Metopina howseae, DISNEY, 2003

DISNEY, R. H. L., 2003, Tasmanian Phoridae (Diptera) and some additional Australasian species, Journal of Natural History 37 (5), pp. 505-639 : 611

Metopina howseae sp. nov.

(figure 51B, C)

Material

H  : female, Australia, Queensland, Innisfail, Pin Gin Hill , February 1983 (Diane Howse—6-134) ( CSIRO).

P    : female—as holotype except ( UMZC)

Etymology Named after the collector Diane Howse.

Diagnosis

Abdominal tergite 5 without anterior flap; T 4 much wider than long; hind tibia only gradually widening; antials and the scarcely differentiated pre-ocellars are only bristles between four supra-antennals and three ocelli.

Female

Frons brown. Two ocellars and a pair of bristles each side on vertex. Third antennal segment pale dusky yellow, seemingly lacking SPS vesicles, and with longhaired arista. Palp pale yellow, the distal part relatively narrow, and with five bristles and twice as many hairs. Pale brown labrum broad. Pale labella with teeth on inner faces. Thorax orange-brown to more yellowish brown on sides, with three notopleural bristles and a weakly differentiated humeral bristle. Scutellum with anterior pair of fine hairs and posterior pair of bristles. Abdominal tergites brown, but pale in parts, and with small hairs. T 4– T 5 as figure 51B. T 6 similar to figure 52C but with hairs. Anterior margin of T 10, between the apodemes, almost straight. Venter brownish grey, with narrow pale intersegmental bands; with numerous hairs below segments 3–6, extending to edges of tergites on 4–6. Cerci pale yellow lightly tinged brown, about twice as long as broad, and with longest hair a little longer than cercus. Furca a pale irregular hoop. Legs with pale yellowish brown femora and the rest largely slightly dusky yellow. Front basitarsus not swollen but with some long hairs below. Only segments 1–3 with posterodorsal hair palisade and segment 5 longer than 4. Hind femur with entire posterior face with microsculpture of chickenwire polygons. Hind tibia as figure 51C and basitarsus with 4.5 transverse combs and three apical setae. Wing length 0.8–1.0 mm. Costal index 0.52–0.54. Costal ratios 0.62–0.63:1. Costal cilia 0.03–0.04 mm long. Thickness of costa subequal to vein 3. Veins yellowish brown, but 7 obscure, and membrane only very lightly tinged grey. Haltere brown.