Metopina andersoni, DISNEY, 2003

DISNEY, R. H. L., 2003, Tasmanian Phoridae (Diptera) and some additional Australasian species, Journal of Natural History 37 (5), pp. 505-639 : 606

Metopina andersoni sp. nov.

(figure 52A, B)

Material

H  : female, Papua New Guinea, Baiyer R. Goroka, 1200 m, 4–12 August 1985 ( T. Anderson, leg. R. S. George —3-143) ( UMZC) .

Etymology Named after the collector of the holotype.

Diagnosis

Female abdominal tergite 5 lacks an anterior flap; T 4 almost as long as wide; hind tibia with obviously broadened distal half; only weakly differentiated antial bristles and even weaker pre-ocellars between four supra-antennals and posterior ocelli.

Female

Frons brown, with three ocelli, a pair of ocellar bristles and a small bristle on vertex each side. Third antennal segment pale brown with 5–10 pale SPS vesicles (which are smaller than sockets of SA bristles), and arista long haired. Palp pale yellowish brown, with broadened distal half bearing five or six fine bristles and about three times as many hairs. Large brown labrum and short, narrow, pale dusky yellow labella with conspicuous teeth on inner faces. Thorax brown, without humeral bristles, three bristles on notopleuron, and intra-alars only weakly differentiated. Scutellum with fine anterior pair of hairs and posterior pair of longer bristles. Abdominal tergites brown with minute hairs, which are only obviously a little longer at rear of T 5 and T 6. T 4– T 5 as figure 52B. T 6 similar to figure 52C but not so tapered and with several hairs, especially in posterior half. Anterior margin of T 10, between apodemes, almost straight. Venter brown with conspicuous hairs below segments 3–6, extending dorsally on segments 5 and 6, and at rear of 4, and with a few adjacent to side margins of T 3. Pale cerci about 1.8× as long as broad and with several relatively short hairs, the longest being shorter than length of cercus. No furca was discerned. Legs pale yellowish brown. Front basitarsus a little swollen and only segments 1–3 with posterodorsal hair palisade. Segment 5 longer than 4. Hind femur with microsculpture of faint, chicken-wire polygons on posterior face in basal half. Hind tibia as figure 52A. Hind basitarsus with five transverse combs and a row of three apical setae on posterior face. Wing 1.0 mm long. Costal index 0.5. Costal ratios 0.6–0.7:1. Costal cilia 0.02 mm long. Costa not as thick as vein 3. Veins pale brown, but 7 obscure. Membrane lightly tinged grey. Haltere brown.

Natural history The holotype was gravid, with only a single, large, developing egg.