Euricrium (Austroeuricrium) australiensis, Mohrig & Kauschke & Broadley, 2018

Mohrig, Werner, Kauschke, Ellen & Broadley, Adam, 2018, New black fungus gnats (Diptera: Sciaridae) from Eastern Australia, Zootaxa 4450 (2), pp. 203-241 : 229

Euricrium (Austroeuricrium) australiensis sp. n.

( Fig. 18 A–E ; 19 A–C )

Type locality: Australia, Queensland, Lamington , Nat. Park.

Holotype: Male, 11.viii.1965, leg. E.F. Reik, ASCT 00053822 ( ASCU).

Paratypes: 1 male, 1 female, same locality , same data; ASCT00053823 (♀ in ASCU) & ASCT00053824 (♂ in PWMP) ; 1 male, 1977, NSW, Sherwood Creek , alongside creek, leg. A.J. Stocker, ASCT00053832 ( PABM) ; 1 female, 8.viii.1997, Queensland, Mt. Lewis , 37 km WSW von Port Douglas, 16°35´, 145°16´, Malaise trap, leg. J. Seymour ( PWMP) .

Description. Male. Head. Brown. Eye bridge 3 facets wide. Antenna brown, last segment somewhat paler; 4th flagellomere with l/w index of 4.0, hairs dense, erect and longer then the diameter of the basal node; neck rather long, brownish. Palpus pale, 3-segmented, basal segment with 3–4 bristles and without a deepened sensory area, 3rd segment long. Thorax. Brown, rather flat, katepisternum weakly backwardly directed. Scutum with short and fine hairs, some lateral bristles longer; scutellum with 2 longer and 2 shorter marginal bristles; postpronotum bare. Wing brownish, in the area of the M-fork with a darker patch; R1 = 1/2 R; R5 without ventral macrotrichia; C = 2/3 w; y = x, without macrotrichia; M1 arched (M-fork vase-like), CuA1 strongly curved towards the posterior border of the wing; posterior wing veins with macrotrichia. Haltere brownish. Coxae and femora yellowish, tibiae and tarsi brownish (sometimes also the hind femur); apex of fore tibia with a wide comb of bristles and several isolated bristles within the horseshoe-like border; spurs of middle and hind tibiae equal in size, a little longer than the diameter of the apex; claws without teeth. Abdomen. Brown, with rather dense hairs, the membrane between tergites and sternites darkened. Hypopygium basally widely closed; gonocoxites at the inner ventral margin with rather long hairs; gonostylus pointed to the apex, with an apical tooth and 6–8 spines at the inner side nearly up to the base. Tegmen large, rounded apically, with a field of teeth. Aedeagus short. Body length: 3.5 mm.

Comments. The species is characterized by the vase-like M-fork, macrotrichia on posterior wing veins, horseshoe-like tibial organ on the fore tibia, claws without teeth, gonostylus with an apical tooth and a row of 6–8 spines on the inner side. The females have depigmented last flagellomeres. Euricrium australiensis differs from the Central and South American species mainly by the shape of the tibial organ and by having claws without teeth.

Distribution. Australia: New South Wales, Queensland.

Figures

FIGURE 18. Euricrium (Austroeuricrium) australiensis sp. n., malE, A. Hypopygium; B. FlagEllomErEs 3–5; C. Palpus; D. Tibial organ. E. Wing.

FIGURE 19. Euricrium (Austroeuricrium) australiensis sp. n., fEmalE A. PEDicEl anD flagEllomErEs 1–4; B. DEpigmEntED tErminal antEnnal sEgmEnts; C. Wing.