INSECTS OF MACQUARIE ISLAND. DIPTERA: SCIARIDAE

Recent collections from Macquarie Island, in Antarctica, include a long series of a species of sciarid which appears to be new.2 Recent advances in the taxonomy of this family make many previous descriptions obsolete, and the possibility cannot be entirely excluded, that the Macquarie I. species is...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: H. Colless
Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: 1962
Subjects:
Online Access:http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.596.4736
http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/pi/pdf/4(4)-955.pdf
Description
Summary:Recent collections from Macquarie Island, in Antarctica, include a long series of a species of sciarid which appears to be new.2 Recent advances in the taxonomy of this family make many previous descriptions obsolete, and the possibility cannot be entirely excluded, that the Macquarie I. species is an immigrant, already described in another country. However, in the literature available to me, I can find no definite evidence that this is so. Description of the larvae and pupae, which are also available, will not be possible until more is known of the taxonomy of those immature stages. However, specimens will be lodged in the Australian National Insect Collection, Canberra, and the Bishop Museum, Hawaii, for the use of future workers. The biology and ecology of the species will be described by Mr. K. Watson in a future publication. 1. Bradysia watsoni Colless, n. sp. Types: Holotype $ and allotype $ (both Langdon Point, Macquarie I., 3.X. 1961, K. Watson; M/61/In/357), together with 12 paratypes of each sex and a series of morpho-type larvae and pupae, in the Australian National Insect Collection. Paratype series also to be placed in the Bishop Museum, Hawaii, the United States National Museum, and the British Museum (Natural History). Type locality: Macquarie I., Antarctica. A small, dark species, belonging to the genus Bradysia Winn., in the enlarged sense of Frey (1948) and Tuomikoski (1960), by virtue of the following characters: eyes hairy; maxillary palp 3-segmented, segment 1 with a sense organ; posterior pronotum without setae; fore tibia with distinct apical comb, consisting of row of small spines placed near base of single spur; mid and hind tibiae each with pair of sub-equal spurs; tarsal claws simple; wing veins M and Cu without macrotrichiae. Male: Wing length 2.2-2.5, average 2.4mm. (10 specimens) Head. Vertex dull, black. Eyes well haired, eye-bridge with 2 rows of facets and, in many specimens, a 3rd row at center. Antennae (fig. le) dark brown, thickly clothed with short golden setae, segments ...