Amenia chrysame (Walker)

Colless, D. H., 1998, Morphometrics in the genus Amenia and revisionary notes on the Australian Ameniinae (Diptera: Calliphoridae), with the description of eight new species, Records of the Australian Museum 50 (1), pp. 85-123 : 110

Amenia chrysame (Walker)

Material now available extends the distribution to far North Queensland and, in the south, to the Flinders Ranges, north of Adelaide ( Fig. 10 ). The morphometric analysis in Part 1 ( Fig. 11 ) revealed a sharp discontinuity in variation at about the 26th parallel, in the vicinity of Bundaberg. Further study shows that males fromnorth Queensland have the postorbital strip less reduced than have those from New South Wales. In the former, the pruinosity can be traced to or almost to the vertex; in the latterit disappears well before the vertex. A slight difference in the shape of the carina, in both sexes, also shows a similar distribution. However, between the New South Wales border and about Bundaberg, the two forms seem to overlap and intermediates are found. Despite this clear evidence of subspeciation, I see no reason to give it formal recognition .

A. chrysame has the submedian marginal bristles on abdominal T 3 very strongly developed, both in size and (in males only) in number (usually 4 or 5, but up to 7 have been seen).

Distribution ( Fig. 10 ). Eastern Australia, predominantly on the coast or nearby ranges, from Cape York to the Flinders Ranges, South Australia.

Figures

Figure 10. Distributions of Amenia chrysame (circles), Amenia nigromaculata (triangles), and Amenia sexpunctata (squares) (overlapping records omitted).

Figure 11. Scatter-plot of 100 specimens of Amenia chrysame; axis I-FrwlPdc (see text); axis 2-latitude