Species Plecia (Plecia) amplipennis Skuse, 1889
- Plecia amplipennis Skuse, F.A.A. 1889. Diptera of Australia. Part IV.—The Simuliidae and Bibionidae. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 2 3: 1363-1386 [1372].
Type data:
Syntype(s) ANIC(MMUS) ♀ adults (not found, number of specimens in type series not stated in original description), Cairns, QLD
Comment: Hardy (1982) notes that the type is supposed to be in the Macleay Museum, but cannot be found, and may be lost. He does not mention syntypes.
Distribution
States
New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland
Extra Distribution Information
Widespread over northern Australia (Queensland, Northern Territory and one record from New South Wales), Indonesia, New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago and Solomon Is. (Hardy, 1982).
IBRA
NSW, NT, Qld: Arnhem Coast (ARC), Arnhem Plateau (ARP), Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Central Arnhem (CA), Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Daly Basin (DAB), Darwin Coastal (DAC), Einasleigh Uplands (EIU), Gulf Fall and Uplands (GFU), Gulf Coastal (GUC), Gulf Plains (GUP), NSW North Coast (NNC), Pine Creek (PCK), Sydney Basin (SB), South East Corner (SEC), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Tiwi Cobourg (TIW), Victoria Bonaparte (VB), Wet Tropics (WT)
Other Regions
Torres Strait Islands terrestrial, marine & freshwater
Distribution References
Ecological Descriptors
Adult: volant.
Diagnosis
P. amplipennis fits in the decora group of species because of the highly modified ninth tergum of the male. The tergum is developed into large rounded lobes which extend well beyond the ninth sternum, are densely black setose (squamose) on their dorsal surfaces and apparently have a function in holding the female in copula. The group is highly developed in New Guinea. Plecia amplipennis is differentiated from all other species in this group by having the ninth sternum of the male very short and broad, three to four times wider than long; the claspers large, flattened and sharp pointed, extending nearly to the hind margin of the tergum, and the lobes of the tergum broadly rounded, very densely black setose on dorsal surfaces.
Diagnosis References
Hardy, D.E. 1982. The Bibionidae (Diptera) of Australia. Australian Journal of Zoology 30: 805-855 [810]
General References
Hardy, D.E. 1958. The Plecia of the Pacific and Southeast Asia (Bibionidae-Diptera). Pacific Science 12: 185-220 [190] (distribution)
Hardy, D.E. 1989. Superfamily Bibionoidea. 5. Family Bibionidae. pp. 122-124 in Evenhuis, N.L. (ed.). Catalog of the Diptera of the Australasian and Oceanian Regions. Honolulu and Leiden : Bishop Museum Press and E.J. Brill 1155 pp. [124] (distribution)
Malloch, J.R. 1928. Notes on Australian Diptera. No. XVII. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 53: 598-617 [14 December] [603] (resurrected from synonymy with Plecia fulvicollis (Fabricius, 1805))
Skuse, F.A.A. 1890. Diptera of Australia. Nematocera.—Supplement II. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 2 5(3): 595-640, Pl. XIX [635] (synonymy with Plecia fulvicollis (Fabricius, 1805))
History of changes
| Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30-Aug-2010 | 30-Aug-2010 | MOVED | ||
| 16-Nov-2011 | 26-Jul-2010 | MODIFIED | ||
| 12-Feb-2010 | (import) |