<Unknown Taxon>

Colless, Donald H., 2012, The Froggattimyia-Anagonia Genus Group (Diptera: Tachinidae), Records of the Australian Museum 64 (3), pp. 167-211 : 178-179

Froggattimyia carnei sp. nov.

Fig. 13

Types. Holotype male in ANIC no. 29-029371, 9 mi ESE of Murrumburrah, NSW, coll. 6 Feb. 1971, emg. 25 Mar. 1971, R. S. McInnes, ex cocoon mass of Perga affinis; terminalia intact. Paratypes (all in ANIC)— New South Wales (males): Cudjegong Ck, 7 mi SW of Cootamundra, Dec. 1962, (site 236), PBC, terminalia in tube 315; Riverina, Western Slopes, 1962, 1963 (B) PBC, T.t. 1; Boorowa, Dec. 1962, (site 248), PBC, T.t. 316; 4 mi WSW of Illabo, R. S. McInnes, ex cocoon masses of Perga affinis, coll. 6 Feb. 1970, emg. 23 May 1970; 9 mi ESE of Murrumburrah, coll. 5 Feb. 1971, emg. 21 Mar. 1971, R. S. McInnes. — New South Wales (females): 4 mi E Cunningar, Dec. 1962, (site 246), PBC; 9 mi ESE of Murrumburrah, coll. 5 Feb. 1971, emg. 13 Apr. 1971, R. S. McInnes (2 specs.); Wallendbeen, Dec. 1962, (site 241), PBC. — Victoria (female): 10.6 mi ESE of Benalla, coll. 4. Feb. 1971, emg. 13 Apr. 1971, R. S. McInnes. All reared from Perga affinis.

Other specimens examined: 162 males and 128 females, coll. PBC or R. S. McInnes, from NSW (Murrumbateman, Cootamundra, Junee, Holbrook, Wallendbeen, Illabo, Young, Coolac, Cunningar, Wombat, Tarcutta, Binalong, Boorowa, Muttama) and Victoria (Benalla, Euroa), Nov.–Feb. 1962– 1972; also Blue Mtns, 25 Aug. 1922, SPHTM; Ballina, Froggatt, 10 Jun. 1893; Blundells, Canberra, 28 Feb. 1934, T. G. Campbell; Ararat, Vic., G. F. Hill (BM); Vic., Ballarat, Glen Park SF, M. F. Leask.

Very similar structurally to F. wentworthi, differing as follows:

Male. Head. Anterior surfaces with rich orange-brown pollinosity; postorbits with golden pollen. Ocellar bristles sometimes only slightly differentiated. Parafacial setulose only to about middle, or with a few scattered setulae on ventral half.

Thorax. Dorsally, postalar callus and scutellum with conspicuously pale brown ground colour, continuing across the wing bases to form a broad transverse pale brown band, visible to the naked eye. Median postsutural vitta more commonly present. Hairs and setulae mainly dark, but pale brown on ventral half of anterior pronotum, also around margins of scutellum and at least narrowly across its basal ⅓,

occasionally over most of the disc; brown setulae also present sometimes in presutural area and between postpronotal lobe. Dorsocentral bristles 3 (rarely 4) + 4; acrostichals 3 + 3 (rarely 4); a fine presutural intra-alar present, close to the suture, in about 20 % of cases; also, typically, 3 postsuturals, but the first missing on at least one side in about 25% of specimens and when present finely developed; the second also occasionally missing. Scutellum with thin, fine pollinosity, visible only at extreme viewing angles. Laterally, katepisternum with small anterior bristle missing on at least one side in about 30% of specimens.

Legs. Midfemur always with a stout spine anteriorly near centre (sometimes plus 2–3 smaller associated spines); about 50% of specimens with 1–3 stout hairs differentiated in a subbasal av row. Hindfemur with Pd1/Sdd 0.6–0.9, mean 0.71.

Wing. Brown colour of wing base and veins rather paler and more conspicuous. Swollen base of vein R4+5 with 1–5 setulae dorsally, 0–2 ventrally. Calypters pale brown.

Abdomen. Dorsally, syntergite 1+2 black with small brown lenses on lateral quarters; tergite 3 black, dusky brown on lateral quarters and grey pollinose on a median triangle and narrow basal band; tergite 4 similar; tergite 5 uniformly grey pollinose, contrasting strongly with the much darker anterior segments. Both syntergite 1+2 and tergite 3 usually with 1–4 median marginal bristles, rarely with none. Ventrally, lateral brown areas of T1–3 continuing over lateral thirds of the segments; remainder of venter lightly grey pollinose. Sternites scarcely visible. Hairs and setulae all black, except for median ventral patch of pale brown hairs on segs 1–2.

Terminalia (Fig. 13). Not very distinctive; differ from those of wentworthi in rather subtle features of shape, principally the rather “sharper” cerci, which also lack the outward curvature in lateral view.

Female. Immediately recognizable by the characteristic colour pattern, as in the male.

Distribution. NSW, ACT, and Vic.

Biology. Froggattimyia carnei resembles F. wentworthi in that almost all known specimens have been reared from Perga affinis or Perga sp. (probably affinis). Many were collected at the same time and place as F. wentworthi, but I have no evidence as to joint parasitism of the same cocoon mass.

Notes. Despite its distinctive colour pattern, F. carnei is otherwise very similar to F. wentworthi, and the two are very likely sister-species. They have the same (unusual and presumably synapomorphous) lack of well-developed upper reclinate upper orbital hairs, and the terminalia are very similar. Froggattimyia carnei, however, is much more variable in the numbers of katepisternal bristles, abdominal marginal bristles, and parafacial setulae. Also, unlike P. wentworthi, all specimens from identified host species are from Perga affinis only, and all are from the southwest slopes of New South Wales (apart from a single old specimen from Canberra). One could speculate that this suggests an inability to compete with its sister-species in cooler climates. Its distinctive colour pattern may perhaps be due to character displacement induced by such competition.

The species is named after my friend and colleague, the late Dr Phil Carne.