Search

Twenty-seven specimens in the University of Queensland Tephritidae collection determined by Francis Walker have been restudied and placed in their correct combinations. Eighteen species are represented, all except 2 described by Walker. Only Adrama selecta Walker, Dacus curcubitae Coquillett, Dacus determinatus Walker, Dasyneura zonata Saunders, Sophira punctifera Walker, Strumeta helomyzoides Walker and Trypeta multistriga Walker are Tephritidae. The other 11, originally described as new species of Dacus F., are Platystomatidae.

Thirty one genera [including Homoiothemara gen.n., Polyaroidea gen.n., Proepacrocerus gen.n. and 1 unnamed new(?) genus], 3 subgenera, 87 species [including 9 new species: Acrotaeniostola interrupta, Carpophthorella bivittata, Enicoptera gressitti, Homoiothemara eurycephala, Polyaroidea distincta, P. opposita, P. univittata, Proepacrocerus pallidoviridus and Xanthorrachis sabahensis and 6 unnamed new(?) species] and 1 subspecies are keyed and described or, if recently described elsewhere, only listed and additional data recorded. The following are new synonyms: Trypeta retorta Walker, Carpophthorella magnifica Hendel, Gastrozona bifasciata de Meijere and Gastrozona alboscutellata Enderlein =Carpophthorella nigrifascia Walker; Icteroptera van der Wulp =Sophira Walker; Sophira disjuncta Hardy =Sophira (Kambangania)ypsilon (Rondani); Curvinervis walkeri Hardy and Strumeta concisa Walker =Stymbara vagaria Walker; Carpophthorella scutellomaculata Hering =Xanthorrachis annandalei Bezzi. Proanoplomus cinereofasciatus (de Meijere) is a new combination and Spilocosmia kotoshoensis (Shiraki) is given new status.

Cacoxenus Loew is redefined on the basis of the type species, C. indagator , which is redescribed (including characteristics of the genitalia) and for which a lectotype is selected. Paracacoxenus Hardy, type P. guttatus Hardy and Wheeler (Washington and Oregon), is allied to Cacoxenus, Gitona , and Gitonides .

Hardy, D. E. (Department of Entomology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hi., USA.) Pipunculidae (Diptera) of the 1934 Swedish expedition to Burma. Zool. Scripta 1(3–4): 121–138, 1972.–The collection of Pipunculidae made in Burma by Rene Malaise contained approximately forty species in five genera and four subgenera and is probably a thorough sampling of the species which occur in the Kambaiti area of N.E. Burma. Eleven new species are being described: Dorylomorpha latifrons sp.n., D. stenozona sp.n., Pipunculus (Cephalops) dolosus sp.n., P. (Cephalops) fimbriatus sp.n., P. (Cephalops) validus sp.n., P. (Cephalosphaera) reduncus sp.n., P. (Cephalosphaera) tingens sp.n., P. (Eudorylas) burmanicus sp.n., P. (Eudorylas) colossus sp.n., P. (Eudorylas) giganteus sp.n., and P. (Eudorylas) malaisei sp.n. Several other species, probably new ones, are indicated but not being described until further specimens can be studied. The majority of the species are new records for Burma.

This genus is related to Damalis Fabricius. It is distinguished by having the dorsum of thorax clothed with very dense yellow pile (as in Bombomina); this pile is mostly erect and so dense that the ground color is almost concealed. The species of Damalis are more sparsely haired, with the pile mostly recumbent and not at all concealing the ground color.

The species discussed below have been received from the United States National Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, Cambridge Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cornell University, Michigan State College, British Museum of Natural History, and Deutsches Entomologisches Institute, or are in the Snow Entomological Collection at the University of Kansas. The writer is very grateful to these institutions for the privilege of studying this material. These species will be keyed and figured in a forthcoming revision of the New World Plecia.

The material here described represents three new species and one new variety. These were received by the writer from J. K. Jacob of the University of British Columbia and from D. Denning of the University of Minnesota.

As I have indicated in various publications on the Dacini, I cannot agree with the generic concepts which have been followed by most of the workers on this group. I prefer not to base genera upon secondary sexual characters, unless accompanied by ample supporting characters, preferably common to both sexes. I also prefer not to base genera upon single chaetotaxic characters, i. e., the presence or absence of certain bristles, in varying combinations, unless accompanied by supporting characters. In my detailed study of this group such variations and intergradations have been seen in the chaetotaxy that it is felt that these are not always reliable criteria.

Tomosvaryella frontata (Becker, 1897) is redescribed and illustrated from specimens reared from the Tamarix leafhopper, Opsius stactogalus Fieber, in Nice, France. In some respects it resembles a Dorylomorpha , but its wing venation places it in Tomosvaryella Aczel.

While working with local Therevidae, several species have come to the attention of the writer that seem to be undescribed. The material at hand consists of one new genus and two new species.

Since 1963 a team research, multi-disciplinary project has been underway attempting to gain as much information as possible concerning evolutionary processes under insular conditions: why some groups have speciated so profusely in the Hawaiian Islands; why and how such an array and diversity of morphological and biological characters have arisen; the time required for speciation; and ultimately the origin of species. This has been a cooperative project of the University of Hawaii Departments of Entomology and Genetics and the Genetics Foundation, University of Texas, and has involved many senior investigators, technicians, and assistants. To date approximately 25 senior scientists from various institutions and about 150 graduate and undergraduate research assistants have taken part in this study. The stock center for the Hawaiian species has been established and is being maintained at the University of Texas. The species now in culture are available for experimental use by qualified researchers.

Grimshaw (1901, 1902) and Perkins (1910) first focused the attention of dipterists on the aberrant characteristics and abundance of the Hawaiian Drosophilidae. They described 47 species; additionally, Perkins’ extensive descriptions (1913) of the biotic habitat in which the insects live alerted biologists to the unique but unknown ecology of the flies.

Drosophila affinidisjuncta Hardy n. sp. (Diptera) is morphologically indistinguishable from its sibling D. disjuncta Hardy and is described as a new species based upon genetic differences. By cytogenetic and cross-mating studies it has been demonstrated that populations of Drosophila, which have been previously treated as disjuncta Hardy ( 1965:245) , from the mountains of West Maui repre- sent a biologically distinct species. Drosophila disjuncta appears to be restricted to the slopes of Haleakala, East Maui. Specimens from East and West Maui are indistinguishable morphologically, but the chromo- somes show a number of fixed differences, and cross-mating experi- ments demonstrate that hybrid males are sterile. The species are char- acterized by the following chromosomal differences; D. disjuncta has a metaphase karyotype consisting of five pairs of rod-shaped and one pair of dot-like chromosomes. In contrast, the metaphase karyotype of D. affinidisjuncta shows three pairs of large, V-shaped chromosomes, one pair of large and one pair of small J-shaped chromosomes and a pair of dot-like chromosomes. This difference between the karyotypes of the species is due to the presence of large heterochromatic blocks on each of the autosomes as well as on the X chromosome. Further de- tails are presented in this journal in the following article, "Cytogenetic