Ptilocera aureopilosa sp. nov.

(Figs 21, 31, 52, 59, 82–83).

Type material. Female holotype housed in BMNH labelled: "SOLOMON IS., Rennel I., Hutuda, 8.xi.1953 J. D. Bradley/RENNEL I. Expedition. B.M. 1954-222/ Ptilocera Ƥ n. sp. det. D. Hollis, 1962/ HOLOTYPUS Ƥ, Ptilocera aureopilosa F. Mason & R. Rozkošný det., 2010" [red label]. Condition: good, only right wing glued on a small glass on same pin.

Diagnosis. Apical flagellomere white, only slightly brown tinged basally, body mostly covered with dense golden rusty pile, calypter with whitish and blackish marginal fringe. Wing brownish infuscated, with a broad, transverse yellow band including large part of discal cell.

Male. Unknown.

Description. Female (holotype) (Figs 21, 31, 52, 59, 82–83). Length (mm): body 9.2, wing 8.5. Head. Ocellar tubercle black, with semi-erect, rusty to golden pile. Frons covered by dense semi-erect golden pile (Fig. 21), with median groove; rounded, velvety-like spot at each inner eye margin. Antenna brown, only apical flagellomere snow white and slightly brownish basally, basal flagellomere broader than long, ultimate flagellomere about 3 times as long as penultimate (Fig. 83). Face brown, polished, covered with silverish pile except on facial prominence (Fig. 21). Proboscis short, brown, covered with brownish pile. Palpus two-segmented, brown. Postocular area with mostly appressed, golden pile along eye margin. Thorax black, scutum densely covered with appressed, golden, relatively long pile except broad median band in presutural area of scutum (Fig. 82). Postpronotal callus and postalar callus mainly brown, covered with golden pile. Prealar prominence rounded as in other species, with strongly furrowed ventral side (cf. Fig. 31). Scutellum with four short brown spines reaching only about 1/5 of length of scutellum at middle, densely covered with golden pile except central area (Fig. 52). Wing only slightly brown infuscated with poorly defined, broad yellowish transverse band from wing margin to lower margin of discal cell; microtrichia only slightly reduced along second branch of cubital vein and in longidutinal areas in posterior cubital and anal cells (Fig. 59). Calypter brown, with long, mixed whitish and brownish marginal hairs. Halter with yellowish stalk and darkened knob. Legs mainly brown, tarsi brown with pale brownish pile.

Abdomen (Figs 52, 82) finely punctuate, mainly black, covered by dense golden pile except narrow basal area. Pile mainly appressed to semi-appressed, partly with greenish shade in certain views. Female terminalia not examined.

Etymology. The specific name aureopilosa refers to the distinctive tousled golden hairs covering the main part of the female’s body

Material examined. Only the female holotype.

Distribution. The female holotype is known from the Solomon Islands.