Austrosciara winnertzi ( Skuse, 1888 ) Skuse, 1888

Broadley, Adam, Kauschke, Ellen & Mohrig, Werner, 2016, Revision of the types of male Sciaridae (Diptera) described from Australia by F. A. A. Skuse, Zootaxa 4193 (3), pp. 401-450 : 413-416

Austrosciara winnertzi ( Skuse, 1888) comb. n.

( Fig. 8 A‒D)

Sciara winnertzi Skuse, 1888 [ Skuse (1888): 709 ‒710; Skuse (1890: 407)].

Type locality. Australia, New South Wales, Glenbrook.

Lectotype (here designated): Male. Slide bears original label data verbatim ‘ Sc. winnertzi / Ƌ (ink) TYPE./ F. A. A. Skuse’ (print), ‘Glenbrook/ M.’ (ink). Mounted in Canada balsam Dec. 2015. ( ANIC; Slide No. 051-1) . Paralectotypes. 2 males (not studied).

Remarks. Original description states “ Hab.—Glenbrook (Masters). November.” Preservation. Flagellomeres lost, body, legs and hypopygium in good condition, wings deformed.

= Sciara rufulenta Edwards, 1927 syn. n. [ Tonnoir & Edwards (1927): 794, Figs 173, 174]. Type locality. New Zealand.

Holotype: Sciara rufulenta Edwards, 1927 , male.

Literature: Mohrig & Jaschhof (1999): 22‒26, Fig. 10 a‒f (as Ctenosciara ); Menzel & Mohrig (2000): 701 (as Ctenosciara ); Wu et al. (2010): 47, Fig. 3 A‒F (as Ctenosciara ).

Additional description. Male. Head. Eye bridge 3 facets wide; scape and pedicel ochry, flagellomeres lost; palpus 3-segmented. Thorax. Brown, with ochre parts on lateral sides of scutum and katepisternum; dorsocentral bristles and a few lateral bristles strong and dark; scutellum with 4 long marginal bristles; postpronotum bare. Wing pale; R1 rather long; R5 with macrotrichia dorsally along entire length; y nearly = x, with macrotrichia; M-stem weakly visible, with 3‒4 macrotrichia; M-fork long, M-branches and 2/3 of the CuA branches with macrotrichia. Haltere short, brownish. Legs yellowish; apex of fore tibia with a broad comb of hyaline bristles, 2‒3 of them separated (tibial organ); spurs of middle and hind tibia equal in size, longer than width of tibia apex; claws without teeth. Abdomen. With dense and rather long, brownish hairs. Hypopygium ventrally with broad open base, without a lobe or bristle patch; gonocoxites with short and sparse hairs at the inner ventral margin; gonostylus with strong apical tooth and 5‒7 short spines in apical third (among bristle-like hairs); tegmen not visible. Body length: 2.4 mm.

Comments. The species is characterized by macrotrichia on all posterior wing veins, an ochry-spotted scutum, yellowish legs with a large comb of hyaline spines (2‒3 isolated) on the apex of fore tibia, an elongated gonostylus with a strong apical tooth and short spines among bristles in the apical third. It is identical to Ct. rufulenta (Edwards) from New Zealand ( Mohrig & Jaschhof 1999: 24, fig. 10 a‒f). For a discussion of variability in this species see Mohrig & Jaschhof 1999: 25, fig. 11 a‒i).

Distribution. Australia (New South Wales), China, New Zealand.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Images showing some of the Skuse types on cards. The scale bar refers to the specimens only. a): Sciara amabilis, showing legs that had been glued separately; b): four S. exsequialis specimens comprising three males, and a female that had been carded in copula with one of the males; c): the type specimen of Trichosia mastersi. Note the hypopygium is detached and glued separately to the card.

FIGURE 8. Austrosciara winnertzi (Skuse, 1888). A. Hypopygium; B. Apex of fore tibia; C. Gonostylus from Ct. rufulenta (Edwards); D. Wing from Ct. rufulenta (Edwards) (after Mohrig & Jaschhof 1999).

FIGURE 10. Bradysia conjuncta (Skuse, 1890). A. Hypopygium; B. Sciara serenipennis Skuse (1890). Hypopygium; C. B. conjuncta (Skuse). Apex of gonostylus; D. Sciara serenipennis Skuse. Megasetae; G – F. B. conjuncta (Skuse). G. Apex of fore tibia; E. Head with basal segments of antennae; F. Mouth part with palpus.