Lonsdale: Australian Heteromeringia flies (Clusiidae) 
233 
-Triangular extension on outer margin of pedicel acute and 
projecting. Scutellum smooth and slightly convex. One or two 
pairs of well developed lateral scutellar bristles. Phallus rod-like 
with components separate. Pregonite small and separate from 
hypandrium. Phallapodeme long, well developed and with ventral 
shield. Postgonite present. Lateral lobe of distiphallus usually 
present. Ejaculatory apodeme small with apex thin and rounded. 
Spermatheca untelescoped. 5 
5 Mid tibia without dorsal preapical bristle. Four pairs of fronto- 
orbital bristles (three in some T. ustulata ). Anterior dorsocentral 
bristle usually close to posterior dorsocentral. Cell bm closed. 
Posterior margin of male sternite 6 setose. Distiphallus curled 
medially and without additional anterobasal sclerite. Sperma¬ 
theca irregular in shape, pigmented and strongly wrinkled. Tetrameringia D.K. McAlpine 
-Mid tibia with dorsal preapical bristle. Three pairs of fronto- 
orbital bristles. Dorsocentral bristles widely spaced. Cell bm open. 
Posterior margin of male sternite 6 bare. Distiphallus straight 
and with small sclerite covering base. Spermatheca spherical, 
clear and smooth . Sobarocephala Czerny 
Materials and methods 
The material used in this revision was borrowed from the 
Australian Museum, Sydney (AMS), the Australian National 
Insect Collection, Canberra (ANIC), the Canadian National 
Collection of Insects and Arachnids, Ottawa (CNC), the 
University of Guelph Insect Collection (DEBU), the 
Deutsches Entomologisches Institut, Eberswalder (DEI), 
the Museum d’Histoire Naturelle, Geneve (MHNG), 
the Queensland Museum, Brisbane (QMBA), Tel Aviv 
University (TAU) and the University of Queensland Insect 
Collection, St. Lucia (UQIC). 
Specimen preparation and terminology follows that in 
Lonsdale & Marshall (2006,2007a). Unless otherwise stated, 
body lengths and M 1+2 ranges include those for both sexes. 
Labelled male genitalia are presented in Figs 58-61. 
An updated key to the genera of Clusiidae in Australia 
is provided because of recent discoveries in the Australian 
fauna and a number of changes to generic classification (D.K. 
McAlpine, 1971; Marshall, 2000; Lonsdale & Marshall, 
2007b, 2008, unpublished data). Six genera of Clusiidae are 
now known to occur in Australia. 
Immature stages of Heteromeringia 
Eggs. Heteromeringia eggs are described here for the first 
time, recovered directly from dissected female abdomens of 
H. australiae (Fig. 15), H. bisetosa (Fig. 12), H. digitula n.sp. 
(Fig. 13), H. hardyi D.K. McAlpine (Fig. 10), H. hypoleuca 
(Fig. 16), H. laticornis (Fig. 14), H. spinulosa (Fig. 11) and 
H. trisetosa (Fig. 9). Like the eggs of other clusiids, they are 
elongate oval in outline, the micropyle is small and raised 
and they are approximately as long as tergite 7. The surface 
is usually also covered with slightly raised rows of tubercles 
that enclose cells of smaller, scattered tubercles. These cells 
are generally wider than long, sometimes incomplete, and 
disappear near the midpoint or base of the egg. 
While these are general characteristics of Heteromeringia 
eggs, there are a number of departures from this generalized 
state. In H. spinulosa and H. australiae, only a few strips 
of minute cells are present within the raised ridges near the 
apex of the egg, although a few indistinct cells (sometimes 
incomplete) are also present between these ridges in H. 
australiae. Within-ridge cells are also seen in H. digitula, 
which has complete between-ridge cells along most of the 
length of the egg; the ridges are also slightly more raised, 
particularly near the apex, where they resemble flying 
buttresses. In H. bisetosa, long, rectangular cells are only 
present within two rows flanking a single thin keel, which is 
unique to the species. The surface of the egg of H. hypoleuca 
is unusual in that it is entirely smooth excluding single or 
double rows of tubercles enclosing complete cells; only one 
row of ovate within-ridge cells is present and it is suspended 
from the surface of the egg. In H. hardyi, the tubercles are 
flat and the spaces between them are sharply angulate, 
resembling cracks in a field of dried mud; the ridges are also 
unusual in that they are inverted, represented by double rows 
of small staggered pits. 
The egg of Heteromeringia trisetosa differs most 
markedly from those of all other known clusiids, and were 
it not removed directly from a female’s abdomen, it would 
be suspected to belong to a species from a different family. 
The surface is entirely smooth and covered with a number 
of longitudinal scalloped ridges that nearly extend to the 
base of the egg. These ridges coalesce in the apical quarter 
of the egg to form hexagonal cells, the corners of which are 
produced to form increasingly larger papillae. 
Puparia. Puparia of Heteromeringia are known only for the 
holotype of the Australian//, norrisi (D.K. McAlpine, 1960). 
The puparium is distinct from those of other Clusiidae in 
that there is a small triangular spur on the inner surface of 
the posterior respiratory horn (Figs 62, 63). 
