix– 10.x.1997, Malaise trap, S. Winterton, N. Power, D. White (T183039, T183040, T183041, T183042, QM); male, 2 females, Brisbane Forest Park, Scrub Road, [-27.428, 152.838] Malaise trap, 28. ix– 15.x.2002, J. Skevington, J. M. Cumming (CAS).

Diagnosis.

Wing uniform infuscate; male frontal setae absent; male frons flat in profile; multiple rows of postocular setae adjacent to ocellar tubercle in male; femora brown; male abdomen with grey pubescence laterally; gonocoxites without ventro medial projection; female frontal markings as diffuse brown quadrangle medially and brown spot above antennae.

Description.

Body length= 3.0-4.0 mm (male), 4.0-4.5 mm (female). Head. Frontal pubescence grey with brown markings, profile flat, lower frontal markings as brown medial stripe and spot above antennal base (male), or brown quadrangle dorsomedially with diffuse brown band above antennae (female); male frontal vestiture absent, female frontal vestiture as uniform small dark setae, male frons width at narrowest point narrower than anterior ocellus, sometimes contiguous; male postocular setae as two or more irregular rows immediately laterad of ocellar tubercle; occipital pubescence grey, narrow brown stripe medially; genal setae pale; antennal scape shorter than flagellum, numerous dark setae; flagellum brown. Thorax. Scutal pubescence grey-tan with brown markings, scattered dark setae, denser anteriorly, scutal markings as two dark medial stripes anteriorly, joined posteriorly, lateral stripes broken to tessellate; pleuron grey pubescent, darker in female with brownish base colour; katatergite setae uniformly pale; coxae dark, overlain with grey pubescence; femora brown with yellow basally and apically, uniform short dark setae, sometimes admixed with longer white setae; tibiae yellow, dark grey-brown apically; tarsi dark yellow with apices brown; wing uniform smoky infuscate; scutal chaetotaxy (pairs): np, 3; sa, 1; pa, 1, dc, 4-5; sc, 1. Abdomen. Male abdomen base colour dark brown dorsally, grey pubescent laterally, with sparse silver velutum on tergites 2-7 (laterally), elongate pale setae, denser laterally; terminalia brown; female abdominal tergites dark brown dorsally, intersegmental membrane distinctly pale, well defined. Male genitalia. Gonocoxite without ventromedial process, gonocoxite velutum barely evident; outer gonocoxal process relatively short and acuminate; gonocoxite with posterolateral process relatively short, triangular; distiphallus short, straight.

Comments.

Manestella obscura sp. n. is an eastern species distinguished by the uniformly infuscate wing, male with frons flat and without setae, two rows of postocular macrosetae in both sexes, gonocoxite without a triangular ventromedial process or velutum patch.

Etymology.

The specific epithet is derived from the Latin obscurus, dark, indistinct; referring to the dark infuscate wings.