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

description: Austrohelea Wirth & Grogan
(Figs. 19O, 24G, 29R, 35F, 44D, 49A, 59B, 74B)
DIAGNOSIS: Only pupa of Ceratopogonidae with the apex of the hind leg ventral to the apex of the midleg (Fig. 35F) (only the female is known; perhaps the male, without the elongate hind leg claw of the developing adult will not have this feature).
DESCRIPTION: Total length = 2.50 mm. Without larval exuviae retained on abdomen. Exuviae with flagellum appressed against lateral margin of face (as in Fig. 15D). Ecdysial tear around base of antenna (as in Figs. 15D, 79E); along prothoracic extension. Head: Dorsal apotome (Fig. 19O), without ventral line of weakness, without dorsomedial tubercle, without central dome; dorsolateral cephalic sclerite (as in Fig. 13B) separated from scutum by thin cuticle, separate from scutum upon emergence, each side separated medially by dorsal apotome in whole pupa; mouthparts (Fig. 24G) with mandible well-developed, lacinia absent; palpus extending equal to or just posterior to posterolateral margin of labium; labium separated medially by labrum, hypopharynx; apex of antenna (Fig. 35F) anterior to posterior extent of midlength portion of midleg (portion lateral to mesosternum); sensilla: dorsal apotomals (Fig. 19O)—1 moderately elongate seta, 1 campaniform sensillum; dorsolateral cephalic sclerite sensilla—1 seta, no campaniform sensillum; clypeal-labrals (Fig. 24G)—2 elongate setae; oculars (Fig. 24G)—2 setae, 1 campaniform sensillum. Thorax: Prothoracic extension (Fig. 24G) wide, well-developed, extending from palpus to antenna; mesonotum with short tubercles, extending posteromedially, completely dividing metathorax medially (Fig. 49A); respiratory organ (Fig. 44D) length/width = 6.25–6.25, elongate, slender, somewhat flattened dorsoventrally, with pores closely abutting at apex of respiratory organ, arranged in single row, with additional more basal pores, outer surface smooth, with moderately elongate pedicel, base with short posteromedial apodeme, membranous base of respiratory organ short, tracheal tube straight to slightly curved along length, with spirals restricted to base, distally with plate; wing (Fig. 35F) with slight angle lateral to apex of hind leg, separated medially by fore-, midlegs; halter apex and hind leg (as in Fig. 33A) broadly abutting; halter apex abutting anterolateral knob-like extension of tergite 2; legs (Fig. 35F) with lateral margin of foreleg near midlength of wing evenly curved; hind leg visible at lateral margin of wing (as in Fig. 32L); with apex of foreleg slightly anterior to apex of midleg; apex of hind leg ventral to apex of midleg, apex of each hind leg nearly abutting apically and abutting apices of foreleg; sensilla: anteromedials—2 setae; anterolaterals—3 setae; dorsal setae (Fig. 29R)—D-1- T, D-2-T, D-4-T setae, D-3-T campaniform sensillum, D-5-T absent, D-3-T posteromedial to D-4-T; supraalar 2—campaniform sensillum; metathoracics (Fig. 49A)—1 seta, 2 campaniform sensilla; M-3-T near anterior margin of metathorax. Abdomen: with anterior margins of tergites 3–7, anterior margins of sternites 3–7 pigmented, segment 2 as wide or slightly wider than segment 3, segments with undivided, thin to thick setae, with bilobed or rounded, short tubercles, tergites or sternites entire, each without membranous disc; segment 9 (Fig. 74B) not strongly modified, terminal processes widely separated basally, each projecting posterodorsolaterally, tapering to pointed apex; sensilla: tergite 1 (Fig. 49A) with 6 setae, 2 campaniform sensilla, including 3 lateral sensilla, D-2-I, D-3-I closely approximated, D-7-I situated posteriorly near D-8-I; segment 4 (Fig. 59B)—D-2-IV, D-3-IV short or moderately elongate setae on separate tubercles; D-5-IV, D-8-IV short seta, D-9-IV absent; on short bilobed tubercles, posterior dorsal sensilla in transverse row, arranged medially to laterally: D-5-IV, D-4-IV, D-7-IV, D-8- IV; L-1-IV 1 seta on bilobed tubercle, well anterior of posterior lateral setae; L-2-IV, L-3-IV, L-4-IV short setae on bilobed tubercles, V-5-IV, V-6-IV, V-7-IV short setae on bilobed tubercles; segment 8 without D-3-VIII, without L- 1-VIII; segment 9 (Fig. 74B)—with D-5-IX, D-6-IX campaniform sensilla.
DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT: The genus Austrohelea is known from seven species from Australia, New Zealand and Argentina (Borkent 2014). The only pupa known was reared from the subantarctic Campbell Island but the specific habitat was not recorded.
TAXONOMIC DISCUSSION: The unique pupal exuviae was previously described by Sublette & Wirth (1980) and reexamined here (Tables 2–3).
MATERIAL EXAMINED: A. campbellensis: 1 pupal exuviae, Tucser Cove, Campbell Island, New Zealand, 22-I-1969 (NZAC).
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 60-61, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3879.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4949051