Paranomina longa, Mcalpine, 2019

Mcalpine, David K., 2019, Review of the Species of Paranomina (Diptera: Lauxaniidae), Records of the Australian Museum 71 (3), pp. 71-85 : 84-85

Paranomina longa sp. nov.

http: //zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/ 74237910-7955-458E-9673-A5295151DC8D

Figs 25, 26

Holotype ♂. Tasmania: Tyenna River, near [Mount Field] National Park , 400 ft [c. 122 m], 12.i.1960, D.K.M. ( AM K.456347) . Paratypes. Tasmania: 1♀, Seven Mile Beach, near Hobart , March 2005, B.J.D., D.K.M. ( AM) ; 1♂, Mount William National Park , Jan. 1988, G.D., A.D. ( QM) .

Description (male, female). Agreeing with generic description in most characters, but body more elongate than in other species and head more pointed in profile.

Coloration generally tawny yellow. Head with somewhat variable brownish spot between antennal base and eye; face, parafacial, prelabrum and palpus paler yellowish. Thorax without brown markings, largely shining, with relatively slight development of pruinescence. Legs without darker zones. Wing hyaline; halter yellow. Abdomen pale tawny-yellow.

Head (Fig. 25) more acutely produced anteriorly in profile than other species of genus.

Thorax. Dorsocentral bristles 1+3, anterior one markedly anterior to transverse suture and only very slightly smaller than posterior ones; prescutellar acrostichal bristle well developed; small acrostichal setulae extensively biseriate; scutellum slightly longer than in P. unicolor and other species, more convexly protruding between apical pair of bristles.

Male postabdomen. Surstylar-epandrial complex ( Fig. 26 ) more elongate than in other Paranomina species. with numerous scattered short setulae; each surstylus apically slightly expanded and indistinctly bilobed; aedeagus not examined in detail.

Dimensions. Total length, males 5.1 mm, female 4.6 mm; length of thorax, males 2.0– 2.1 mm, female 2.2 mm; length of wing, males 4.9–5.0 mm, female 5.3 mm.

Distribution. Tasmania: apparently widely distributed.

Notes. Paranomina longa differs most obviously from other species of the genus in its more elongate head and thorax and the presence of four pairs of long dorsocentral bristles, instead of the usual three pairs. In the male, the shape of the surstylus is distinctive, but the material has not proved adequate for a description of the aedeagal features.

I particularly noted that there were absolutely no plants of Xanthorrhoea in the habitat where I collected P. longa at Seven Mile Beach. It appears possible that this is the only species of Paranomina , if it is correctly placed in this genus, which is not closely associated with Xanthorrhoea species.

The specific epithet refers to the comparatively elongate head and thorax of this species.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. The following helped with field collection of flies from Xanthorrhoea plants: Greg Daniels, Barry Day, Geoff Holloway, Barbara and Max Moulds, Margaret Schneider. John C. Martin has contributed much through his work on microphotography. Geoff Monteith, Peter Sehnal, and Jacquie Recsei arranged loan of significant material. Russell Cox, Helen Smith, and Shane McEvey helped check details for the manuscript.

Figures

Figure 26. Paranomina longa, male, Mount William National Park. Epandrium with surstyli, scale = 0.2 mm.