Austroconops Wirth & Lee
Creators: name: Borkent, Art
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Ceratopogonidae
Austroconops

description: Austroconops Wirth & Lee
(Figs. 8A, 14A, 18A, 23A, 29A, 32A, 34A, 42A–B, 47A, 55A, 72A)
DIAGNOSIS: Only pupa of Ceratopogonidae with pair of elongate dorsocephalic sclerite setae abutting the respiratory organ (Fig. 8A); also unique with prothoracic extension restricted to lateral margin of palpus as narrow lobe (Fig. 23A).
DESCRIPTION: Habitus as in Fig. 8A. Total length = 1.84 mm. Without larval exuviae retained on abdomen. Exuviae with flagellum separate from lateral margin of face (Fig. 14A). Ecdysial tear along anterior of and anteromedial to base of antenna, entire head capsule loose (Figs. 14A, 79A). Head: Dorsal apotome (Fig. 18A), without ventral line of weakness, without dorsomedial tubercle, without central dome; dorsolateral cephalic sclerite (as in Fig. 13A) separated from scutum by thin cuticle, separate from scutum upon emergence, each side broadly meeting medially in whole pupa; mouthparts (Fig. 23A) with mandible, lacinia well-developed, not overlapping apically; palpus extending anterior to posterolateral margin of labium; labium entire (not divided medially); apex of antenna (Fig. 34A) anterior to posterior extent of midlength portion of midleg (portion lateral to mesosternum); sensilla: dorsal apotomals (Fig. 18A)—1 elongate seta, 1 campaniform sensillum; dorsolateral cephalic sclerite sensilla—2 elongate setae with apices laying against respiratory organ, 1 campaniform sensillum (Fig. 8A); clypeal-labrals (Fig. 23A)—1 elongate seta (campaniform sensillum, if present, invisible on wrinkled cuticle); oculars (Fig. 23A)—2 elongate setae, one longer than other. Thorax: Prothoracic extension (Fig. 23A) restricted to lateral margin of palpus as narrow lobe; mesonotum without tubercles, extending posteromedially, nearly dividing metathorax medially (Fig. 47A); respiratory organ (Figs. 42A–B) length/width = 3.27, moderately elongate, somewhat flattened laterally, with pores closely abutting at apex of respiratory organ, arranged in single row, outer surface with some wrinkles, with elongate conical pedicel, base without posteromedial apodeme, membranous base of respiratory organ elongate, annulated, tracheal tube slightly sinuous, with spirals extending just over half length, distally smooth; wing (Fig. 34A) without apical tubercle or angle, separated medially by fore-, midlegs; halter apex and hind leg (Fig. 32A) broadly separate; halter apex extending to about half length of tergite 1; legs (Fig. 34A) with lateral margin of foreleg near midlength of wing somewhat sinuous; hind leg not visible at lateral margin of wing (Fig. 32A); with apex of foreleg ventral to apex of midleg; apex of hind leg abutting apex of midleg laterally; sensilla: anteromedials—1 very minute seta; anterolaterals—2 elongate, 1 short setae; dorsal setae (Fig. 29A)—D- 1-T, D-2-T, D-4-T bifurcating setae, D-3-T campaniform sensillum, D-3-T, if present, posteromedial to D-4-T; supraalar 2—elongate seta (Fig. 8A); metathoracics (Fig. 47A)—2 setae, 1 campaniform sensillum; M-3-T near anterior margin of metathorax. Abdomen: without pigmentation pattern, segments 2, 3 equally or nearly equally wide, segments with elongate, bifurcating setae, with rounded to pointed, short to moderately elongate tubercles, tergites or sternites entire, each without membranous disc; segment 9 (Fig. 72A) not strongly modified, terminal processes widely separated basally, each projecting posterodorsolaterally with apex directed dorsally, tapering to pointed apex; sensilla: tergite 1 (Fig. 47A) with 5 setae, 1 campaniform sensillum, including 1 lateral sensillum, D- 2-I, D-3-I on shared tubercle, D-7-I absent; segment 4 (Fig. 55A)—D-2-IV, D-3-IV elongate, bifid setae on single tubercle; D-5-IV, D-8-IV, D-9-IV bifurcating elongate setae on short, separate tubercles, posterior dorsal sensilla in transverse row, arranged medially to laterally: D-5-IV, D-8-IV, D-7-IV, D-9-IV; D-4-IV positioned medial to D-3- IV; L-1-IV elongate seta on short, pointed tubercle, well anterior of posterior lateral setae, L-2-IV, L-3-IV, L-4-IV bifid setae on short pointed tubercles, V-5-IV, V-6-IV, V-7-IV bifid setae, V-5-IV, V-6-IV on elongate tubercles, V- 7-IV on short tubercle; segment 8 without D-3-VIII, with L-1-VIII; segment 9 (Fig. 72A)—with D-5-IX, D-6-IX campaniform sensilla.
DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT: The genus Austroconops, once broadly distributed in the Cretaceous, is now known from two species from southwestern Australia (Borkent & Craig 2004). Although immmatures are unknown in nature, the larvae moved snake-like through very wet substrate in the laboratory, clearly indicating that their natural habitat must be subaquatic or aquatic. It would be valuable to search for larvae and pupae at Yanchep National Park, in Western Australia, where a large adult population of A. mcmillani lives with this in mind. The behaviour of the lethargic pupa was described by Borkent & Craig (2004).
TAXONOMIC DISCUSSION: Borkent & Craig (2004) described the pupa of A. mcmillani from a single pupal exuviae, reared from an egg, and this is the only known specimen of the genus. Borkent & Craig (2004) missed D-3-T and D-4-I (both campaniform sensilla), identified the closely approximated sensilla D-2-IV and D-3- IV as a single seta (as dasm ii) and missed the minute D-1-IV.
MATERIAL EXAMINED: A. mcmillani: 1 pupal exuviae, Yanchep National Park, Western Australia, Australia, reared from egg from female collected 20-XI-2001 (CNCI).
description: Published as part of Borkent, Art, 2014, The Pupae of the Biting Midges of the World (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), With a Generic Key and Analysis of the Phylogenetic Relationships Between Genera, pp. 1-327 in Zootaxa 3879 (1) on pages 37-38, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3879.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4949051