Anabarhynchus neboensis Ferguson

Ferguson, David J., Lambkin, Christine L. & Yeates, David K., 2014, Eight new species of Australian stiletto flies in the genus Anabarhynchus Macquart (Diptera: Therevidae) from South East Queensland, Zootaxa 3802 (4), pp. 553-582 : 575-578

Anabarhynchus neboensis Ferguson sp. n.

( Figs 20 , 21 , 22 )

Type material. Holotype: Female. AUSTRALIA: Queensland: Scrub Road, Brisbane Forest Park, 27°25'06"S, 152°50'13"E. Open Eucalypt forest, 26.IX.1997, S. Winterton, N. Power, D. White, Malaise Trap 2; (QM_T:185534) (QM). Condition; ex-alcohol, left fore-leg missing, right hind-leg tarsi missing; pined dorsally through thorax on stainless steel.

Paratype; 2 females. AUSTRALIA: Queensland: 2♀ Brisbane, C. F. Ashby, ( ANIC _29:007848) (MEI_129397), ( ANIC _29:007846) (MEI_129391), ( ANIC).

Diagnosis. Frons raised with brownish grey pubescence; frontal pile in two rows with broad bare area medially; scutum brownish grey with indistinct vittae; katepisternum and prosternal furrow without pile; fore femur 4 pd, 6 pv, 3 av; middle femur 2 pd, 5-7 pv, 1 av; hind femur 2–3 av. Fore femur basal ventral half blackish grey, dorsally 2/3 apically yellow-brown; middle and hind femora yellow-brown, basoventral surface dark grey.

Description. Female. Body length: 11 mm. Wing length: 10 mm. ( Figs 20–22 ). Head. Frons raised, width 3.9 x ocellus width; ocellar tubercle flat; face and lower frons raised; parafacial brownish grey; lateral of antenna is a ventrally tapered grey mark; lower frons brownish grey; mid-frons with a pair of large triangular dark brown pubescent marks; upper frons brown-grey. Frontal pile in 2 rows, upper frons pile sparse and semi-erect; lower frons pile densely arranged over dark brown pubescent mark, 3/4 length of scape. Scape length 2.4 × pedicel length; scape and pedicel grey, f1 black, a few short dark setae dorsally on basal quarter; f2 & f3 brown, combined length half-length of f1. Occiput convex, grey pubescence; with several indistinct rows of black macrosetae, 32–34 setae on each side; postocciput to gena grey pubescence with dense, long, pale, hair-like pile; several short black setae anteriorly on gena. Palp basally grey, apical half yellowish with pale hair-like setae; labellum dark grey; prementum setae black. Thorax. Scutal chaetotaxy black (pairs): np, 4; sa, 2; pa, 1; dc, 2; sc, 2. Scutum overlaid with brownish grey pubescence with indistinct thin brown dorsal vittae within broad grey stripe margined by pale grey, irregular brown marks outlining raised areas pre and post-transverse suture. Postspiracular pile present; anepisternum with pale pile admixed with black dorsocentrally; pleura grey; coxae grey with long pile admixed with black macrosetae; katepisternum and prosternal furrow without pile. Wing. Hyaline with brownish grey infuscate, brown veins, and stigma yellowish brown, costal setae beyond humeral cross-vein biserially arranged. Haltere. Pedicel yellow, knob ventrally dirty white, dorsally blackish grey. Legs. Fore femur 4 pd, 6 pv, 3 av; middle femur 2 pd, 5–7 pv, 1 av medial; hind femur 2–3 av over apical half, 1 pd sub-apically; appressed pale pile on dorsal surfaces admixed with short black setae, ventral pile erect. Fore femur basally half blackish grey extending along dorsal surface, with thin grey pubescence; apical half yellow. Middle and hind femora yellow with the basoventral surface marginally dark grey; all tibiae and tarsi yellow-brown, apically darker. Abdomen. Integument black; tergites 2–3 anterior bands broadly black, narrowing towards posterior, covered with appressed black setae; tergites 2–7 laterally with grey pubescence with erect pale pile on tergites 2–3; tergites 4–7 with sparse erect black pile; tergites 2–6 apical bands greyish white; sternites 2–7 black with thin blackish grey pubescence, apical bands greyish white. Terminalia. Sternite 8 ( Fig. 22 A): rounded in shape, darkly sclerotised and with faintly striated surface; lateral margins darkly sclerotised, anterior edge with broad indentation; middle posterior half with thinly sclerotised depressed area; long black setae distributed in two rows either side of mid-line extending to anterior margin of depressed area; posterior margin with bilobed apex. Furca ( Fig. 22 B): oval-shaped with slender frame, middle frame with paired internal struts anteriorly directed; anterior beam with pair of broad angular anteroventral lobes that join along anterior margin; anteroventral lobe long extending beyond the lateral frame.

Variation. Female, body length 10.0– 10.5 mm; wing length: 9.5–10 mm; frons width 3.6–3.8 × ocellus width; occipital macrosetae 34–37 each side; mid-frons mark of a paler brown; Fore femur with 3–4 pd, 5–6 pv, 1–3 av; middle femur with 1 pd, 4–7 pv, 1–3 av; hind femur 2–3 av.

Male. Unknown.

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the geographic location ‘Mount Nebo’ Brisbane Forest Park, south-eastern Queensland, near where the type specimen was collected.

Comments. Known from three female specimens collected in the Brisbane area in August and September in the years 1939 and 1997.

Anabarhynchus neboensis sp. n. keys to A. plumbeus Lyneborg and A. plumbeoides Lyneborg at couplet 86 in Lyneborg (2001). It is readily separated from A. plumbeus which has dark grey femora, while Anabarhynchus neboensis sp. n. has yellow-brown femora except the fore femur that is basally dark grey (similar to A. plumbeoides ). Just lateral to the antennal bases Anabarhynchus plumbeoides has grey marking that extend medially but remains in contact with the eye margin, while Anabarhynchus neboensis sp. n. has a triangular-shaped grey mark anterodorsally placed above antenna bases. Anabarhynchus neboensis sp. n. appears to be most closely aligned to species to Lyneborg’s montanus species-group.

Figures

FIGURE 20. Anabarhynchus neboensis sp. n., holotype female (QM _ T: 185534): lateral view. Scale line = 2 mm.

FIGURE 21. Anabarhynchus neboensis sp. n., holotype female, (QM _ T: 185534): oblique view. Scale line = 2 mm.

FIGURE 22. Anabarhynchus neboensis sp. n., holotype female terminalia (QM _ T: 185534): A, sternite 8; B, furca, ventral surface. Scale line = 0.5 mm.