74 R. W. CROSSKEY 



Tribe TACHININI 



In Australia the Tachinini are represented mainly by the endemic genus 

 Microtropesa, which is readily distinguished from other tachinine (except Paratropeza 

 Paramonov) genera by the possession of long dense hair on the pleurotergite (the 

 supraspiracular convexity just dorsal to the hind thoracic spiracle). This genus 

 includes several distinctive species with patterned abdomen and smoky brown 

 and yellow wings, but also some species of more humdrum appearance. The only 

 two other genera known in Australia are non-endemic, Cuphocera occurring very 

 widely throughout the Old World and Eristaliomyia in the south-east Asian 

 archipelago, Malaya and New Guinea (the latter genus is probably confined in 

 Australia to the Northern Territory and Queensland); Eristaliomyia, it should be 

 noted, is very closely allied to the genus Servillia Robineau-Desvoidy (which is 

 abundantly represented throughout the Oriental Region) and perhaps ought not 

 to be recognized as a valid genus. In general, the tachinine fauna of Australia is 

 rather impoverished, in contrast to that of the Palaearctic and Oriental Regions 

 where it is so richly developed. 



The genera represented in Australia have the following features in common that aid in 

 tribal recognition. Parafacials covered with long fine hair; second antennal segment unusually 

 elongate (and the third not or hardly longer than the second) ; vibrissae inserted far above 

 epistomal margin; eyes bare; epistome very strongly projecting; presternum bare; 4 + 4 dc 

 setae (Text-fig. 62) (sometimes with additional dc) ; scutellum often with erect spiniform setae 

 or setulae just before the apex; no infrasquamal hairs; mid tibia with many ad setae and with 

 a v seta; hind tibia with a strong pv apical seta; hind coxa haired on the posterodorsal surf ace ; 

 basal node of i? 4+5 with only a few weak hairs, veins otherwise bare; second costal sector bare 

 below; cell i? 5 open; strong pteropleural seta (often doubled); abdomen with Ti -)- 2 excavate 

 to hind margin; abdominal sternites exposed and bearing stiff, often spiniform, setae; bend 

 of vein M abrupt and with a weak fold extending at least slightly from the bend towards the 

 wing margin. 



Key to Australian Genera of Tachinini 



1 Parafacials without strong setae in addition to the hair. Propleuron haired. 



1 +2 ia setae. Palpi well developed (though sometimes very slender). $ without 

 proclinate orbital setae ........... 2 



— Parafacial armed with two or three strong setae (standing on lower end near the eye) . 



1 + 3 ia setae. Palpi vestigial. $ with or without proclinate orbital setae 



CUPHOCERA Macquart 



2 Convexity above posterior thoracic spiracle (pleurotergite) bare. Three strong 



supra-alar setae. One sternopleural seta [o + 1 stpl in specimens seen, possibly not 

 constant]. Parafrontals shining black. Forms with bee-like facies and unusually 

 short wings ERISTALIOMYIA Townsend 



- Convexity above posterior thoracic spiracle (pleurotergite) with dense vestiture of 



long hair. Two or three sternopleural setae. Parafrontals yellow to dark reddish 

 orange. Forms without such facies and with wings not unusually short in relation 

 to body size MICROTROPESA Macquart 



SUBFAMILY GONIINAE WITH KEYS TO THE TRIBES AND GENERA 



This enormous subfamily includes the forms commonly thought of as the 'higher 

 Tachinidae', and many of them have the pre-alar seta very large; this character 



