Agapophytus collessi Winterton, 2013, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Winterton, Shaun L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Therevidae
Agapophytus
Agapophytus collessi

description: Agapophytus collessi sp. nov.
(Figures 1–3)
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:422CE6FF-59DE-4DF5-B22D-961C099C1B65
Type material. Holotype male, AUSTRALIA: NORTHERN TERRITORY: 5 km NNW of Cahill’s X-ing [crossing] (East Alligator River) [-12.383°, 132.951°], 5.xi.1972, D. H. Colless (Australian National Insect Collection (ANIC); Canberra) (MEI023988).
Diagnosis. Thorax yellow-brown, covered with tan-brown pubescence, white scale-like setae absent; scape yellow, slightly shorter than head length; male frons width equal to anterior ocellus at narrowest point; wing largely hyaline; single row of postocular macrosetae in male; femora and tibiae yellow.
Description. Male Body length: 8.0 mm. Head. Eyes globose, facets distinctly larger in upper half; head dark brown, overlain with grey-brown pubescence; frons as wide as anterior ocellus at narrowest point, pubescence dense grey-brown, absent around base of antenna; face with sparse grey pubescence; ocellar tubercle raised with grey pubescence, short setae posteriorly; occiput distinctly concave, posterior margin of eye almost straight, giving occiput a sub-triangular shape, occiput overlain with dense grey pubescence; single row of black post ocular macrosetae, elongate medially, attenuated in length laterally and increasingly admixed with small setae; gena with medium length fine white setae; mouthparts brown; antenna dark yellow, scape shorter than length of eye, covered with sparse short dark setae; pedicel yellow with dark setae; flagellum missing. Thorax. Yellow to brown, overlain with tan-brown pubescence; scutum with dense grey to brown pubescence, markings as two narrow dorsocentral dark stripes, broad brown band immediately posterior of transverse suture, posterior region mostly grey, scutum with sparse short dark setae; scutellum brown with velvet brown pubescence anteriorly; pleuron light brown with sparse grey pubescence except on sclerites immediately ventral and posterior to wing base; pale setae on proepimeron, anepisternum and katatergite; coxae yellow with sparse grey pubescence, short dark macrosetae on each coxa (fore coxa: 2; mid coxa: 3, hind coxa: 1); femora yellow, slightly darker distally, with uniform covering of short dark setae; velutum patches dark; tibiae yellow-brown, dark apically; tarsi dark brown, basitarsi darkyellow except for apical 1/5; haltere stem brown, knob white; wing largely hyaline with yellow-tan venation, indistinct infuscate band across wing at level of discal cell; scutal macrosetae (pairs): notopleural: 4; supra alar: 1; post alar: 1; dorsocentral: 2; scutellar: 1. Abdomen. Black, tergite 1 with white-grey pubescence; segments 2–3 overlain with brown pubescence, tergite 3 grey laterally; posterior margin of tergite 2 white; terminalia dark. Male genitalia: Epandrium short, flattened, slightly narrowed posteriorly, emarginate anteriorly; gonocoxite with depression with raised edges postero-ventrally, covered with velutum; outer gonocoxal process very short; inner gonocoxal process narrow; gonocoxal apodeme of medium length (subequal in length to length of gonocoxite); hypandrium large, triangular, fused laterally to gonocoxites; distiphallus short, curved dorsally at base, dorsal apodeme of parameral sheath broad, triangular; ventral apodeme extending beyond base of ejaculatory apodeme; width of base of ejaculatory apodeme equal to base of parameral sheath.
Etymology. This species in named in honour of Donald H. Colless.
Comments. The thoracic coloration and length of the scape make this species immediately identifiable among species of Agapophytus. Agapophytus collessi sp. nov. appears closely related to A. cerrusus Winterton & Irwin, 2001, another northern species with similarly shaped head, occiput and thoracic pubescence. The yellow legs and tan-brown thoracic pubescence readily distinguishes this species from A. cerrusus. The female of this species is currently unknown.
The key to species of Agapophytus by Winterton & Irwin (2001) should be emended with the following couplet inserted to key out this new species.
14. Thorax base color bright orange........................................................................ 15. - Thorax base color dark.............................................................................. 14A. 14A Thorax overlain with distinct tan-light brown and grey pubescence................................ A.collessi sp. nov. - Thorax otherwise dark with various brown and/or silver pubescent markings..................................... 17.
description: Published as part of Winterton, Shaun L., 2013, A new species of Agapophytus Guérin named after the late Donald H. Colless (Diptera: Therevidae: Agapophytinae), pp. 190-194 in Zootaxa 3680 (1) on pages 191-193, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3680.1.12, http://zenodo.org/record/221547