Paraplatytropesa argentea, Colless, 1998

Colless, D. H., 1998, Morphometrics in the genus Amenia and revisionary notes on the Australian Ameniinae (Diptera: Calliphoridae), with the description of eight new species, Records of the Australian Museum 50 (1), pp. 85-123 : 103-105

Paraplatytropesa argentea n.sp.

Holotype: male; 12°44'S 143°14'E, 3 km ENE ofMt Tozer, Queensland, 28 June-4 July 1986, D.H. Colless. ANIC No. 6148. The type locality is in the Iron Range area of Cape York Peninsula.

Other specimens examined QUEENSLAND: Banks Island, Torres Strait, 3 June 1969, Neboiss , 10 (VM); 12°43'S 143°18'E, 11 km ENE of Mt Tozer, 11-16 July 1986, 10; Middle Claudie River , Iron Range , 29 September 1974, G. Daniels, 1¥ ( AM); 15°47'S 145°14'E Shiptons Flat, 18 May 1981, 10, 1 ¥; 15°03'S 145°09'E, 3 kmN ofMtWebb, 2 October 1980, 10; Ellis Beach, N of Cairns, 12 May 1967, 6¥ ¥. Collected by D.H. Colless unless specified otherwise. 104 Records of the Australian Museum (1998) Vol. 50 Male. Head ( Figs 22, 23 ) with cerebrale, vertex and a variable amount of parafrontals pale golden pollinose, this merging into silver pollinosity on lateral and ventral portions of parafrontals and most of parafacials, contrasting strongly with deeper golden pollinosity on lower parafacials, genae and postbuccae; postorbits silver pollinose; occiput metallic blue (but with pale pollinosity in some lights). Interfrons rather pale reddish brown. Palps pale brown. Carina and epistoma pale brown with thin pale pollen. Antennal segments 1 and 2 brown, segment 3 pale brown in vicinity of arista, merging into dark brown on the remainder. Parafrontals with sparse dark setulae, few if any along internal margins; interfrons with several dark setulae, none at margins; postbuccal hairs pale golden, those of occiput, parafrontals and genae brown to black. Genal hairs very sparse. Inner eye margins in frontal view only slightly divergent, in some specimens slightly convex below antenna bases. Carina in lateral view protruding, evenly curved, with notch at junction with epistoma; in facial view rounded, not at all flattened anteriorly, tapering from epistoma towards lunula, or somewhat "pinched" on ventral third. In lateral view gularregion distinctly swollen ,

but less conspicuous than in other Paraplatytropesa spp. Inner vertical bristles strong, decussate; outer verticals as large as inner; ocellars strongly developed; parafrontal with 2 strong proc1inate fronto-orbitals and exc1inate prevertical. Vibrissae set distinctly above level of epistoma, decussate and slightly upcurved. Facialridges with setulae over about the ventral two thirds. Thorax. Scutum metallic green with vague cupreous mottling around hair-bases, but in glancing light thinly silver-pollinose over all presutural area, with smaller prealar and postalar patches. Pleura with conspicuous silver spots on anepisternite and sternopleuron. Propleuron haired. Wing. Costa without setulae on ventral surface apical to Sc. Membrane slightly infuscated basally and anterior to R 2, and in some specimens along branches of M and crossveins. Lower calyptermainly pale, darkened on posterior and internal margins. M-bend index 1.0-1.5. Legs black, with greenish and violaceous reflections on femora. Hind coxa bare on posterodorsal strip. Fore tibia with 1 p bristle and 1 pd (rarely) ornone; adbristles strongly developed. Mid femur with usual anterior group of very strong bristles; mid tibia with 1 strong ad, 1 v, 2 p, and 0-1 pd. Abdomen. T 1+2 dark violet; T 3 metallic blue-green, with silvery lateral spots,

extending to midline in glancing light; T 4 blue-green with trace of lateral silver frosting in some lights; T 5 with conspicuous pair of lateral silver spots. T 3 with usual pair of strong median marginal bristles. Sternites dark, with spiny bristles only (no long fine hairs): S2 with 2-3, S3 with 4 -- 6, S4 with 4-6. Genitalia rather like those of Stilbomyella crosskeyi , but surstyles distinctly swollen apically ( Fig. 15 ).

Female. As for the male, except that parafrontals, parafacials and genae all uniformly golden pollinose and antennal segment 3 uniformly pale brown.

Distribution ( Fig. 26 , p. 108). North Queensland (Torres Strait, Iron Range, Cooktown, Cairns).

Notes. This species is rather intermediate between Platytropesa and Paraplatytropesa , and grounds could be found for placing it in the former. Crosskey in fact suggested this on the label of two specimens that he saw but did not describe. Nonetheless, numerical studies support the course that I have adopted here (see Part 3, below).

Figures

Figure 26. Distributions of Paraplatytropesa spp.: filled circles-tropicalis; open circles-rieki; open squares­

Figures 22, 23. Paraplatytropesa argentea, male, facial view (22); lateral view (23). Scale bar 1.0 mm.

Figures 12-15. Male genitalia, lateral view. 12-Paraplatytropesa rieki. 13-Paraplatytropesa parvifrons. 14-Paraplatytropesa tropicalis. 15-Paraplatytropesa argentea. Scale bar 0.2 mm; 9T-ninth tergite; ccercus; s-surstyle.