Anabarhynchus parkeri Ferguson & Irwin

Ferguson, David J., Irwin, Michael E. & Yeates, David K., 2013, New species of Anabarhynchus Macquart (Diptera: Therevidae) from arid and monsoon tropical Australia, Zootaxa 3680 (1), pp. 55-95 : 73-76

Anabarhynchus parkeri Ferguson & Irwin sp. n.

( Figures 14 , 15 , 16 )

Type material. Holotype: Male. AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 158 km S Newman, 9 km N Kumarina Road House; Malaise in wide sandy wash; 24.IV / 7.V.2003, M.E. Irwin, F.D. Parker 638m; 24°37’08”S 117°36’08”E (GPS) (MEI_173608) ( ANIC). Condition: Ex - alcohol; dried using Hexa Methyl Di Silazane ( HMDS); dorsally pinned with stainless steel pin; scutum cracked; reasonable condition.

Paratypes: 61 Males, 94 Females. AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 613, 92Ƥ same data as holotype (MEI_173606, 173607, 173609-173612, 173649, 173650, 173653, 173660-173751, 178023-178030) ( ANIC); 2Ƥ, 427m Mt. Augustus Nat. Pk, malaise across wash on southern slope of mountain, F.D. Parker. M.E. Irwin, GPS: 24°21’07”S. 116°50’02”E (MEI#173752, 173753) ( ANIC).

Addition label on all MEI specimens; CSIRO-Schlinger Pilbara Expedition, April 19–May 23, 2003.

Diagnosis. Antennal base and frons flat. Male frons width at anterior ocellus 1.4–2.0x ocellus, female 4.9–6.7x ocellus. Frontal pile pale, short and semi-erect, with a few short, pale setae between antennal and eye margin. Occiput macrosetae predominantly pale with a few black. Scutum grey pubescence. Wing cell m3 open. Postspiracular pile present; katepisternum and prosternal furrow without pile. Thoracic integument dark-brown and yellow-brown. Coxal macrosetae pale and weak. Posterior coxa-2 with pale pile. Fore and mid femora without macrosetae; hind femur 0–1 av. All femora yellow-brown, with a sparse distribution of short semi-erect pale pile, without short black setae.

Description. Male: Body length: 7.5mm. Wing length: 6mm. Head. Integument blackish brown and yellow brown. Lower frons slightly raised, middle frons depressed with shallow mid-line furrow, upper frons slightly raised; frons width at anterior ocellus 1.6x ocellus; ocellar tubercle flat; antennal base flat to face and positioned low on frons; parafacials grey, lower frons grey; upper frons yellow-brown with two rows; upper frons with sparse, short, pale appressed setae, lower frons setae erect near equal the length of scape; with a few pale setae in area between antennal base and eye margin. Scape length 1.3 x width; scape base with short pale setae; several longer black setae to the dorsal and ventrally towards pedicel, pedicel pale yellow-brown, 1st segment of flagellum basally pale yellow-brown, conical and dark brown, flagellar style brown one third the length of flagellum. Occiput convex with yellowish-grey pubescence, margin of eye yellow-grey, indistinct rows of weak pale admix with black macrosetae, approximately 28 to each side; postocciput to gena grey with sparse, long, pale, hair-like pile. Palpus buff-white, with pale pile; labellum pale brown, prementum without dark setae. Thorax. Integument yellow-brown and blackish-brown. Scutum medially blackish-brown, raised areas pre and post transverse suture blackish-brown, scutal margin yellow-brown, scutellum yellow-brown, prosternal, cervical sclerite, proepisternum, anepisternum, katepisternum, anepimeron, katepimeron, meron and metakatepisternum integument yellow-brown and dark brown, while coxa 3 is brown and yellow-brown, covered in thin yellowish-grey pubescence; scutal chaetotaxy black (pairs): np, 3–4; sa, 1; pa, 1; dc, 2; sc, 2. Scutum with thin darker dorsal line within broad grey pubescence band margined by pale grey bands, brownish grey marks perimeter the grey raised laterally areas pre and posttransverse suture; scutal surface with short weak yellowish setae. Postspiracular pile present; katepisternum and prosternal furrow without pile; coxae yellow-brown with yellowish-grey pubescence, with weak sparse yellowish pile admixed weak pale macrosetae; coxa 2 and 3 posterior surface with pale appressed pile. Wing. Cell m3 open; hyaline with yellow-brown tint, veins pale brown; stigma brown; costal setae beyond humeral cross-vein biserially arranged. Haltere. Pedicel buff white; scabellum yellowish white. Legs. No macrosetae to fore and mid-femur; hind femur with 1–2 av macrosetae (one weak); all femora yellow-brown, with a sparse distribution of short semierect pale pile, without short black setae; all tibia and basitarsus yellow-brown. Abdomen. Integument yellowbrown; tergites and sternites densely covered with grey pubescence; tergites 2–3 dorsally surface with sparse appressed pale pile, laterally pile erect; tergites 2–3 posterior marginal edge when viewed posteriorly bright white, viewed anteriorly grey; epandrium yellow-brown with thin grey pubescence, short pale setae; gonocoxites yellowbrown, bright white pubescence line along join of gonocoxites. Terminalia. Paratype male (MEI_173665): Epandrium ( Fig. 16 a), three times wider than long, setae to posterior margin. Gonocoxite ( Fig. 16 b), semi-spherical slightly longer than wide when viewed ventrally, middle ventral edge with small lobe shaped outer gonocoxal process. Joined along hypandrium. Gonocoxal apodeme reduced and weakly sclerotised. Inner gonocoxal process basal half lateral ventrally directed, middle length redirected posteriorly and inward, apical end rounded with broad inward projection, setae on posterior lateral surface. Gonostylus elongate with long setae on ventral surface and with shorter on dorsal surface all inwardly directed; apex dilates reflexed dorsally. Ventral lobe small and triangular. Aedeagus ( Fig. 16 c, d): distiphallus long, anteroventral curved. Parameral sheath darkly sclerotized. Dorsal apodeme of parameral sheath broadly triangular anterior apical ends ventral directed. Ventral apodeme basely narrow, broadly flaring laterally, slightly dorsally directed. Lateral ejaculatory apodeme narrow, band-like. Ejaculatory apodeme slightly dorsally directed, sub-apical with board lateral lobes.

Variation. Some specimens a few short pale setae in the parafacial area. The ratios of pale to black occiputi macrosetae are widely variable. Scutal chaetotaxy paired macrosetae are variable: np, 3–4; sa, 1; pa, 1; dc, 2–3; sc, 0-1-2. Hind femur 0–2 av macrosetae. Male. Body length range: 6.5–8mm. Wing length range: 5.5–7mm. Frons width at anterior ocellus 1.4–2.0x ocellus. Female. Body length range: 8.5–10mm. Wing length range: 7.5–8mm. Frons width at anterior ocellus 4.9–6.7x ocellus. Paratype female (MEI_173715): two spermatheca sacs and unmodified spermathecal sac. Paratype female (MEI_173725): tergite 8 ( Fig. 16 f), roundish square; anterior margin with vee shaped indentation; posterior end with broad rounded lobe; long black setae distributed either side of centre line. Furca ( Fig. 16 e), near as wide as long; posterior frame slender; mid-frame with large round sclerotised internal struts to lower frame; middle frame compressed with raised angular lobe ventrally directed; anterior beam broad with angular squarish lateral projections; anteroventral lobe curved posteriorly in line with frame.

Etymology. The specific epithet is to honor Dr. Frank D. Parker, entomologist and field collector.

Comments. Known from a large series of specimens collected in April and May from two sites; 158 km S Newman and nearby Mt Augustus, central west, Western Australia, during the CSIRO-Schlinger Pilbara Expedition.

Keys to couplet 14 in Lyneborg (2001) and readily separated from both A. stylatus Lyneborg and A. furcatus Lyneborg by being a small, yellowish coloured species; having short pale frontal setae, pale occiput macrosetae, the presence of coxa-2 posterior pile, pale yellow-brown legs and lacking macrosetae on the fore and mid-femora. The occurrence of coxa-2 posterior pile is only found on four species; A. tener , A. decipiens , an undescribed species belonging to the fasciatus species-group in ANIC, and A. parkeri sp. n.

Anabarhynchus parkeri sp. n., has a set of characters that make it easy to distinguish from all other species of Anabarhynchus . We place Anabarhynchus parkeri sp. n. in the fasciatus species-group because it shares the following defining features of the group ( Lyneborg 2001); inner gonocoxal process curved, directed downwards and inward in Anabarhynchus parkeri sp. n. The apex of the inner gonocoxal process and gonostylus are more or less meeting along a dorsoventral plane. The gonostylus is straight with a tooth on the dorsal surface near apex, though lacks a tooth to the outer surface, similar to A. queenslandensis . The female sternite 8 is unmodified, evenly sclerotised, without a central depressed area, and without specialised setae. However, the gonostylus is yellowbrown rather than black as in the other species in the group.

A. parkeri sp. n., also shares characters with species in the passus species-group and the hyalipennis speciesgroup.

The lack of fore and mid-femoral macrosetae in A. parkeri sp. n., is a shared character with A. passus Lyneborg , A. stylatus and A. webbi Lyneborg , of the passus species-group, as well as A. decipiens Lyneborg of the hyalipennis species-group. Other characters shared with A. decipiens are the narrow frons in the male, low profile antennal base, 1st segment of the flagellum is relatively short and conical, a flat middle and upper frons, and the presence of coxa-2 posterior pile.

Figures

FIGURE 14. Anabarhynchus parkeri sp. n., holotype male, (MEI _ 173649): lateral view.

FIGURE 15. Anabarhynchus parkeri sp. n., holotype male, (MEI _ 173649): oblique view.

FIGURE 16. Anabarhynchus parkeri sp. n., paratype male terminalia (MEI _ 173665): A, epandrium, left dorsal view, right ventral view; B, gonocoxite left dorsal view, right ventral view; C, aedeagus, dorsal view; D, aedeagus, lateral view; paratype female (MEI _ 173725): E, furca; F, female sternite 8, ventral surface. Scale line = 0.5 mm.