Amenia chrysame
Creators: name: Colless, D. H.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 1998
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Calliphoridae
Amenia
Amenia chrysame

description: <i>Amenia chrysame</i> (Walker) Like the several preceding species, <i>A. chrysame</i> has a wide distribution in eastern Australia (Fig. 10). To test whether it, too, might display significant geographic variation, a preliminary analysis was made of 6 measurements and 4 bristle characters on a small set of specimens. This suggested that frons-width <i>(Frw,</i> as defined above) does, indeed, vary geographically. The ratio <i>FrwlPdc</i> was therefore measured on 100 specimens, selected to cover the species' range. The ratio proved to have a highly significant regression on latitude (p&lt;O. OI). However, a scatter-plot (Fig. 11) shows that the regression reflects, not a regular c1ine, but an abrupt shift in average frons width at about 26 degrees south. Separate analyses of specimens from north and south of the 26th. parallel show no significant regression on latitude. However, the mean frons ratios were 0.27 and 0.20 respectively-a difference that, although small, is statistically highly significant (p&lt;O.OI for t-test). On present evidence, I would interpret this as simple geographic variation; but the reason for its occurrence is not at all obvious. Perhaps it reflects some ancient physiographic discontinuity that has long since disappeared-indeed, perhaps the same one that gave rise to <i>A. leonina</i> and <i>A. albomaculata.</i> The matter is further discussed in Part 3. Figure 11 shows several other interesting features: (a) a deficiency of specimens with relatively narrow frons in places between 28 and 31 degrees south; (b) an apparent surplus of such specimens in places between 26 and 28 degrees south-i.e., in the general vicinity of Brisbane; (c) a deficiency of specimens with relatively wide frons in places between 31 and 35 degrees south. If these represent more than fortuitous statistical fluctuations, I am at a loss to explain them. (midline marked in degrees). PART 2. FORMAL TAXONOMY In this section I formalise the taxonomic decisions foreshadowed in the section on morphometrics and also describe several new species that have come to hand, together with new records and occasional notes on other species. "Specimens examined" are listed only for new species and diagnoses are left to be inferred from the keys. Original descriptions and synonymies are not cited, since they were more than adequately handled by Crosskey (1965, 1969, 1972) and have been recently collated by Kurahashi (1989).
description: Published as part of <i>Colless, D. H., 1998, Morphometrics in the genus Amenia and revisionary notes on the Australian Ameniinae (Diptera: Calliphoridae), with the description of eight new species, pp. 85-123 in Records of the Australian Museum 50 (1)</i> on pages 93-95, DOI: 10.3853/j.0067-1975.50.1998.1275, http://zenodo.org/record/4652889
description: {"references": ["Crosskey, R. W., 1965. A systematic revision of the Ameniinae (Diptera: Calliphoridae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomology 16: 33 - 140.", "Crosskey, R. W., 1969. The Ameniinae (Diptera: Calliphoridae) of the Noona Dan Expedition, with other new records from the Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea and Moluccas. Entomologiske Medde 1 elser 327: 37 - 338.", "Crosskey, R. W., 1972. A new species and new synonymy in the genus Silbomyia Macquart (Diptera: Calliphoridae). Journal of Entomology (series B) 41: 97 - 102.", "Kurahashi, H., 1989. 109. Family Calliphoridae. In (N. Evenhuis, ed.) Catalog of the Diptera of the Australasian and Oceanic Regions Bishop Museum Special Publication 86. Bishop Museum Press and EJ. Brill: Honolulu and Leiden."]}