Cydistomyia obscurus Mackerras & Spratt, 2008

Mackerras, I. M., Spratt, D. M. & Yeates, D. K., 2008, Revision of the horse fly genera Lissimas and Cydistomyia (Diptera: Tabanidae: Diachlorini) of Australia, Zootaxa 1886 (1), pp. 1-80 : 34

Cydistomyia obscurus Mackerras & Spratt , sp. nov.

( Fig. 24 )

Type material. Holotype female, Qld , Kauri Creek, Lamb Range, 1190 m, rainforest, Nov. 1998, C.J. Burwell ( QM # T144372 ) . Paratype male, same data as for holotype ( QM) .

Diagnosis. A medium sized 14–15 mm brown species with clear wings except for brown suffusion in costal cell and brown stigma in female. Distinguished from C. exemplum , C. sabulosus and C. monteithi by larger size, wider frons, oval shape of callus with short narrow extension and elongate antennal flagellum. Further distinguished from C. exemplum by absence of herringbone pattern on thorax at 15–20X magnification.

Female. Head. Eyes (relaxed) red-brown, bare. Frons slightly divergent, wide, index 3.7, tomentum dark reddish brown, no hairs visible; vertex hollow, vertical triangle and ocellar tubercle not observed. Callus shiny dark brown, raised, not full width of frons at base, with narrow extension reaching to middle of frons. Subcallus dark reddish grey, no hairs; face similar; parafacials black (possibly due to killing in amyl acetate), with very short black hairs; beard white. Scape and pedicel brown with long black hairs; basal plate narrow, brownish orange, with small dorsal tooth with short black hairs, contrasting with black style. Palpi plump, pale brown, with black hairs, especially long basally.

Thorax. Scutum and scutellum dark brown, with appressed short white hairs, longer on posterior margin of scutum, absent from margin of scutellum.

Legs. Legs brown, femora with mixed black and white hairs, remainder of legs with black hairs.

Wings. Clear except for brown suffusion in costal cell and brown stigma.

Abdomen. Abdomen with narrow pale bands with fine white hairs on apical margins of tergites, fine black hairs elsewhere, tergite 7 with long black hairs. Venter similar.

Male. Similar but paler, abdomen with longer brownish orange hairs over all tergites and on posterior margins of scutum and scutellum. Venter with longer white hairs over all sternites. Eyes bare, upper facets enlarged. Ocellar tubercle not visible. Subcallus greyish brown; parafacials and face grey with mixed black and white hairs. Palpi cream, with long black hairs, second segment plump tapering to gently rounded tip. Wings light brown, costal and subcostal cells suffused with brown, stigma brown.

Distribution. Known only from type locality SW of Gordonvale and E of Atherton, N QLD.

Etymology. The specific epithet derives from the Latin for undistinguished and refers to the generally plain appearance of the species.

Figures

FIGURES 22–24. 22. Cydistomyia bancroftae Mackerras frons, antenna, palp, female terminalia, sternite 8, spermathecal bulb. 23. Cydistomyia exemplum Mackerras & Spratt, sp. nov. frons, antenna, palp. 24. Cydistomyia obscurus Mackerras & Spratt, sp. nov. frons, antenna, palp.