The Krauss Collection of Australian Fruit Flies (Tephritidae-Diptera)^ 
D. Elmo Hardy^ 
The following report deals with the fruit 
flies collected in Australia by N. L. H. Krauss 
of the Territorial Board of Agriculture and 
Forestry, Honolulu, T. H. This collection was 
made in conjunction with the studies which 
Mr. Krauss carried on in Australia concerning 
the biological control of fruit flies. It appar- 
ently represents the most comprehensive sur- 
vey of the Australian fruit fly fauna which has 
been made (or at least reported in the litera- 
ture) . The collection contained approximately 
60,000 specimens, and, although the studies 
were conducted largely in Queensland, it in- 
cluded almost all of the known Australian 
Dacini as well as a good representation of the 
other fruit flies. The collection, which con- 
tained 32 species and 3 varieties, includes all 
of the Australian Dacinae known to the writer 
except Dacus {Strumeta) bancrofti (Tryon), D. 
{Strumeta) strigatus (Perkins), D. (Neodacus) 
newmani (Perkins), D. {Zeugodacus) atrisetosus 
(Perkins), D. {Zeugodacus) caudatus Fabri- 
cius (.^), and Callantra aequalis (Coquillett) . 
The basing of genera upon single chaeto- 
taxic characters and upon secondary sexual 
characters does not appear to be a sound 
practice. Unless supported by other characters 
of generic value, these complexes should 
probably be considered as subgenera. I am 
preparing a reclassification of the Dacini of 
the world based upon a comparative study of 
many thousands of specimens, including 
genotypic specimens of nearly all of the 
^Published with the approval of the Director of the 
Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station as Technical 
Paper No. 214. In cooperation with the Oriental Fruit 
Fly Investigations, U. S. Bureau of Entomology and 
Plant Quarantine. Manuscript received August 29, 
1950. 
^Associate Entomologist, University of Hawaii Agri- 
cultural Experiment Station, Honolulu, T. H. 
’'genera,” and I am convinced that the classi- 
fication could be placed on a more sound 
basis by treating most of these groups as sub- 
genera of Dacus sens. lat. When large series of 
specimens are studied, intergrades between 
the various so-called "genera” are so often 
encountered that they completely break down 
the classification schemes of some of the con- 
temporary and earlier workers. A detailed dis- 
cussion of the value of these characters will be 
given in the reclassification study now being 
prepared. The subgeneric characters are dis- 
cussed in their proper sequence in the text, 
but these characters are not repeated in the 
specific descriptions. 
In the descriptions the length of the front 
is measured from the top of the ocellar tri- 
angle to the antennae, and the width is meas- 
ured at its widest point. Evidently some other 
authors have measured the length as from the 
lower ocellus to the top of the lunule. It is 
probable that a more accurate comparison of 
the breadth of the front could be made by 
comparing it with the eye width or possibly 
with the width of the ocellar triangle. In some 
species the broadening of the front is ac- 
companied by a lengthening so that a com- 
parison of the width and the length is of little 
value. The first antennal segment is measured 
as seen in dorsal view from base to apex. The 
second segment is measured on the lower 
margin as seen in direct lateral view. The third 
segment is measured on the ventral margin as 
seen in direct side view. The facial spots, or 
markings, are of value in the classification of 
these flies, but considerable variation does 
occur and supporting characters must be re- 
lied upon. The markings and coloration of the 
thorax and abdomen are fairly constant for 
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