Cydistomyia improcerus 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 : 46-48

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.1886.1.1
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5134464
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/D95287EC-241F-FF8A-FF73-FAFE9158FCB0
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Cydistomyia improcerus Mackerras & Spratt
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Cydistomyia improcerus Mackerras & Spratt View in CoL , sp. nov.

( Figs. 11 View FIGURES 9–12 , 34 View FIGURES 34–36. 34 )

Type material. Holotype female, NSW, 24 km W of Ebor, Dec. , 1952, I.M. and M.J. Mackerras ( ANIC) . Paratype males (16), NSW, Point Lookout, 1798 m, nr Ebor , on Leptospermum, Jan., 1952 ; 1 female, NSW, Barwick R., nr Ebor , NSW, Jan., 1962, J. Bancroft and I.M. Mackerras ( ANIC) .

Non-type material examined. NSW: 1♀ 15 km SW Ebor 12.xii.1984, D.K. Yeates (on Leptospermum blossoms) ( UQIC) ; 1♀, 2♂ New England Nat. Pk., 3.i.1978, G. Daniels ( GDCB) .

Diagnosis. A medium-sized species closely related to C. duplonotata and exhibiting almost identical abdominal markings but distinguished from it by dark antennae, short undersized antennal flagellum, black basal plate with gently rounded dorsal angle, light brown costal cell, slightly wider frons with callus markedly less than width of frons at its base, and richer brown abdominal venter with narrow indistinct pale apical margins on sternites. Length 15–16 mm.

Female. Head. Eyes (relaxed) brown, with short scattered hairs just visible at 15X magnification. Frons parallel, index 3.3–4.9, with grey or fawn tomentum and short black hairs; ocellar tubercle shiny, light brown, bare; callus shiny, black, conspicuously less than width of frons at base, with tapering slightly irregular extension reaching almost to junction of upper and middle third of frons. Subcallus with fawn grey to brownish tomentum, no hairs; parafacials and face with similar tomentum but with numerous black hairs among dull yellowish ones; beard greyish brown. Antennal scape and pedicel grey with long black hairs; flagellum undersized, basal plate short, stubby, with gently rounded dorsal angle entirely black, not contrasting with short black style. Palpi brownish yellow, with predominantly black hairs.

Thorax. Scutum and scutellum dark grey, paler on lateral and posterior margins, with erect black and appressed dull yellowish brown hairs; marginal hairs not conspicuous. Pleura grey, with dull grey and black hairs.

Legs. Femora brown, with predominantly black hairs, anterior pair slightly darker than others; tibiae brown, with similar dark hairs; tarsi slightly darker brown, with black hairs.

Wings. Lightly greyish brown, with brown suffusion along margins of veins; costal and subcostal cells uniformly light brown.

Abdomen. Medium to dark yellowish brown, with median dark grey vitta indistinctly invaded by yellowish apical median patches (sometimes triangular) on tergites 2–6 overlain with dull creamy yellow hairs sometimes giving appearance of interrupted enclosed pale vitta. Abdominal hairs black except for those over median apical areas and for yellowish cream ones on lateral margins. Venter brown, with black hairs, pale apical margins on sternites barely discernible.

Male. Similar to female but a little darker and more hairy. Eyes with short dark hairs visible at 15X magnification, green in life brown when relaxed, upper facets not enlarged; ocellar tubercle present, ocelli not observed. Palpi fawn, with long black hairs mixed with few white ones, second segment characteristically plump basally, tapering almost uniformly to fine round tip.

Distribution. Known only from around Ebor NSW.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the short, undersized nature of the antennal flagellum.