Descriptions of Cyrtidae, Oncodes flavescens, White; the Tabanidae, Tabanus wynyardensis, sp.nov.; the Therevidae Anabarrhynchus, Macq., Anabarrhynchus rufipes, Macq. Anabarrhynchus maritimux, sp.nov. and the Asilidae Brachyrrhopala nitidus, Macq

Hardy, George Hurlstone Hurdlestone

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267NOTES ON TASMANIAN DIPTERA ANDDESCRIPTIONS OF NEW SPECIES, ETC.By G. H. Hardy.(Read 12rli June, 1916. Issued separately 23rd Dec, 1916.)CYRTIDvE.Oncodes flavescens, White.O. flavesceii.^, White. P. and P. Roy.* Soc. Tas., 1914,pg. 70.O. nigriiiervis, White, id. pg. 71.0. (iter, White, id. pg. 72.The three specimens of Oncodes, described b}^ Mr. White,are undoubtedly variations of the same species. I havea long aeries of Oncodes showing several variations andsizes graduating between the three descriptions, and fromobservations made at Launceston, where they were abun-dant, I have no hesitation in stating that flavescens is themale, and the other two are females.Mr. White informs me that specimens of nigrinervis havebeen taken in Victoria and New South Wales, whilst ateris only known from Tasmania. I revised my series givingthis consideration, but can find no real distinction onexamining my series as a whole. The following table givesthe localities of Oncodes in my collection, and 'he numberof specimens taken :—X.W. C apt. Launceston. East Coast. Others. TotalFlavescetns 2 ... 6Nigrinervis 3 ... 12Ater 6 ... —Pygmaeus 2Totals 13 ... 18The two N.W. Coast (Wynyard)the male of var. ater (the apical yeobsolete), to which form, the three nigrinervis from thesame district closely approximate.All the Launceston specimens are typical, both maleand female, but the East Coast specimens (Triabunna andMaria Island) show marked variation, so much so, that Ihave difiiculty in isolating the tme ater from nigrinervis.11 ... 1 20.. 23 ... 1 39O ... «^2.. 37 ... 2 70flavescens could well below margins are partly268 NOTES ON TASMANIAN DIPTERA, ETC.,I leave the identification of 0. pygma.us until furtherspecimens are to hand, but J suspect the species will ultim-ately fall to a variety of 0. flavesce7is. The abdomen ofpyc/mceus seems to be identical with the colour of the abdo-men in dead specimens found clinging to twigs, and indeedsome live specimens show signs of the abdomen becomingsimilarly discoloured.A pair from Launceston (in cop. ?), not included in theabove table, has the female with the abdomen damaged,and this has a decided "re^J-brown" colour.The following descriptions cover my series of 0. fdvescens,both male and female.Male. Black ; the abdomen often extensively markedv^especially in large specimens) with yellow and yellow-brown ; legs yellow-brown, and often stained with black.Wings hyaline, veins varying from yellowish to very faintlymarked.Female. Black; the apex of the abdominal segmentsgenerally conspicuously bordered narrowly white ; legsvarying as in male. Wings sometimes suffused with brownor smoky (hyaline in small specimens), the veins h:. largespecimens often strongly marked.Female, var. aier (White). Under this name I proposeto include specimens with black abdomens, and withouttrace of apical white margins.The chief sexual character is to be found in the shape ofthe abdomen, where, in the male, the abdomen is distinctlylonger than wide. In the female the abdomen \^ scarcelylonger than wide, and viewed from above, the outlineforms almost a circle. If the apical borders of theabdominal segments are present, they are light yellow inthe male, and white in the female.Length. Male, 8 mm. to 5 mm. ; female, 7 mm. to 4 mm.Hab. Hobart, 1 9 (type); Triabunna, 5 ^, ]8 9;Maria Island, 5 ^,9 9; Wynvard, '2 <J , 9 9 ; Mole Creek,1 9; Launceston, 7 ^, 13 9; Bngdnd, 1 $.My dates range from November 10 to February 6, andwithout doubt this period will be considerably extended.*Specimens can be taken at all hours of the day, occasion-ally in quantities, sitting on the underside of dead twigs oftrees where their inflated bodies form conspicuous objectsagainst the sky.*Since the nbovo was- written, I took a male specimen in Hobartdated 1st October, 1916.BY G. H. HARDY. 269TABANIDiE.Tabanus wynyardensis, sp. nov.Male. Hairy, black and brown; easily identified by thebroad black stripe down the brown abdomen, and theabsence of recurrent vein. Eyes densely hairy.Face greyish, with black hairs, beard yellow. Palpibrown with long yellow, brown and black hairs; roundedapically. Antennae brown, second joint light, the thirdjoint apically very dark. Thorax olive, with three blackstripes, scuteilum black, the whole covered with uprightblack and brown hair.Abdomen brown, with a broad median black stripecovering more than half the area, with black and brownhair, which is upright on the basal segments and more orless depressed apically; the apical margins of the segmentsfringed with yellow hair. Underside of abdomen uniformlighter brown, covered with shorter light hair. Legsbrown. Wings hyaline, stigma brown, appendix absent.Length. 13 mm.Hab. Wynyard, 3rd February, 1916. 2 males.A specimen in the collection of the Agricultural De-partment is labelled "Swansea, Tas., Lea."The eyes of Tahanus similis, Macq., according to MissRicardo, are bare, therefore it is unlikely this species isthe male of T. similis, which according to Mr. White'skey it would naturally run to.&Pelecorhynchus eristaloides, Walk.I took a second male specimen of this species at Geeves-lon on the 19tli January, 1916.P. eristaloides, suhsjo. montanus., suhsiJ. nov.Differs from the typical eristaloides by having moreslender shape, smaller white spots on the thorax (abouthalf the size), narrower black stripes on the thorax (abouttwo-thirds the width), the entire absence of red hair, andthe spots on the wings being almost entirely obsolete.Type (male) taken in cop. with a female on the 6thJanuary, 191G. Another pair in cop., and a further two:nales and two females were taken on the 10th January,1916. Another suecinien, in the the collecfioii of ihe Agri-cultural Department, was taken by Mr. A. M. Lea.Length. Male 15 mm., female 18 mm.Hab. Summit of Mt. Wellington, where it is fairlyabundant on the low flowering shrubs, but almost impos-270 NOTES ON TASMANIAN DIPTEEA, ETC.,sible to catch when active on the wing. The specimenssecured were taken between 10 and 11 a.m., when begin-ning to fly.PelecopvHynchus fusconiger, Walk.Two' specimens in the Museum collection, in ba-l condi-tion, and a further two specimens in the Agricultural De-partment's collection bear a label "Ulverstone, Tas. ; Lea."THEREVID^.Anabarrhynchus, Macq.Under this genus, Mr. White described eiglit speciesfrom Tasmania, adding the name of another as doubtfullyTasmanian.There are three coastal species occurring on sana-dunes,namely, pallidus, the doubtful Tasmanian species rufipes,and a new species described below.The three can be readily distinguished from al otherspecies, except perhaps niontanus, by the wings, which aretinged yellow or brown along the veins. This characteris-tic is sometimes faint in pallidum,. My specimens of mon-tanus (from Mt. Wellington") are all slightly tinged darkalong veins except one, but montanus will not be confusedin any way with the coastal species.Anabarrhynchus rufipes, Macq.Readily distinguished by the yellow-brown fern era andtibise, the grey thorax with three brown stripes, and thewings tinged yellow along the veins.Male. Head grey, front darker centrally, with blackhair, pro'boscis preeminent. Antenna^, first joint shorterthan the other two joints combined (in pallidus the firstjoint is longer), the first two joints brownish, the thirdjoint black, basally brownish. Thorax grey, with threeparallel brown stripes, darkest down the centre ; the centralstripe is black down the centre, and is continued on thescutellum. Abdomen black-brown, with the apical andside margins of segments grey, except the three apical seg-ments which are generally more or less uniformly lightyellowish-brown tinged. Legs yellowish-brown, coxae andtrochanters grey, the femora and tibiaj apically stainedblack, the tarsi with the apical half of first, and whole ofthe following segments black. Wings similar to pallnlu.^,but veins black.Female differs from the male in having the front brown.Length. Male 9 mm., fern. 10.5 mm.BY G. H. HAllDY. 271Hab. Sand-dunes on the Coast. Maria Island, 1 maleand 1 female. 1st January, 1916. Also collected by Mr.Clive Cole at Bellerive duiing January and Februsi} .It is readily distinguished from jmUidus, with which itoccurs, by the three distinct stripes on the thorax, the facenot being produced so prominently, the absence of twospots on the front, the different proportions of theantennae, the knees of the legs being black, and its largersize.Anabarrhynchus maritimus, sp. nov.In Mr. White's key this would run to latifrons. but ist^asily distinguished by its two conspicuous brown stripes onthe thorax and the wings tinged along veins.Male. Black, face white, the front shining black withblack pubescence. Antennae with the first joint as long asthe third (in latifrons it is shorter). Thorax shining withtwo distinct light brown stripes, not reaching the apex,and a pair of whitish shoulder stripes. Abdomen withonly three of the segments bordered white apically. Legsas in Jatifrc/iis. Veins of wings bordered with a dark tinge.Female similar to the male.Hab. Sand-dunes on Coast. Maria Island, 1st January,1916, one pair in cop., and one female. St. Helens, six.specimens collected on the same date by Mr. F. M. Littler.ASILIDiE.Beachyeehopala nitidus, Macq.Ap]3arently the male only is described under this name.I have females from Wynyaxd and Eaglehawk Neck thatagree with the description of the male, and also a femalefrom Mr. Wellington so verv distinctive that it might bean entirely new species, but I am unable to find a reliabledistinction other than size and colour. The males are notuncommon on Mt. Wellington, I have not seen i femaleother than this unique specimen from the locality. I pro-pose to call the variety :—-B. nitidus, var. dissimilis, var. nov.Female. A large yellow s-pecies with hyaline wings andblack veins. Its yellow colour will at once distinguish itfrom the typical nitidus, and also its clear wings give it avery distinctive appearance.Dull yellow. Face dull reddish, and not bright yellow asin typical nitidus, antennae re^. Thorax, as in typicalnitidus, has black markings, but differs in having r>o yellow272 NOTES ON TA8MANIAN DIPTEUA, ETC.or whitish markings mixed with the black. Abdomen withblack markings on basal segments as in typical nitidus.Legs uniform yellow; the black claws, and yellow spurs onthe anterior tibiee, ixiuch smaller in proportion to 'he typi-cal nitidiis.A comparison of dimensions between the female typicalspecies and the variety is of interest.Fem. typical nitidus. Fern. var. di-^siiniUs.Length 18-22 mm. 22 mm.Maximum widthacross thorax . 3 mm. 4 mm^.Maximum widthacross abdo-laen 2 - 2.5 mm. 4 mm.Hab. Mt. Wellington, 2,000ft. 10th January, 1916.

Notes on Tasmanian Diptera and descriptions of new species, etc.

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Notes on Tasmanian Diptera and descriptions of new species, etc.

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