Molophilus (Molophilus) avia Billingham &amp; Theischinger 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Billingham, Zacariah D.
name: Theischinger, Gunther
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Limoniidae
Molophilus
Molophilus avia

description: <i>Molophilus (Molophilus) avia</i> sp. nov. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 0897FEEB-8893-4EAB-9001-4C582C077F4C Figs 1–2 <b>Holotype</b> &amp;male;, Australia, New South Wales, Upper Karuah River, Burrawang Creek off Frying Pan Rd (32.232°S 151.764°E), 9 Nov 2018, Z. Billingham &amp; G. Theischinger, AM (K.394953). <b>Paratypes</b> 1&amp;male;, Avon River, Tributary of Avon River off Berrico Rd (32.151°S 151.844°E), 10 Nov 2018, Z. Billingham &amp; G. Theischinger, GHD (T 22391); 1&amp;male;, Bulahdelah, Black Camp Creek off Knob Rd (32.377°S 152.153°E), 17 Nov 2018, Z. Billingham &amp; G. Theischinger, AM (K.394954). <b>Description</b> &amp;male; (&amp;female; unknown). <i>Head</i> (Fig. 1): golden yellow, vertex with prominent dark greyish brown teardrop-shaped marking, antennal pedicel and scape pale whitish yellow, antennal flagellum with basal segments pale whitish yellow, terminal segments darkening to greyish brown, palpus dark greyish brown. Antenna of moderate length, extending back to the transverse suture. <i>Thorax.</i> Pronotum with lateral edges golden yellow and dorsal angle dark greyish brown, otherwise whitish yellow. Prescutum and scutum golden brown, the posterior margins of scutal lobes pale yellowish brown. Scutellum mostly golden yellow with small darker golden brown basal area. Mediotergite largely golden yellow with darker golden brown central area. Paratergite bright white, in combination with pale portions of pronotum forming a distinct pale stripe between terga and pleura. Cervical sclerite, propleuron and pleurites golden yellow. Forecoxa golden yellow, meso- and metacoxa and trochanters pale whitish yellow. Basal &amp;frac13; of femora pale golden yellow, remainder of femora darkening to greyish brown. Tibiae and tarsi dark greyish brown. Wing pale grey tinged with yellow, veins yellowish brown. Halter with stem and knob whitish yellow. <i>Abdomen</i>: greyish brown. <i>Terminalia</i> (Fig. 2). Hypopygium golden yellow, lobe of tergite 9 rather long, rectangular, caudal margin shallowly concave. Gonocoxite with large, tapering, apically rounded, ventral lobe bearing a fringe of strong setae on the medial edge, dorsal and medial lobes of gonocoxite undeveloped. Outer gonostylus short and club-shaped, caudal margin irregular serrate with a short prominent spine, ventral face with a serrate spine. Inner gonostylus long, heavily sclerotized and terminating in an axe-head-shaped blade, strongly bent at about half its length to project caudad. Aedeagus long and narrow. Parameres fused, poorly developed. <i>Dimensions.</i> Body length (excluding antenna) 4.3 mm, wing length 4.5 mm. <b>Etymology</b>. Latin for grandmother, this species is named in memory of Theresa “Tess” Billingham. <b>Discussion</b>. <i>Molophilus (M.) avia</i> is allied to a large group of morphologically similar species around <i>M. (M.) capitatus</i> Alexander, 1927 and <i>M. (M.) auriculifer</i> Theischinger, 1988 (see Theischinger, 1992 for more details on these species), and most closely resembles <i>M. (M.) gununo</i> Theischinger, 1992. <i>Molophilus (M.) avia</i> is readily distinguished from all similar species by the form of the inner gonostylus, with terminal axe-head shaped blade.
description: Published as part of <i>Billingham, Zacariah D. &amp; Theischinger, Gunther, 2022, New and Poorly Known Species of Crane Flies (Diptera: Limoniidae) from New South Wales, Australia, pp. 19-40 in Records of the Australian Museum (Rec. Aust. Mus.) (Rec. Aust. Mus.) 74 (1)</i> on page 20, DOI: 10.3853/j.2201-4349.74.2022.1775, http://zenodo.org/record/7177922
description: {"references": ["Alexander, C. P. 1927. The interpretation of the radial field of the wing in the Nematocerous Diptera, with special reference to the Tipulidae. Proceedings of the Linnaean Society of New South Wales 52: 42 - 72.", "Theischinger, G. 1992. The Limoniinae (Diptera: Tipulidae) of Australia. II. The genus Molophilus Curtis. Stapfia 27: 5 - 150."]}