282

Front the Proceeclirr,gsof the Linnean Society of l{ew Sou,ilt,Il,ales,Vol. liii, Part J, 1928.

THE AUSTRALASIAN SPECIES OI'THE GI'NUS N.OMOPALPUS( Psrcuonroen, Dlt tutte ).
.

By Cu,rnlcs P. Ar,ux,rxuun, Massashusetts Agricultural
Amherst, Massachusetts,U.S.A.
(Cont.ntutticatecl,by I. M. llael;erras.)

College,(Two Text-figures.)l R e a c l2 7 t h J u n e , 1 0 9 S . 1
The remarkably generalizecl group of Diptera that includes I,lemopalpu,sMacquart has been represented hitherto in the Australasian Region only byNemopalpus zek ndiae Alexander, found in both islands of New Zealand,. The
discovery of an undescribed species of t.he same genus in New South Wales isthus a matter of great interest. The fly rvas included in collections of crane-flies
sent to me by Mr. William Heron and was taken on the Dorrigo Plateau where thecollector has made so nany discoveries of unusnal insects. I am greatly indebted
to Mr. Heron for his kind interest in collecting specimcnsof Tipulidae :lnd relaterl
groups.
H istorical.
Tillyard (1926) sa1'sof Xemopulpu.s:"This gellus, plaeed by some authors in
Tanyderidae, unites that family rvith the Psychorlidae,and is plobably one of theoldest existing types of Diptera". This coucise statement of facts gives us aclear idea of the essentials of the case.
The first speciesof )ientopalprr,s(spelled Xemopalptts in the original), ser'ving
genotype,
asis N. flauus Macquart (1838c. 1838b) from the Canary Islands. The
fly appears to be a very rare one. Loew (1845) and Eaton (1904) evidently
possessedadditional material, while Becker (1908) who secured a specimen on La
Palma, gave a detailed description, with figure. Dr. Elias Santos Abreu (in litt.,June, 1924) tells me that during his long residence on the islands he has secured
but a single badly preserved specimen, that continued search has revealed nofurther material, and that he is norv inclined to believe that the species is extinct.
In any case, the fly, like virtually all of its known relatives, must be held as being
excessively rare.
Meunier (1905) proposedthe genus Palaeosyeorcr for the Baltic Amber species,
tet'tiariae Meunier. This genus is now placed in the synonymy of Nemopalprs, as
is NygmatorJesLoew (1845). Edwards (1921) described a second speciesfrom theBaltic Amber as N. molo|tltilinus. Alexander (1921) described the New Zealandspecies, li. zeland,iae. Tonnoir (L922) summarized our knowledge of the groupand described a new species, N. Ttiliytes.from Paraguay.
Alexander (1920) proposed the second genus, Brucltontyio. for the single knownspecies, B. argentina Alexander, of the Argentine.

292

AUSTRALASIAN

SPECIES OF NEITTOPALPUS,

Systematic Arrangentent ol Nemopalpus and allies.
The curiously annectant nature of Nem,o|talpusand Bruchomyia is best shownby the systematic positions assigned to the group by the various authors. Macquart(1838a,1838b) placed the genus Nentopalprs in the Psychodidae. Eaton (1904)
placed it in the subfamily Phlebotominae, a course in which he was followed byTonnoir (7922\. Alexander (1920) proposed a nerv subfamily group, theBruchomyinae, placing it in the Tanyderidae, in which course he was followed byCole (1927). Edwards (192L) proposed the new group Nemopalpinae to receive
NemopalQtus,Palaeosvco?'aoand Bruc.homyia. Crarnpton (1925) elevated the group
to family rank, the Bruchomyidae, later (1926o) reducing it to subfamily rank,
Bruchomyinae, in the Psychodidae.
As above stated, these diverse assignrnents of Ncrropalpus and allies inrlicate
clearly the annectant character of the group. The Oligocene genus of Tanyderidae,
Macrochile, is another type that must be placed far down in the series (Crampton,1926b) and there can be no reasonable doubt but that this genus and Nenlopalpus
have sprung from some common ancestral type in late Mesozoic times, the former
leading to the remaining and higher Tanyderidae, the latter to the more specializedgroups of Psychodidae. The actual relationship of Nemottalpzs and trIacrochil'eis
much closer than is shown on paper and I know of no other case in the Nematocera
where so close a relationship exists and yet recluires the respective genera to beplaced in different families of flies.
The thoracic morphology of Nento1talpusand Bruch,otnyia has been describedand figured by Crampton ( 1925, L926o,). The venation has been shown by Becker(1908), Edwards (1921), Alexander (1920,1928), Tillyard (1926) and Tonnoir(1922). The general appearance of the flies of this subfamily is shown byAlexander (1920, 1923) and Tillyard (1926). The structure of the genitalia byTonnoir (1922) and Cole (L927).
Iiey to the Stcbtantilies oJ Psych'odidae.
2
1. Radial sector, Rs, rvith four branches . .
Tnrcrrolrvrwln'Ra'dial sector, Rs, rvith three branches
2. Distal section of vein Cu, elongate, extending generally parallel to vein Mn, cell M.
at wing-margin approximately equal in width to cell M.; cell Cu sometimes very
PsxcHonrNln.
r,r'icle,exceeding cell Mn
Distal section of Cu, short to vcry retluced, longest in Rru,chortttJiai cell 1\[n at wing3
margin always wider than cell Cu, usttally very rvide
sector;theforkofpectinatelyupl)er
thefour-branched, R, being ealltured by
3. Rs
PHL!:BoroMtNAE.
mouthparts of female elongate, formed for blood-sucking
Rs dichotomously four-branched, R,*, ancl Rn*u being present; trrouthparts normal, not
BnUcrroUvrNln.
formed for blood-sucking

such as P. signatiltefl,ttisNewstead, cell R2 is
In some species of PhlebotorrL'u,s,so reduced in size as to presage its total loss by fusion to the wing-mar8;in ofveins R, antl Rr. It is very curious and suggestive that in the Phlebotominae theanterior branch of the posterior fork of the primitively dichotomous sector shouldhave been captured by the upper fork, quite as in three tribes of the Limoniine
Tipulidae.

l.

Key to tlt'e Genet'u ol tlt'e Bt'ttchottt'yin'ae.
Antennae with 30 segments; distal section of vein Cu, long, approxin.rately as lonB as
Bt'trrchottt'yio Alexander'
the basal section
curved strongly to theshort,
oiv
ein
Cu,
section1
6distalAntennae withsegments;,.. Nemopolptls Macquart.
anal margiirr . ..

293

BY C. P. ALEXANDER.

Key to th,e Australasiun, Slrecics ol Nernopalpus.
1. General coloration of the body dark brorvn, with chiefly dark setae; thoraeic pleura
dark with a broad pale yellow dorsal stripe; tvings without black setae Ro*.
I
relatively short, less than one-half R., alone (l-ig. 1) ....
(Nerv South Wales) N. atcstraliensis, n. sp.
General coloration of the body reddish fulvous, tbe setae concolorous; thoracic pleurauniformly dark fulvous; wings rvith scattered black setae on the basal half,
including a larger area near the fork of M; R"*, elongate, nearly as long as R,'alone (Fig.2)( N e w Z e a l a n r J ,b o t h l s l a n d s ) N . z e l a , n c l , i aAe l e x a n d e r l...'Text-figures l, 2.-\Ving-vetration< - r fl ' e l l o p a l p u , s .
1. Netttopu.lltuscrrstlnlielsis. n. sD.
2 . I { e n r , o l t t t l l t t r s; e l a n d i u e A l e x a n d e r .
NDltol',tl,pus

AUsrRALlDNsls,n. sp.

General coloration of mesonotum dark brown, the posterior sclerites moreyellowish; pleura brownish-black with a dorsal pale stripe that widens out behind;wing greyish-yellorv,densely clothed with long trichiae, the costal fringe morecinnamon-brownl Rr*r only a little longer than Rn,, and less than one-half thelength of R, alone.
Female.-Length about 3.5 mm.; wing, 4.2 mm.
Rostrum brown, the palpi pale brown, not conspicuouslyelongated. Antennae
yellow; flagellar segments elongate-cylindrical, with very long brownish-yellow
verticils. Head brownish-yellow, darker medially, with very long and conspicuous
setae, shorter and more yellowish in front, longer behind.
Posterior pronotum light yellow. Mesonotum dark brown, with very abundantand conspicuous erect pale setae; posterior sclerites of mesonotum passing into
testaceousyellow, this including the scutellum, lateral portions of the postnotal
mediotergite, most of the pleurotergite, the metanotum, and the dorsal portionof the pteropleurite. Pleura brownish-black, the dorso-pleural region and themore dorsal pleurites pale yellow, as above described. Halteres dusky, the baseof the stem pale yellow. Legs with the coxae and trochanters obscure yellow;
remainder of legs pale brown, densely clothed with dark Betae. Wings subhyaline294AUSTRAT,ASIAN

SPECIES OP NE}TOPAI,PUS.

to greyish-yellow,the veins with dense fringes of long trichiae, the costal fringe
very dense,bright cinnamon-brown,the apical and posterior fringes more yellorvishbrown. Venation (FiS. 1): Sc relatively short, Sc, apparently ending about
opposite one-third the length of Rn*ri R,,,*,relatively short, considerably less thanone-half R, alone and only a little longer than Rr*r; cell M, short-petiolate; m-cuon M{ just beyond its base. Veins R.,, and Mr*, not incrassatedas in zeland,iae.
Abdomen brownish-black, with long scattered yellow setae. Ovipositor
consisting of two pale yellorv, highly compressed,spatulate blades, with a dense
brt.sh of dusky setae immediately beneath their origin.
IloD.-New South Wales.
Holotllpe, $, Brooklana, Eastern Dorrigo, altitnde about 2,000 feet, along astream, November 5, t927 (Wm. Heron); in the author's collection.
Bibliography.
Arnx.q,rvorR,C. P., 1920.-A new subfamily of Tanydericl flles (Diptera).
Artrt. Ent. Soe.
Antet'icct, 13, pp. 402-407, plate.
--,192l.-Trvo
undescribed Tipuloidean flies from New Zealand.. Insect. Itr,scit.
l l I e t t , s t . ,9 , p p . 1 5 7 - 1 5 9 .
7928.-Gettera Insectot'u,nt. Fasc. Tanyderidae, figs. 1-3 (in press).
BTNcKER,THoo., 1908.-Dipteren der I{anarischen Inseln. IWitteil. Zool. I/rcs. Berlin,4, pfr. 7l-72, pl. 2, ffg. 28.
Cor,n. fr. R., 1927.-.{ study of the terminal abdonrinal structures of male Diptera (Twowinged Flies). Proc. Calilorttict Actttl. Sci. (4), 16, p. 409, figs. 2, 3.
Cnervrpror.r,G. C., 1924.-Remarks on the phylogeny ernd interrelationships of Nematocerous
Diptera. Psyche, 31, pp. 238-242, fi9.
--,
1925.-A phylogenetic study of the thoracic sclerites of the non-Tipuloid
Nematocerous Diptera. Ann. Eu,t Soc. Antet'ictt, 18, frp. 49-74, 5 plates.
----,
phl'lngenetic study of the thorarcic sclerites of the Psychodoid
19264.-A
Dilrtera, with remarlts on the interrelationships of the Nematocera. Dnt. News, 37,p1r.33-39, 65-70, 2 plates.
-,
1926b.-The external anatomy of the primitive Tanyderid Dipteran, trtacrochile
spectru,rtt,Loew, preservecl in Baltic Amber. BnlI. Ilt'ooklyu, Ent. Soc., 21, pp. 1-14,
2 plates.
Il.troN, A. Itr., 190.1.-New gellera of ltruropean Psychodidae. Ent. IlIo. trIal. (2),15, p. 55.
Eowlnns., Ir. W., 1921.-A note on the subfamily Bruchornyiinae (Diptera Nematocera).
Atr.tr,.trIag. I{at. IIist. ($), 7, pp. 4l}7-439, fig.
Louw, Ffu:nulwr.l, 1845.-rilttcrolog. Beitr.. 1, p. 9.
I\fecQuent, J., 1838o.-In Webb and Berthelot, Histoire naturelle des tles Canaries.
Ent., Dipt., p. 101.
---,
1 8 3 8 b . - D i p t d r e s e x o t i q u e s , 1 , p t . 1 , p 1 t . S 1 - S 2 ,l r l . 1 ? , f i g . 1 .
MpuNrpn. F., 1905.-Illiscell,. Ettt., L3, p. 50.
l'rlr,yeRn, R. J., 1926.-The insects of Australia and New Zealand, p. 350, fig:s.W30, \,\:31.
ToNNotR, 4., I9zz,-Notes sur le genre )ienr,oltu,Iltrts(Dipt. I')sychodidae) et descriptiond'une espdce nouvelle. Ann. Soc. Ent. Belgitlu,e, 62, pp. 125-136, plate.

ffi,