Heteropeza transmarina Schiner, 1868

Kolesik, Peter & Gagné, Raymond J., 2016, Revision of early taxa of Australian gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), Zootaxa 4205 (4), pp. 301-338 : 330

Heteropeza transmarina Schiner, 1868

[ Fig. 2 i]

Heteropeza transmarina Schiner, 1868: 5 .

Four females were reared from leaf galls on Callistemon sp. ( Myrtaceae ) in Sydney, NSW, between 6th November and 6th December 1858 ( Schiner 1868), and lodged as dry specimens at NHMW. We did not study these types as they are lost; only a pin survives that bears two labels reading “ Heteropeza transmarina det. Mayr.” and “Sidney Coll. Mayr.” respectively.

Associated gall. The adults emerged during the frigate Novara ’s stay in Sydney (pers. comm. by Georg Ritter von Frauenfeld to Schiner (1868)) from leaf galls on Callistemon sp. that were illustrated [ Fig. 2 i] and described by Schiner (1868) as groups of pinhead-sized knots on the upper leaf surface and 2-3 mm long cones with an apical opening on the lower side, each gall with a clavate larval chamber containing a pupa.

Description. Adults. Colour (extracted from Schiner (1868)): [abdomen] vivid reddish yellow, thorax black dorsally, eyes black, legs brownish yellow and dark at posterior ends, antennae brown (terminal flagellomeres missing in all 8 available antennae).

Pupa. Brown-red ( Schiner 1868).

Remarks. The genus of this species cannot be identified based on the original description. The species can be redescribed once new specimens are reared from the gall. We consider this an unplaced species of Cecidomyiinae .