Apotropina proxima (Rayment, 1959)

Ang, Yuchen, Lumbers, James & Riccardi, Paula R., 2023, A conspectus of Australian Apotropina (Diptera, Chloropidae) with the description of two new species, ZooKeys 1187, pp. 261-299 : 261

Apotropina proxima (Rayment, 1959)

Fig. 25E, F

Ephydroscinis proxima Rayment, 1959: 332.

Type locality and distribution.

Australia: Victoria (Mt. Richmond Reserve).

Taxonomic notes.

Apotropina proxima likely belongs to a group of described species (including A. exquisita , A. ornatipennis and A. raymenti ) that have dark bodies with shiny tomentosity, wings with distinct dark patterning covering at least the medial region from costal margin to beyond R2+3 vein. Based on the species description, A. proxima can be distinguished from other species in this group with its long geniculate proboscis, having only two distal tarsal segments dark and scutum with a silvery-green metallic pattern divided by three longitudinal black lines. The description did not indicate any deposited type material for examination, but did provide drawings which depict the fly with brown macula at the radial sector, a long, geniculate proboscis (Fig. 25E ) and three longitudinal black strips along the scutum (Fig. 25F ). However, the illustration does not reflect any "basally angulated fore tibiae" as indicated in the description, and as such the authors have opted to exclude this ambiguous character from the key. This species was described with life history information - as a likely hyperparasitoid associated with two other predatory/parasitoid species Sericophorus chalybeus (F. Smith, 1851) (syn. S. victoriensis Rayment) and Acanthostethus portlandensis (Rayment, 1953) ( Rayment 1959). Original description in Suppl. material 1, which only reflects the only chaetotaxy as possessing four dorsocentral setae.

Figures

Figure 25. illustrations for various Apotropina spp. A A. aequalis head, lateral view (from Becker 1911: Tafel I, Fig. 15) B A. aequalis hind tibial spur (from Malloch 1940: 271, Fig. 15) C A. nudiseta antennal arista (from Malloch 1940: 271, Fig. 17) D A. nudiseta hind tibial spur (from Malloch 1940: 271, Fig. 18) E A. proxima habitus, lateral view (from Rayment 1959: plate XXXIX, Fig. 1) F A. proxima thorax, dorsal view (from Rayment 1959: plate XXXIX, Fig. 2).