Australian Fruit Flies — Hardy 
127 
pairs. The distance between the tip of the 
ovipositor and the first pair of setae is four 
times greater than the length of these setae. 
The apex of the oviduct is about 0.38 mm. 
from the tip of the piercer (Fig. Ab). The 
inversion membrane (segment 8) is 2.8 mm. 
long by 0.28 mm. wide at its broadest point. 
The rasper extends to about 0.61 mm. from 
the base of the segment. The hook-like 
processes of the rasper are rather long- 
pointed (Fig. Ac). The basal segment of the 
ovipositor (oviscape or segment 7) is 1.9 mm. 
long by 1.22 mm. wide measured at its base. 
The spiracles are situated about 0.38 mm. 
from the base of the seventh segment, 
measured on the lateral margins. 
Length: Body, 6.8 mm. (excluding antennae 
and ovipositor); wings, 6.0 mm. Perkins 
(1939) gave the measurements as body, 8 
mm.; wings, 7 mm. 
TYPE locality: ''Murray Island” (Baraku 
Island, New Georgia group). 
Type in the South Australian Museum. 
Perkins and May (1949) first recorded this 
species from Australia, bred from fruits of 
Semecarpus australiensis Engl. A large series is 
in the Krauss collection, bred from the same 
host at Cairns, Queensland, in December, 
1949. 
Dacus (Daculus ) signatifer Tryon 
Fig. 1>a-d 
Dacus signatifer Tryon 1927. Roy. Soc. 
Queensland, Proc. 38: 210-211. 
This species very closely resembles Dacus 
{Austrodacus) cucumis French. The series of 
specimens at hand had been placed under 
D. cucumis until a more careful study showed 
that they were quite unrelated species. In 
body coloration they are almost exactly like 
cucumis. They differ strikingly from this by 
having only two developed scutellar bristles, 
by having cilia on the third abdominal tergum 
of the male, and by having a supernumerary 
lobe developed in the male wing. The 
specimens are slightly smaller in size than 
those of cucumis, the female ovipositors are 
very different in development (Figs. 3c and 
5c), and there is a difference in the chaetotaxy 
of the head, in the shape of the scutellum, 
and in some other details. The species is 
readily separated from D. murrayi (Perkins) 
by the presence of the median yellow vitta, 
the absence of distinct black bands or vitta 
on the abdomen, the narrower costal band, 
and the differences in the female ovipositors. 
This species appears to represent another 
borderline case which shows definite inter- 
gradations toward, or into, some of the re- 
lated subgenera (genera of other authors). 
The specimens have rudimentary and in- 
conspicuous secondary scutellar bristles . 
These are scarcely differentiated from the 
small setae of the scutellum and perhaps can- 
not correctly be called bristles. They arise in 
the spots where the second pair of scutellars is 
located in some other subgenera. They are 
erect, are borne on raised tubercles, and in 
some specimens are several times larger than 
the other setae (Fig. 5^). From the original 
description it would appear that this species 
should fit in the subgenus Austrodacus, but, 
after a thorough study of a large series of 
specimens, I feel that it should be placed in 
Daculus. 
MALE: Entirely reddish-yellow except for 
the black facial spots and for a brown to 
black spot in the middle of the fifth tergum 
of the abdomen. Dead: The facial spots are 
large and conspicuous; they are almost cir- 
cular and extend to near the oral margin. 
The vertical bristles are black; the inferior 
fronto-orbital bristles vary from yellow- 
brown to blackish. The other head bristles 
and hairs are pale in color. The gular bristles 
are not differentiated from the other hairs of 
the gular area. Two pairs of inferior fronto- 
orbital bristles are present. The superior 
fronto-orbitals are rather poorly developed. 
The front is about one and one-half times 
longer than wide and is not spotted or 
noticeably discolored. The antennae are en- 
tirely pale colored and are comparatively 
