.THETANYDERIDAE OP AUSTRALIA (DIPTERA).

By Charles P. Alexander, Massachusetts Agricultural College,
Amherst, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

(Communicated by Dr. I. M. Mackerras.)(Four Text-figures.)[Read 29th August, 192S.]

The remarkably paleogenic group of Diptera now included in the family
Tanyderidae is represented by ten recent and fossil genera totalling slightly morethan a score of species. Of this number, three genera with four species are hereinrecorded from the Australian Subreglon. For many years the flies of this groupwere included in the family Tipulidae where they were ranked as a distinct tribeor placed with the Ptychopterini (Loew, 1851; Osten Sacken, 1859, 1869, 1880,
1886; Philippi, 1865; Hutton, 1900). More recently the various Tanyderid genera
were distributed in the Ptychopteridae (Handlirsch, 1909; Enderlein, 1912; deMeijere, 1915a, 1915&).
The group was finally accorded full family rank by
Alexander (1919).
The first genus to be described was the only known fossil, MacrocMle Loew
(Loew, 1851; Crampton, 1926; Alexander, 19271)) from the Lower Oligocene Baltic
Amber. The. next genus to be defined was Protoplasa Osten Sacken (1859), soon
Virtually all of thefollowed by the typical genus Tanyderus Philippi (1865).
known species, including all forms described from the Southern Hemisphere, were
included in Tanyderus until the appearance of the very important paper byHandlirsch (1909) where three new generic groups were proposed (Frotanyderus,
Alexander (1927&) recognized these three names
Mischoderus and Radinoderus)
as valid subgenera and added two subgeneric groups to Tanyderus, Neoderics for
the Neotropical Tanyderus patagonicus Alexander (1913) and NotJwderus for theAustralasian Tanyderus australiensis Alexander (1922). It now seems advisable
to treat these names as was done by Handlirsch and in the present report a totalof ten generic names is recognized.
The most distinct group would appear to be
P6ringueyomyina Alexander (1921), although many of the other groups appear
to be very well defined. In the Australasian fauna, MiscJioderiis Handlirsch is foundonly in New Zealand, a total of five specific names having been proposed (forcipatus
Osten Sacken, 1880; annuUferus Hutton, 1900; neptunus Edwards, 1923a; varipes
Edwards, 1923a; marginatus Edwards 1923&) at least one of which will probably
prove to be a synonym (Handlirsch, 1909; Tillyard, 1926). Radinoderus Handlirsch
includes six Australasian and an additional Chilean species {gloriosus Alexander,
1920&). The species of the former group have been discussed and keyed in a paper by
the writer (Alexander, 1924). Two of the Australian species belong to Radinoderus
and are the largest and most beautiful species in the local fauna. isfot7iode7-us
Alexander is probably the most generalized of the living Tanyderidae, its retention.

ETHE TANYDEKIDAE OF AUSTRALIA,

368

of the free tip of Sc^ being

MacGillivray, 1923).

an archaic feature (Alexander,

19276;

1922, 1927a,

The third Australian genus includes only the very interesting

species that is described herewith as Eutanyde^-us wilsoni, n. gen. et sp.,
one of the interesting captures made in Victoria by my friend, Mr. F. Erasmus
littleWilson.

In earlier papers, the writer (Alexander, 1920c, 1927&) had included in the
Tanyderidae as a separate subfamily the Bruchomyinae but these are now considered as being more properly referable to the Psychodidae (Alexander, Pboc.
Linn. Soc. New South Wales, liii, 1928, 291).

Nothing is known concerning the immature stages of these flies except theby Alexander (1920a) of the supposed larva of Protoplasa
This larva lives in wet decaying logs near water andfitcJiii Osten Sacken.
presents a curious appearance, the caudal end of the abdomen being produced into
brief account given

a long, stout, non-retractile breathing tube that is somewhat suggestive of themuch shorter tube of the closely allied Psychodidae. At the base of this tube are
two large, pinnately branched anal gills that are quite unlike those of any otherknown Dipterous insect.
Key to the Genera of the Tanyderidae.
1.

Front prolonged into a slender rostrum that is longer than the combined head andthorax, the reduced mouthparts being borne at the extreme apex wings immacumale hypopygium with the styli very elongate
late(Ethiopian Cape Colony) .... Peringueyomyina Alexander
Front not greatly prolonged, the rostrum being relatively short, any elongation thatexceeds the remainder of the head in length being due to the palpi and othermouthparts wings pictured in all recent species male hypopygium with the
;

;

:

;

;

styli short

2

Lower Oligocene,

Amber)

2.

"Wings immaculate3.

Macrochile Loew
Wings pictured, the pattern usually cross-banded brown and subhyaline
3
Wings with the free tip of Sc^ preserved(Australasian: Tasmania)(Fossil:

BalticNothoderus Alexander

Wings with the free tip of Sc^ atrophied
4.

,

4

Cervical sclerites shorter than the pronotum, the neck-region short male hypopygiumwith the dististyle more or less bifid
5
Cervical sclerites elongate, equal to or exceeding the pronotum, the two together
forming a conspicuous neck-region male hypopygium with the dististyle simple,;;

terete5.

6

A supernumerary cross-vein in cell Mj of the wing

(Eastern Nearctic)
Protoplasa Osten Sacken

No supernumerary cross-veins in any cells of the wing(Western Nearctic, Palaearctic)
6.

....

Protanyderus Handlirsch

No supernumerary cross-veins in any cells of the wing
Supernumerary cross-veins7

in certain of the radial cellsof the

wing

8

•8.

subequal to or exceeding R^+j, the latter shorter than cell R^
Rsin
Australian species a short fusion of R2+3+4 antennae with 18 or more segments(Australasian, Neotropical)
Radinoderus Handlirsch
Rs short, about two-thirds Rj^, and longer than cell R^
R^^5 distinct fromwith
15
segments
R2+3
antennae(Australasian Victoria)
Eutanyderus, n. gen.
A supernumerary cross-vein in cell R^ only
(Neotropical Chile)

9.

Supernumerary cross-veins in two
Supernumerary cross- veins in cells R3 and R^

7.

elongate,

;

;

;

;

.

:

.

.

:

Tanyderus Philippi
radial cells

9(Australasian:

New Zealand)

Mischoderus Handlirsch

Supernumerary cross-veins in cells R, and R^(Neotropical: Patagonia)

Neoderus Alexander——

BY C. P. ALEXANDER.

369

NoTHODERus Alexander.
NotJioderus Alexander, Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales, Hi, 1927, 4.5; Alexander,
Genera Insectorum, Fasc. 189, 1927 (Tanyderidae).

Front elongate, about twice the length of the remainder of the head, themaxillary palpi basal in position, longer than the frontal prolongation.
Eyes
hairy.
Vertex between the eyes narrow. Antennae 15-segmented, short in both
sexes, the flagellar segments in the male cylindrical, the outer segments more oval;
first segment of scape only a little longer than the second.
Cervical sclerites
relatively short, subequal to or shorter than the pronotum which is large andmassive. Legs relatively short and stout, hairy, the tibial spurs distinct; claws
slender, nearly straight.
Wings with the general venation of Tanyderus; Sci
atrophied; free tip of Sca preserved (Text-fig. 1), the fusion of Scj and Ri subequal
to or a little exceeding the free tip itself; a single supernumerary cross-vein atnear two-thirds the length of cell R4; cell 1st M, very long and narrow, only
slightly widened distally; m-cu short, a little more than its own length beyond thefork of M3+4. Veins with conspicuous macrotrichiae. Male hypopygium with thebasistyle slender, only moderately clothed with setae.
Dististyle terminal in
position, cylindrical^ gently arcuate, at the apex densely provided with erect
spinous bristles; mesal face of style with scattered erect setae that are intermixed with smaller delicate setulae. What appears to represent the tergite is abilobed structure with a microscopic glabrous lobe in the emargination, the large
lateral lobes armed with stout spinous setae; more basal in position are twolobules that are provided with a gi'oup of very long slender black setae. Aedeagus
apparently simple at apex, relatively short, curved.
Genotype,

Tanyderus

australiensis

Alexander

Region:(Australasian

Tasmania).

NoTHODERUs AUSTRALIENSIS (Alexander).
Tanyderus australiensis Alexander, Rec. South Australian Museum,ii,

1922, 226-

MacGillivray, External Insect-Anatomy, 1923, p. 322, fig. 45 (wing).
Tanyderus {JSfothodei-us) australiensis Alexander, Genera Insectorum, 1927,

227;

Fasc. 189, fig. 9.
lii,1927, 45,

fig.

Nothoderus australiensis Alexander, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W.,
1.

The type, a unique female, was frompreserved in the South Australian Museum.

Southport,

Tasmania, and

is

now

Dr. Tonnoir secured a male in the

Hartz Mountains, Tasmania, altitude 3,000 feet, December 10, 1922, and a second
female specimen on Mt. Wellington, November 28, 1922.
These are the only
records known to me and the fly is apparently confined to southern Tasmania.
Allotype, J". Length about 5-8-6 mm.; wing 7-5 mm.
Agreeing closely with the female except in the smaller size (5, length,
excluding rostrum, about 9 mm.; wing 10-5-11 mm.; rostrum alone 1-3-1-4 mm.)and sexual characters.

Pronotum and mesonotum reddish-brown, the prescutum with three broadmesonotum with conspicuous erect yellow setae.
Wings with a pattern that is similar to the type female (Text-fig. 1) with thefollowing exceptions: The brown spot at origin of Rs not confluent with themarking in the anal angle; as in the type, the broad fascia at the cord divides

blackish stripes; pronotum andinto three rays in the costal region, the second including Sc atdisappearance into R, the third surrounding the free tip of SC2.

its

point of—

THE TANYDERIDAE OV AUSTRALIA,

370

Hartz Mts., Tasmania, altitude 3,000 feet, December 10, 1922
The allotype and the female specimen taken by Dr. Tonnoir
have been returned to him. His female agrees closely with the type (Text-fig. 1)
except that the third apical dark area at outer end of cell 1st M, is barely
Allotype,(^,(A. L. Tonnoir).

Text-fig-.

1.

Text-fig.
Text-fig.
Text-fig.

2.

Wins oi Nolhode7'us cmstraliensis (Alexander); holotype ?.
Wins oi Eutanyderus wilsoni. n. gen. et sp. allotype ?.
Wing ot Radinodcrus terrae-reginae (Alexander); holotype, sex ?
Wins of Radinodcrus occidentalis (Alexander); holotype ?.
;

3.
4.

BY C. 1'. ALEXANDER.

371

contiguous with the second apical spot, but broadly connected with the wide
central fascia by rays in cells R.-, and M^,, leaving an oval white spot in cell 1st M.,
and the adjoining part of cell M,.

EuTANYDEKUS, u. gen.
Frontal prolongation of the head short, less than one-half the remainder ofthe head; both labial and maxillary palpi elongate, slightly exceeding the entire
remainder of the head, the maxillary palpi a little longer than the labial palpi;
terminal two segments of maxillary palpi relatively short, subequal to the antepenultimate. Antennae 15-segmented, relatively short, only a little longer thanthe combined front and mouthparts; flagellar segments cylindrical or nearly so,with basal verticils that are shorter than the segments. Eyes hairy. Cervicalsclerites equal to or longer than the pronotum, the two together producing a
Legs with conconspicuous elongate neck-region as in this group of genera.
spicuous, nearly erect setae on the tibiae and less conspicuous setae on the femora;
Wings
tibial spurs distinct; tarsal segments one to four with paired spinous setae.
(Text-fig. 2) pictured, more heavily so in the female than in the male; Sc
relatively short, Sci ending about opposite one-half to three-fifths the length of
R2+3> SCa a short distance from its tip; Rs relatively short, gently arcuated atorigin; R2+3 longer than either R2 or R^; R4+-; more than one-fourth Rs; basal
section of M4 nearly equal to m-cu; no supernumerary cross-veins in any cells of
the wing.
Male hypopygium with the disti style cylindrical, gently arcuated, alittle longer than the basistyle.
Ovipositor with small fleshy valves.

Genotype, Eutanyclerus

icilsoni, n. sp.

(Australasian Region: Victoria).

Despite the points of divergence offered by the structure of the neck region
and the venation, I believe that Eutanyderiis is most closely allied to NotJioclerus

Alexander.

EuTANYDEKUS WILSONI, U. Sp.

mm.)mesonotal prescutum with four brownwings
nearly hyaline with a conspicuous banded pattern, very pale in the male, darker
in the female, the areas narrowly margined with still darker brown.
Size small (wing less than 10

Length (excluding rostrum) about

7mm.; wing 8-5 mm.; rostrum about

Length (excluding rostrum) about

7mm.; wing 8-5 mm.; rostrum about

(^.

1-5

mm.

1-4

mm.

5.

;

fore coxae paler than the other coxae; femora tipped with black;

stripes;

Rostrum andpalpi black.
Antennae with the scapal segments brown,
segment yellow; second flagellar segment pale brown, brighterat the sutures; remaining segments brownish-black, the third and fourth segmentsa trifle brightened at the sutures. Head dark grey.
Cervical sclerites brownish-grey. Pronotum dark grey, with conspicuous erect
white setae.
Mesonotal prescutum light fulvous, with conspicuous white setae
and four dark brown stripes, the intermediate pair longer and weakly separated bya pale vitta; scutum obscure yellow medially, the lobes dark brown, the lateral
margins fulvous; scutellum broad, light yellow, with pale setae; postnotal mediotergite reddish-brown with a darker brown median line.
Pleura grey with areddish cast, the dorsal region darker. Halteres pale yellow, the knobs dark brown.
Legs with the fore, coxae and trochanters yellow, the remaining coxae concolorous
(^.

the

first flagellar

THE TANYDEEIDAE OF AUSTRALIA,

372

with the pleura; middle and posterior trochanters obscure brownish-yellow; femora
tibiae brown; tarsi passing into brownishblack; hind legs broken. Wings nearly hyaline, with a pale pattern that is only atrifle darker than the ground-colour, these areas narrowly margined with darker
brown; these pale fasciae are distributed as follows: Origin of Rs; an irregularly
oblique fascia completely crossing the wing at the cord, sending two rays to the
costal margin, the outer at the tip of Sc; three extensive apical areas, the firstsurrounding the fork of R2+3, the second apical in position, the third including
the outer end of cell 1st M, and thence to the caudal margin; the first and second
areas are contiguous basally, separated by a narrow arm of the ground colour;
the third ray is distinctly separated from both of the others; an axillary area inboth anal cells. This arrangement of pattern is exactly as in the female, as
yellow, the tips narrowly blackened;

figured (Text-fig. 2).

Abdominal tergites obscure yellow, the lateral margins narrowly darker;
hypopygium dark brown; sternites more yellowish-brown, the lateral margins
infuscated, the caudal margins of the individual segments narrowly pale.

Generally similar to the male, differing in details of coloration. Groundmore testaceous; scutellum somewhat
testaceous brown. The posterior tarsi are much paler yellow than the other tarsi.
Wings (Text-fig. 2) with the pattern heavier than the male, the central portionsof the various fasciae being only a little paler than the margins; prearcular$.

colour of the prescutum and scutum duller,

region and bases of cells C, Sc, R, M, Cu and the anal cells darkened.
tergites pale brown, the caudal margins of theAbdominal

segments narrowly darker brown.

—Victoria.

Hab.

Holotype, ^, Mountains near Millgrove, altitude 2,000 feet, October 23, 1927
(F. E. Wilson); returned to Mr. Wilson, to be placed eventually in the National

Museum, Melbourne.
Allotype, $, with the male, at 2,300 feet; in the author's collection.

This striking addition to the Victorian fauna is named in honour of theErasmus Wilson, to whom I am greatly indebted for many kindcollector, Mr. F.

favours.

Radinoderus Handlirsch.
Ann.

k.-k.

Natwhist. Hofmus. Wien, xxiii, 1909,

270.

The genotype of Radinoderus, ornatissimus (Doleschall) is known only fromthe islands of Amboina and Obi (Osten Sacken, 1886; Enderlein, 1912). Two otherspecies, mirabilis (de Meijere) and oculatus (Riedel), are from New Guinea, while
a fourth, solomonis (Alexander), is from the Solomon Islands. The other Australasian species are from Australia and may be separated by means of thefollowing key:1.

Wings broad with a heavy brown pattern, the costal rays mucli more extensive than
all femora yellow with the tips broadly blackened(South Queensland)terrae-reginae (Alexander)
Wings narrow with a more restricted brown pattern, the pale costal interspaces being
more extensive than the dark rays; at least one of the femora (probably thefore pair) has a broad and conspicuous blackened ring at near midlength, in
addition to the blackened tips
(Western Australia)
occidentalis (Alexander)

the interspaces

;

.

.

.

.

No further data have become available concerning these two species and theirdescriptions are briefly summarized here only to complete the subject.

BY C. P. ALEXANDER.

373

Radinoderus terrae-reginae (Alexander).
Tanyderus (Radinoderus) terrae-reginae Alexander, Insec. Inscit. Menst., xii,
1924, 141-142.

Antennae 24-segmented;

scape

the

black,

flagellum

entirely

lightyellow.

Mesonotum pale brown with three darker brown stripes; scutellum yellow, thecaudal margin and a median line dark brown; pleura dark brown, variegated with
Halteres yellow, the knobs dark brown.
Legs yellow, the tips of thefemora broadly blackened, the bases of the tibiae similarly and subequallypaler.

blackened; tarsi yellow.
Wings (Text-fig. 3) whitish subhyaline, the patternbrown. Abdomen dark brown, the tergites with an oval whitish marking on either
side.

Brisbane, October 10, J. A. Kershaw.

Type in the National Museum, Melbourne.

Radinoderus occidentalis (Alexander).
Tanyderus (Radinoderus) occidentalis Alexander, Insec.

Inscit.

Menst..

xiii,

1925, 32-34.

Allied to ten-ae-reginae, differing in the following regards:

Femora yellow, the fore femora (presumably) conspicuously blackened at near
midlength; on the middle femora (presumably) this region is merely infuscated.
Wings (Text-fig. 4) relatively narrow, the tips subfalcate; membrane whitish subhyaline, the brown pattern narrow and restricted in amount, with a Y-shaped
marking at the cord, the outer arm, at tip of Sc, confluent with an X-shaped areathat occupies the distal third of the wing.

Swan River, Western Australia (J. Clark).
The unique type was sent to me by myfriend,the late Dr. EustaceW.

The drawing provided herewith was made from the badly folded
wing of the type and the basal portions could not be accurately figured. The typewas returned to Dr. Ferguson.
Ferguson.

Bibliographi/.

Alexander,

C.

P.,

1913.

—A revision of the South American Dipterous insects of thefamily Ptychopteridae.

P^'oc. U.S.

Nat. Mus., xliv, 331-335,

figs.

1-3.

—The crane-flies of New York. Part Distribution and taxonomy of
the adult
Cornell Univ. Agr. Expt.
Mem.
1920a. — The crane-flies of New York. Part
Biology and phylogeny. Cornell
Univ. Agr. Expt.
Mem.
769-772,
19206. — A new genus and species of net-winged midge (Blepharoceridae) and
,

1919.

I.

25, 883.

Sta.,flies.

II.

,

Sta.,

38,

pi.

13.

,

an undescribed species
5-7, fig.

of

Tanyderidae (Diptera).

Arkiv for Zoologi,

xiii.

No.

7,

—A
—A

1920c.
new subfamily of Tanyderid flies (Diptera). Ann. Ent. Soc. America,
402-407, PI. 32.
1921.
new genus and species of Tanyderidae (.Peringueyomyina barnardi)
in the South African Museum (Diptera).
Ann. Sontli African Mus., xviii, 231-234,
;

xiii,

,

fig.

—
—
—
—

1922.
Undescribed crane-flies (Tanyderidae and Tipulidae) in the South
Australian Museum. Rec. South Australian Mus., ii, 226-227.
1924.
Two undescribed species of Tanyderus from the Australasian Region(Diptera, Tanyderidae).
Insec. Inscit. Menst., xii, 141-143.
1925.
An undescribed species of Tanyderus from "Western Australia (Diptera,
Tanyderidae). Insec. Inscit. Menst., xiii, 32-34.
1927a. The interpretation of the radial field of the wing in the Nematocerous
Diptera, with special reference to the Tipulidae. Peoc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., lii, 44-45,
,

,

,

,

fig.

1.
,

-,

—Tanyderidae. Genera Insectorum, Fasc. 189,
—The Australasian species of the genus Nemopalpiis (Psychodidae,

1927&.
1928.

Diptera).

Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W.,

fig.

liii,

291-4.

9.

THE TANYDERTDAE OF AUSTRALIA.

374—

Crampton,

G. C, 1926.
The external anatomy of the primitive Tanyderid DipteranMaci'ocMle spectrum Loew, preserved in Baltic Amber.
Bull. Brooklyn Ent. Soc,
xxi, 1-14, 2 pis.

—

A preliminary revision of the crane-flies of New Zealand
Tanyderidae, Tipulidae).
Trans. Neio Zealand Inst., liv, 270-272,

Edwahds, F. W., 1923a.
(Anisopodidae,

PI. 27, figs. 4-9, PI. 32, fig. 123.

—New species of crane-flies collected by Mr. G. V. Hudson New
625-626.
1912. — Studien
ExDERLEiN,
die Tipuliden, Limoniiden, Cylindrotomiden und
Ptychopteriden.
Zool. Jahrb..
xxxii, 84-85.
1909. — Zur phylogenie und Fliigelmorphologie der Ptychopteriden
Handlirsch,(Dipteren).
Ann.
Nattirhist. Hofmus. Wien,
263-272,
of New Zealand.
Trans. Neto
HuTTON, F. W., 1900. —The Tipulidae, orxxxii, 48-49,
21-22.
Zealand1851. — Beschreibung einiger neuen Tipularia
Linnaea entomol.,
LoBW,
24-25.
402-403,
1923. — External Insect-Anatomy,
322-323,
MacGillivray, a.
Sud-Neu-Guinea Expedition.
Meijere.
C, 1915a. — Diptera gesammelt durch
51-52,
Nova Guinea,
Ent.,
104-106,
1915b. — Diptera aus Nord-Neu-Guinea.
1859. — New genera and species of North American Tipulidae, withOsTEN Sacken,
1923&.

,

inAnn. Mag. Nat. Hist. (9),Zealand.

xi,

iiber

G.,

Syst.,

a.,PI.

xxiii,

k.-k.

11,

1-13.

figs.

crane-flies,

Inst.,

PI.

4,

flgs.

terricola.

H.,

v,

figs.

D.,

xiii,

fig.

4 5-47.

1.

Tijd.

,

figs.

pp.
die 3tede, J.

v.

Iviii,

fig.

1.

C. R.,

short palpi, with an attempt at a new classification of the tribe. Proc. Acad. Nat.
Sci. Philadelphia, 1859, 197-256.
1869.
Monographs of the Diptera of North America. Part iv.
Smithson.
Misc. Coll., 219 316-319, fig. 7.
1880.
Die Tanyderina, eine merkwiirdige Gruppe der Tipuliden.
Verh. zool.
hot. Ges. Wien, xxix, 517-522, figs. 1-2.
1886.
Studies on Tipulidae.
Part 2. Review of the published genera of the
Berliner Ent. Zeitsch., xxxi, 228-230.
Tipulidae brevipalpi.
Aufzahlung der chilenischen Dipteren.
Verh. sool. hot. Ges.
Philippi, R. a., 1865.
Wien, XV, 780-782, PI. 29, fig. 57.
21.
TiLLYARD, R. J., 1926. The insects of Australia and New Zealand, pp. 346-347, fig.
,

,

,

—
—
—

;

—
—

W