The Froggattimyia-Anagonia Genus Group (Diptera: Tachinidae)
Creators: name: Colless, Donald H.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy

description: Anagonia lateralis (Macquart)    
Figs 69–71, 89  
 Masicera lateralis Macquart, 1846:291.   
 Type. Lectotype male in BMNH (Crosskey, 1971:274); type locality: Australia.   
 A very dark species of small to moderate size. Differs significantly from the pale form of A. rufifacies as follows:   
 Male. Head. Width 2.0–2.5, mean 2.20 mm. Frons relatively narrow, Frw/Hdw mean 0.20; gena likewise narrow, Gnw/ Eyh 0.3–0.4, mean 0.31. Ivb-Vb/Vb-E 1.1–1.5, mean 1.32. Eye with at most very sparse hairs. Reclinate upper frontal bristles more or less contiguous with reclinate upper orbital bristles. Upper occiput with black setae behind the postocular row highly variable, from a few scattered setae (usual) to a complete row.   
 Thorax. Prescutal median dark vitta variable. Presutural intraalar seta rarely fine or absent. Intrapostalar bristle usually strongly developed (but occasionally lacking). Proepisternal hairs usually dark, rarely pale or mixed. Scutellum usually largely pale, with dark band on basal 10–30% (occasionally wider); apical setae upcurved or upward directed.   
 Wing. Tegula very dark brown, basicosta brown. Lower calypter grey-brown on basal half.   
 Legs. All dark. Foretibia with preapical ad spine stout, at least 0.5 of length of adjacent d spine, often almost as long. Hindtibia with ad comb noticeably sparse and coarse; pd1 fairly long, Pd1/Sdd 0.8–1.2, mean 0.97.   
 Terminalia (Figs 69–71). Surstylus in lateral view narrowdigitate, sparsely setulose on about basal  2  ⁄ 3; cerci each with broad basal portion and strongly tapered apical portion, the latter widely separated basally, strongly incurved apically to produce a forcipate appearance in posterior view. Epiphallus about as broad as long, rounded; pregonite rather stout and curved, with spiny bristles; acrophallus unusual, membrane spiculate on “heel” as usual, but also in area of the “toe”. The characteristic, forcipate cerci are normally visible in dried specimens.   
 Female. Association with the male is reliably based on co-rearing, plus general resemblance in chaetotaxy. Other females were identified by characteristic terminalia. Resembles male in all but usual sexual characters, but head with at most a few scattered dark setae behind the postorbital row, often none at all; proepisternal setae always pale.   
 Terminalia (Fig. 89). Tergites 6 and 7 and sternites 6 and 7 large, strongly developed, almost completely enclosing the segments; intersegmental membrane with fine pale pile. Tergite 6 entire, with small apical medial notch; sternite 6   
saddle-shaped, with profuse tiny spiny bristles on apical quarter. Tergite 7 almost completely divided, but hemitergites large, quadrilateral, each linked to sternite 7 by a small basal sclerotized strip; sternite 7 also saddle-shaped, with scattered, short spiny bristles, becoming dense and microscopic along posterior margin. Dried specimens may be identified by the collapsed sclerites, which form a protruding, shiny, almost semicircular keel.  
 Distribution. Recorded from all mainland states except Victoria, where it no doubt occurs also. The species seems especially prevalent in the more arid inland areas.   
 Biology. Specimens were reared from larvae of the genus Calomeles (Chrysomelidae), an unidentified species feeding on Acacia sp. near Braidwood, NSW and (perhaps significantly), C. satelles in Perth, WA. Anagonia lateralis is abundant at light in arid areas, presumably parasitising chrysomelid larvae that feed on desert acacias.   
 Notes. I have checked Crosskey’s lectotype, which has the characteristic terminalia described above. I am moreover fairly convinced that the association of the sexes is correct. The species does, however, display a remarkable degree of variability in, for instance, the colour of the upper occipital   
 bristles and the length of pd1 of the hindtibia. It is also unusual in that both sexes can normally be identified as dried specimens by virtue of the large characteristic terminalia.
description: Published as part of Colless, Donald H., 2012, The Froggattimyia-Anagonia Genus Group (Diptera: Tachinidae), pp. 167-211 in Records of the Australian Museum 64 (3) on pages 205-206, DOI: 10.3853/j.0067-1975.64.2012.1590, http://zenodo.org/record/4684127