mcalpinei

Daniels, Greg, 2016, A new genus and two new species of soldier fly (Diptera: Stratiomyidae: Chiromyzinae) from Australia, one found infesting sugarcane in central Queensland, Zootaxa 4092 (2), pp. 572-582 : 580-581

Metridius mcalpinei nov. sp.

( Figs 22–26 )

Diagnosis. Metridius mcalpinei nov. sp. can be distinguished by having the vertex level with the eyes, a setose, apparently unsegmented antennal flagellum which is basally swollen and the absence of the discal median cell.

Material examined. HOLOTYPE ♂, AUSTRALIA: New South Wales. Otford 3.iii.1962, D.K. McAlpine (AM). PARATYPES: New South Wales. 1♂, Bola Creek, [Royal] National Park 31.xii.1955, D.K. McAlpine (AM); 2 ♂, [Royal] National Park: 31.xii.1955, D.K. McAlpine (AM); 1 ♂, 19.iii.1961, D.K. McAlpine (AM); 1 ♂, Royal National Park: 24.x.1970, D.K. McAlpine (AM); 1 ♂, 17.iii.1977, D.K. McAlpine and M.A. Schneider (AM); 1 ♂, 7.ii.1978, M.A. Schneider (AM).

Description. Male. Length (mm): 4.3–4.5; thorax, 1.4–1.5; wing, 3.8–4.2. Head ( Fig. 22 ). Transversely broadened; ocellar tubercle brown-black, barely raised above eyes, not as prominent as M. robertsoni nov. sp. Frons and face yellow-brown with short, erect, yellowish setae; frons darkening at vertex. Frontal index 0.7–0.8.

Ratio of frons width to head width 1.0:2.0–2.1. Eye height less than head height. Antenna ( Fig. 23 ) brown, basal half of scape yellowish, swollen orange area of flagellum orange-brown; antennal length about twice as long as head height; antennal scape and pedicel setose, flagellum with long, dense pruinescence; individual flagellomeres, if present, not visible; relative lengths of antennal segments, 3.3–3.7:1.0:20.6–20.7. Palpus orange.

Thorax. Yellowish brown with broad, darker brownish band from centre of anepisternum to halter, its margins indistinct. Scutum, katepisternum ventrally, anepisternum posteriorly, scutellum and laterotergite with long, fine, yellowish setae. Scutum and scutellum punctate.

Legs yellow-brown; all femora and hind tibia darkened towards apex and with yellowish setae. First tarsomere on all legs much shorter than tibia.

Wing ( Fig. 24 ). Hyaline, membrane entirely with microtrichia; veins R1 and R4+5 setulose on upper surface, R2 bare; R4+5 unbranched. Discal medial cell absent. Halter long, pale yellowish. Alula narrow.

Abdomen. Brownish with pale yellowish setae. Terminalia ( Figs 25–26 ). More or less spherical; brownish yellow. Cerci one-segmented. Gonostyli stocky, truncate at apex and concave in inner surface. Aedeagus single pronged. Gonocoxite medially attenuate distally, extending almost to apex of aedeagus.

Female. Unknown.

Biology.

Males have been taken by sweeping the grass-like stems of settlers flax, Gymnostachys anceps R.Br. ( Araceae ) growing in rain forest.

Etymology. The species honours David McAlpine, the collector of the type series.

Geographic distribution. Australia (New South Wales).

Figures

FIGURES 22 – 26. Metridius mcalpinei nov. sp., male paratypes. (22). Lateral habitus. (23). Head, lateral view. (24). Wing. (25). Genital capsule, dorsal view with epandrium, proctiger and cerci excluded. (26). Epandrium, proctiger and cerci. Abbreviations: aed, aedeagus; ce, cercus; ep, epandrium; goncx, gonocoxite; gonst, gonostylus; pr, poctiger. Scale bar, 0.25 mm.