<Unknown Taxon>

McAlpine, D. K., 2007, New Taxa of Signal Flies (Diptera: Platystomatidae) of New Caledonia, Records of the Australian Museum 59 (1), pp. 65-77 : 74

Sors wrightae n.sp.

Figs 7, 8

Types. HOLOTYPE!, New Caledonia: Mount Dzumac Road , 700 m, 22°03'S 166°28'E, 31.x.2001 – 1.xi.2001, G.B.M. ( PM) . PARATYPES: 1!, same data as holotype ( AM) ; 1!, Forêt Nord , site 2, rainforest, 200 m, 22°19'S 166°55'E, 2–3.xii.2004, C.J.B., S.G.W. ( QM) ; 1!, Port Boise (Gite Kanua), rainforest, 22°21'S 166°58'E, 30.xi.2004 – 1.xii.2004, C.J.B., S.G.W., J.W. ( QM) .

Description. Female.

Coloration. Postfrons largely dull brown, with yellow setulae and black bristles; some small whitish-pruinescent spots along frontal orbits; geno-parafacial orbit narrowly yellowish-pruinescent; face largely blackish, with upper part extensively whitish-pruinescent and much of lower margin yellow; occipital region with blackish ground-colour, covered to varying extent with white to greyish pruinescence. Antenna tawny-yellow with brown suffusions. Prelabrum brown; palpus dark grey-brown with tawny-yellow apex. Thorax with blackish ground colour and general covering of dark pruinescence; small whitish-pruinescent spots and streaks present on humeral callus, mesoscutum, scutellum, propleuron, and mesopleuron. Legs largely brown-black; tarsal segments 2 to 5 pale yellow; each claw bicoloured, yellow basally, blackish apically. Wing membrane hyaline with extensive heavy brown-black to paler brown blotching, the blotches irregularly coalescing in parts; anterior and discal crossveins enclosed in a large irregular dark zone extending from costa to vein 5; squama creamy-white. Halter tawny-brown basally, with capitellum largely creamy-yellow. Abdominal tergites dull brown to brown-black, without pale markings; ovipositor sheath shining tawny-brown; aculeus yellow.

Head. Width of postfrons near its mid-length c. 0.35 of width of head; height of cheek c. 0.13 of height of eye; narrowest distance between antennal sockets c. 0.2 of width of one socket.

Thorax. Length of mesoscutum c. 0.83 of width; mesopleuron and anterior part of pteropleuron with numerous moderate-sized setulae, latter also with three or four very long pale yellow setulae. Legs: fore tarsus stout, slightly shorter than fore tibia. Wing: cell-4 index = 0.78–0.80; anal crossvein thickened at point of maximum curvature.

Abdomen. Tergites 3 and 4 subequal in size; tergite 5 slightly shorter and narrower; tergite 6 reduced, apparently desclerotized; sternites 1 to 5 compact, well sclerotized; sternite 6 very short and broad; spiracle 5 located in membrane near middle of lateral margin of tergite 5.

Dimensions. Total length 3.4–3.9 mm; length of thorax 1.7–2.0 mm; length of wing 3.3–3.6 mm.

Distribution As for genus.

Notes

The specific epithet refers to Susan G. Wright of the Queensland Museum, who obtained material of this and other interesting platystomatids in New Caledonia.

Figures

Figs 7, 8. Sors wrightae n.sp. (7) Wing. (8) Head.