Hydrotaea fuscocalyptrata, Macquart, 1855

Pont, Adrian C., 2012, Muscoidea (Fanniidae, Anthomyiidae, Muscidae) described by P. J. M. Macquart (Insecta, Diptera), Zoosystema 34 (1), pp. 39-111 : 65

fuscocalyptrata Macquart, 1855 , Hydrotea

Hydrotea fuscocalyptrata Macquart, 1855a: 139 ( 1855b: 119) , pl. 6, fig. 16 (as fusco-calyptrata). Lectotype ♂, “de la Nouvelle-Hollande. M. Bigot.” (allegedly from Australia, but most probably from South America), by designation of Pont (1973b: 286), in OUMNH.

MATERIAL. — There is 1 ♂ syntype in the Bigot collection in OUMNH. It was lent by Verrall to Stein in 1907, according to a note in Verrall’s MS list of the species in the Bigot collection. It is labelled by Macquart “ Hydrotea / fuscocalyptrata / ♂. Macq.”, and stands over a Bigot drawer label “O. [ Onodontha ] fuscocalyptrata. ♂. / Hydrotea . id. Macq. / Australie. J. Bigot. ”. It is in appalling condition, having been attacked by beetle pest and now being fragmentary: part of the thorax (hollowed out) and both wings are still on the pin ; part of the abdomen and part of the head have been untidily gummed to the front part of the thorax; some legs and leg fragments are gummed on. There is much beetle-produced debris on these remains. No part of either foreleg is preserved. In 1973, I referred to this ♂ as the holotype, and this must now be interpreted as lectotype designation by inference.

CURRENT IDENTITY. — Stein (1907b: 275, 276) saw this specimen but because of its atrocious condition was unable to identify it. The venation, the course of the subcosta, and Macquart’s description of the ♂ foreleg all indicate a species of Hydrotaea Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 , as currently defined, but it is not an Australian species. In my opinion, it must be a South American species, and it is very similar to H. cyaneiventris Macquart, 1851 (see Pont 1972: 12; 1973b: 285; Carvalho et al. 1993: 44; 2005: 43).