Bradysia amabilis ( 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 : 416

Bradysia amabilis ( Skuse, 1888) comb. n.

(Figs, 9 A‒D, 3 A)

Sciara amabilis Skuse, 1888 [ Skuse (1888): 712 ‒713].

Type locality. Australia, Sydney.

Holotype: Male. Original label data ( Fig. 3 A) verbatim ‘ Sc. amabilis / Ƌ (ink) TYPE./ F. A. A. Skuse’ (print), ‘Sydney’ (ink). Mounted in Canada balsam Dec. 2015. ( ANIC; Slide No. 003).

Remarks. The original description states “ Hab.—Sydney (Masters and Skuse). September.”

Preservation. Generally well preserved.

Additional description. Male. Head. Eye bridge 2‒3 facets wide. Antenna brown, 4th flagellomere with l/windex of 2.4, with dense, pale hairs shorter than the diameter of basal node; necks rather short, brownish; palpus 3- segmented; basal segment with deep sensory pit and 4‒5 bristles. Thorax. Brown, scutum centrally and laterally with rather long dark bristles; scutellum with two long and two shorter marginal bristles; postpronotum bare. Wing pale; R1 = 4/5 R; R5 throughout with macrotrichia dorsally and ventrally; c nearly 1/2 w; y = x, with macrotrichia; posterior veins without macrotrichia. Haltere short, brownish. Legs yellowish-brown; tibial organ comb-like, with a row of 5‒6 bristles; spurs of middle and hind tibia equal in size, rather short; claws missing. Abdomen. With rather short, brownish hairs. Hypopygium brown; ventral base broadly open, without lobe or bristle patch, the inner membrane with fine hairs; gonocoxites strong, with short and sparse hairs at the inner ventral margin; gonostylus elongate, shorter than gonocoxite, with curved apex and one or two dorsally located claw-like short teeth, the apex with 6‒7 spines of equal size, one of them more robust than the others; tegmen somewhat pyramid-like, apically rounded, with fine teeth and a broad ventral parameral apodeme; aedeagus rather short. Body length: 3.0 mm.

Comments. The species is characterized by a deep sensory pit on the basal segment of the palpus, ventral macrotrichia on R5, macrotrichia on y, a ventral membrane with fine hairs at the base of the hypopygium, an elongated gonostylus with 1‒2 small, dorsally-located claw-like teeth and several spines below.

Distribution. Australia (New South Wales).

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.