Froggattimyia aurea (Townsend, 1916)

Colless, Donald H., 2012, The Froggattimyia-Anagonia Genus Group (Diptera: Tachinidae), Records of the Australian Museum 64 (3), pp. 167-211 : 179

Froggattimyia aurea (Townsend)

Figs 14, 15 Protomeigenia aurea Townsend, 1916:156–157. Synonymy by Crosskey (1966:103).

Type. Holotype male in USNM, no. 19974, Manilla, NSW. Very similar structurally to F. wentworthi, differing as follows:

Male. All hairs, bristles, and setulae dark except for post gular and occipital hairs.

Head. Reclinate upper orbital bristles clearly differentiated from adjacent hairs. Parafacial with setulae clearly restricted to dorsal half. Postocellar bristles usually 2 in number.

Thorax. First postsutural intra-alar bristle small or missing, the presutural one often likewise.

Legs. Forefemur dark on basal ¼–⅓ and along ½– 2 ⁄ 3 of dorsum; midfemur dark on basal ¼–½; hindfemur dark on basal ½ (1 specimen aberrant in having darkening confined to a trace at bases of femora). Forefemur without stout bristle(s) on anterior surface. Midfemur with subcentral ad and v bristles shorter than usual, little longer than width of tibia.

Abdomen. Tergites with silver-grey pollen; syntergite 1+2 usually with distinct pair of submedian marginal bristles (but not in holotype), but none on tergite 3.

Terminalia (Figs 14, 15). Surstylus in lateral view with hooked, beak-like apex and very sparse setulae; cerci in posterior view deeply excavated basally.

Female (from associated rearing). Resembles male in silver-grey pollen of abdomen, reduced parafacial setulae, and (usually) presence of only 2 postocellar bristles, but abdominal tergite 3 with pair of well differentiated, rather characteristically erect, submedian marginal bristles. Only the postocellar setae separates these few females from those of F. vicina.

Distribution. Known only from NSW and Vic.

Biology. All specimens but one were reared from Pergagrapta spinolae Westwood or other unidentified pergid larvae.

Notes. The holotype has its highly characteristic terminalia clearly displayed in situ, and there is no doubt as to its association with the other specimens—including the specimen mentioned above, that has only a trace of dark colour on the femora.