Lispe flaveola Vikhrev

Pont, Adrian C., 2019, Studies on the Australian Muscidae (Diptera). VIII. The genus Lispe Latreille, 1797, Zootaxa 4557 (1), pp. 1-232 : 30-35

Lispe flaveola Vikhrev

( Figs 1 , 42–56 )

Lispe flaveola Vikhrev, 2015: 245 , fig. 43.

Type-material. I have not seen the type-series, which consists of 3♂ and 3♀ that Vikhrev collected in Northern Territory and Queensland. The holotype was from Queensland, Pentland env., forest creek, 20.52S 145.40E, 1.ii.2013, and is deposited in ZMUM.

Diagnosis. This is an outstandingly beautiful and unmistakable species ( Fig. 1 ). It can be recognised in both sexes by the strikingly golden dusted pleura, contrasting with a subshining black scutum. In the ♂ the armature of the mid and hind tarsomeres ( Figs 44–46 ) is unique.

Material Examined. AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: Carson Escarpment, 14.49S 126.49E, site B1, 9– 15.viii.1975, I.F.B. Common & M.S. Upton, 6♂ 16♀ ( ANIC, BMNH); Drysdale River, 15.02S, 126.55E, site A1, 3–8.viii.1975, I.F.B. Common & M.S. Upton, 1♀ ( ANIC). Northern Territory: Baroalba Creek Springs, 19 km NE by E of Mt Cahill, 17.xi.1972, D.H. Colless, 1♀ ( ANIC); Berry Springs, 15.vi.1964, K.R. Norris, 1♀ ( ANIC); Birraduk Creek, 17 km WSW of Nimbuwah Rock, 5.vi.1973, D.H. Colless, 6♂ 3♀ ( ANIC, BMNH); Bowerbird W/H, Upper Magela Creek, 25.viii.1978, D.H. Colless, 1♀ ( ANIC); Manbulloo Station, Katherine, 19.vii.1929, I.M. Mackerras & T.G. Campbell, 1♂ 4♀ ( ANIC, BMNH); McArthur River, 2 km SSE of Borroloola, Malaise trap, 20.iv.1976, D.H. Colless, 1♂ ( ANIC); McArthur River, 14 km S by W of Cape Crawford, at light, 12.iv.1976, D.H. Colless, 1♀ ( ANIC). Queensland: no further data, 1♀ ( BMNH); Amphitheatre waterhole area, 27 km N of Musselbrook Resource Centre, Lawn Hill Nat. Park, 18.21.08S, 138.09.43E, 200 m, 3–4.v.1995, G. Daniels & M.A. Schneider, 1♂ 2♀ ( QMBA); Annan River, 3 km W by S of Black Mt, Malaise trap, 28.ix.1980, D.H. Colless, 4♂ 3♀ ( ANIC, BMNH); 10 km NW of Archer River Crossing, 13.22S, 142.54E, 30.iv.1989, G. & A. Daniels, 1♂ ( QMBA); 15 miles SW of Ayr, 6.ix.1950, E.F. Riek, 1♀ ( ANIC); Blue Mts, Cape York Peninsula, light trap, 14.xi.1947, J.L. Wassell, 3♂ ( QMBA); Desailly Creek, 10 km W by N of Mt Carbine, 16.30S, 144.55E, 19.v.1981, D.H. Colless, 1♂ 1♀ ( ANIC); Hells Gate Creek, SE of Laura, 15.39S, 144.34E, 14v.1989, G. & A. Daniels, 1♂ 1♀ ( QMBA) & 1♂ ( BMNH); Kennedy River, 26 km west of "Fairview", 15.35S, 144.04E, 21.iv.1989, G. & A. Daniels, 1♀ ( QMBA); Lankelly Creek, McIlwraith Range, near Coen, Cape York Peninsula, 28–31.x.1969, B. Cantrell, 2♂ 3♀ ( QMBA); Little Kennedy River, 1 km NE 'Fairlight ', 15.45S, 144.02E, 4.v.1989, G. & A. Daniels, 1♂ 3♀ ( QMBA); 3 km SW by S of Mt Baird, 15.10S, 145.07E, Malaise trap, 4.v.1981, D.H. Colless, 1♂ ( ANIC); 40 mile scrub via Mt Garnet, intercept trap site 13, 11–25.ix.1983, Storey, Walford & Huggins, 1♂ ( QDPC); Murrays Spring, 7 km W of Musselbrook Resource Centre, Lawn Hill Nat. Park, 18.35.15S, 138.04.28E, 200 m, 21.iv– 13.v.1995, G. Daniels & M.A. Schneider, 4♂ 12♀ ( QMBA) & 1♂ 3♀ ( BMNH); Musselbrook Creek, 11 km ENE of Musselbrook Resource Centre, Lawn Hill Nat. Park, 18.36.45S, 138.07.46E, 140 m, 8.v.1995, G. Daniels & M.A. Schneider, 1♂, OUMNH; Ridgepole Waterhole , 24 km ESE of Musselbrook Resource Centre, Lawn Hill Nat. Park, 18.40.15S, 138.22.15E, 180 m, 10.v.1995, G. Daniels & M.A. Schneider, 1♀ ( QMBA) ; South Alice Creek , south of Dalhunty River, Cape York Peninsula, 30.x.1979, M.S. & B.J. Moulds, 1♀ ( QMBA) ; Stony Creek , near Old Lockhart River Mission, 24.x.1974, G. Daniels, 1♂ ( QMBA) ; Tully Falls Road, 31.iii.1976, I.D. Galloway, 1♀ ( QDPC) ; 3 km NE of Mt Webb , 15.03S 145.09E, Malaise trap, 3.x.1980, D.H. Colless, 1♀ ( ANIC) ; 5 km W by N of Rounded Hill , 15.17S 145.10E, Malaise trap, 7.x.1980, D.H. Colless, 2♂ 1♀ ( ANIC) .

Description ♂ ♀. Head ( Fig. 42 ). Ground-colour black. Frons at broadest point 0.39 (♂) or 0.36 (♀), at lunula 0.3 (♂ ♀), of maximum head-width (frontal view). Eye with an area of facets alongside lunula conspicuously enlarged. Fronto-orbital plate with upper half subshining, then brown pruinose, lowest part together with parafacial, face and gena yellowish prunose, almost golden; lower 2/3 of occiput white to yellowish-white pruinose, upper 1/3 thinly brown pruinose but not shining, except at vertex. Ocellar setae minute. Lower reclinate orbital seta absent, upper one tiny. Frontal triangle slender, shining black. Parafacial narrow, at middle 1/3 (♂) or 1/ 2 (♀) width of postpedicel; setulae short, fine, in 1 row. Antenna partly black, most of pedicel and basal 1/2 to 1/3 of postpedicel orange; postpedicel 2 times as long as broad, falling short of mouth-margin by its length. Arista plumose, the hairing at widest point 1.6 times width of postpedicel. Vibrissa strong but short, only just crossing, set high above mouth-margin ( Fig. 42 ), vibrissal area otherwise with few setulae. Gena moderate, 0.16 (♂) to 0.18 (♀) of vertical eye-length; genal setae fine. Palpus yellow, swollen at tip ( Fig. 43 ).

Thorax. Ground-colour black, lower pleura apparently orange. Scutum subshining black, with inconspicuous dark brown dust along neck, on anterior half of postpronotal lobe, a mid-line of varying width from neck to scutellum, a line running along sa line, over post-alar calli and continuing narrowly along scutellar suture; scutellum dark subshining black, disc slightly dulled by thin dark brown dust which is also present on sides in basal half; pleura strikingly golden dusted, upper plates tinged with brown in ♀; notopleuron partly golden and partly dark brown. Scutal ground-setulae sparse and minute; the setae rather short and stout. Anterior spiracle brown. Acr setulae in 2 irregular rows at suture. Dc 0+1, the single seta short, only twice as long as a ground-setula. 0 pprn. 0+0 ia. 0+1 sa. 1 proepisternal seta, with an adjacent setula. 1 proepimeral seta, with 0-2 adjacent setulae. Anepisternum without a short seta in upper anterior corner; posterior "row" consisting of only 1 seta. 1 strong kepst, anterior one absent, lower one represented by a tiny setula. Meron bare below spiracle, usually with a few tiny inconspicuous setulae above hind coxa. Scutellum with disc very sparsely setulose, bare on sides; with some soft pale hairs on ventral surface at tip.

Legs. Coxae and trochanters yellow; femora yellow, sometimes (especially fore femur) with a dark smudge anterodorsally before tip; fore tibia black except at base; mid and hind tibiae yellow; tarsomeres black, mid tarsomere partly dull orange. Fore coxa bare behind. Fore femur without ventral setae; except for 1 short pv at base; pd row short, setulose, on apical half only. Fore tibia rather expanded and flattened, especially in ♀ (as in nigrimana , Fig. 60 ), dusted white in ♀ on posterior surfaces; without submedian setae; with short d and pv apical setae. Fore tarsus with basal tarsomere slightly flattened like the tibia, otherwise without modifications. Mid femur elongate, very constricted in more than apical half; without av, pv or a setae; without preapical ad; 1 p preapical. Mid tibia ( Fig. 44 ) long and slender; with 0 ad and 1 p; with short d, a (♂) or av (♀), v and p apicals, without pv. Mid tarsus of ♂ modified ( Fig. 44 ): basal tarsomere elongated, with a row of v setulae and a small setulose boss at tip, tarsomeres 2 and 3 each with a short flattened setula on a small swelling near base, tarsomere 4 with 2 short flattened setulae; not modified in ♀. Hind coxa without a seta on posterior apical margin. Hind femur elongate ( Fig. 45 ), with 3-4 fine v setae in basal half, otherwise bare ventrally; completely bare ventrally in ♀; ad row complete, very short and setulose; 0 pd preapical. Hind tibia elongate ( Fig. 45 ); with 1 ad, hardly distinguishable in ♂, very short also in ♀; without av or pd; in ♂ v surface with a row of fine erect setulae; d and ad preapical setae absent; ♂ with 1 fine a and av apical setae, ♀ with 1 short av; no pv. Hind tarsus of ♂ short ( Fig. 46 ); basal tarsomere flattened and expanded, with about 6 long a setae, and rows of short a to av setulae, a fine v seta near base (also present in ♀), tarsomeres 2-5 short; of normal length and not modified in ♀.

Wing. Narrow. Very weakly smoky. Tegula brown, basicosta orange. Crossvein r-m placed slightly apicad of the point where vein R1 enters costa; dm-cu straight, longer than apical section of vein CuA 1. Vein M running straight to wing-margin. Calypters creamy, with yellow margins. Haltere yellow.

Abdomen. Ground-colour of ♂ black, irregularly orange on dorsal surface, sides of tergites yellow; in ♀ black medially, yellow laterally, and intermediate areas brown. Segments 4 and 5 modified, asymmetrical ( Fig. 50 ); tergite 4 and sternite 4 fused, but the line of fusion still distinct; sternite 5 withdrawn into segment 5. Tergites subshining black to orange with very thin dark brown dust; with dusted spots as in figs, the dusting yellowish-grey on mid-line and on tergite 5, yellow almost golden on other tergites and on sides of ♂ tergites, the pattern rather different in ♂ and ♀ ( Figs 47–49 ). ♂ epandrium and preceding tergites dusted golden. ♀ ovipositor with visible parts of tergites 6 and 7 white dusted. Sternites 1–3 in ♂ yellowish dusted, sternite 4 more grey; all sternites in ♀ yellowish-grey dusted. Setae on tergites very weak, only tergite 5 with very weak marginal setae, without discals. ♂ sternites 2–4 with sparse setulae.

Ƌ terminalia. Epandrium separated from tergite 5 by syntergosternite 8, which has 2 spiracles; tergite 6 absent. Sternite 6 absent. Surstylus absent, i.e. fused to epandrium without trace ( Fig. 51 ). Cercal plate ( Fig. 52 ) moderately divided. Hypandrium attached at lower anterior corner of inner side of epandrium via an apparent praegonite, with a seta at posterior end; posterior attachment of hypandrial+phallic complex made by an extension from base of phallus to wall of epandrium close to inner dorsal tip of cercal plate. Phallic complex ( Fig. 53 ): an apparent praegonite present, appearing at first sight to be a surstylus ( Figs 51, 53 ) but firmly fused along its base to hypandrium and only loosely attached to epandrium from which it easily detaches during dissection; postgonite hook-like, partially concealed behind praegonite; phallapodeme enlarged, extending anteriorly over hypandrium and fused to it at mid-length by a plate; phallus simple, fully sclerotised, with no apparent juxta or spinulation, with a rod-like projection at mid-length anteriorly, with a posterior extension that attaches to cercal plate.

♀ ovipositor ( Figs 54–56 ). Tergites 6 and 7 large, divided dorsally; tergite 8 divided dorsally, broadening out below. Sternites 6 and 7 broad, plate-like; sternite 8 reduced to a pair of tiny platelets. Epiproct divided, with only short setulae. Hypoproct not greatly elongated, without spines. Cercus with 2 spines. 3 spermathecae.

Measurements. Wing-length, 3.5–4.0 mm (♂), 3.5–4.5 mm (♀). Body-length, 5.0– 5.5 mm (♂), 5.0–6.0 mm (♀).

Biology. Nothing known. Adults have been collected in the vicinity of rivers and waterholes.

Distribution. Known only from Australia (WA, NT, Q).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Lispe flaveola Vikhrev, ♂. (NT, Birraduk Creek, 17 km WSW Nimbuwah Rock.)

FIGURES 42–46. Lispe flaveola Vikhrev. 42. ♂ head, lateral view. 43. ♀ palpus. 44. ♂ mid tibia+tarsomeres, posterior view. 45. ♂ hind leg, anterior view. 46. ♂ hind tarsomeres, dorsal view. oc—ocellar seta, or—orbital seta. (42, 43, 45, NT. Birraduk Creek; 44, 46, WA, Carson Escarpment.)

FIGURES 47–49. Lispe flaveola Vikhrev. 47. ♂ abdomen, dorsal view. 48. ♀ abdomen, dorsal view. 49. ♂ abdomen, lateral view. (♂, NT, Birraduk Creek; ♀, WA, Carson Escarpment.)

FIGURES 50–53. Lispe flaveola Vikhrev, ♂ terminalia. 50. Sternites 1–4. 51. Hypopygium, lateral view. 52. Cercal plate, dorsal view. 53. Phallic complex, lateral view. pg—postgonite. (50, WA, Carson Escarpment, rest NT, Birraduk Creek.)

FIGURES 54–56. Lispe flaveola Vikhrev, ♀ ovipositor. 54. Dorsal view. 55. Ventral view. 56. Lateral view. (WA, Carson Escarpment.)

FIGURES 60–63. Lispe nigrimana (Malloch). 60. ♀ fore leg, posterior view. 61. ♂ mid tarsomeres, posterior view. 62. ♂ hind leg, anterior view. 63. ♂ hind tarsomeres 1 and 2, dorsal view. (NT, 32 km WNW of Alice Springs.)