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Records of the Australian Museum (2009) Vol. 61 
face rusty; back of head dark brown above foramen; anterior 
Vi-Vi of gena sometimes rusty; upper half of gena silvery 
tomentose; anterior half of frons pilose. Thorax dark brown 
with orange tint on posterior half of postpronotum. Legs 
yellow with fore coxa light yellow, fore tarsi brown with 
basal one or two segments light brown to yellow, fore 
femur brown apically on sides, and fore tibia with dark 
inner and outer subapical spots (sometimes also with light 
outer sub-basal spot); apical spots on fore femur and tibia 
sometimes form complete bands. Fore tarsi ovate in cross 
section. Abdomen dark brown. M 1+2 ratio 6.0-8.5. Wing 
dusky along anterodistal margin. Halter white. 
Female. As described for male except as follows: notum 
evenly brown; fore tarsi laterally flattened; fore tibia darker 
with faint brown mottling; first flagellomere yellow with 
anterior and inner-distal margins infuscated on dorsal half; 
dorsal half of occiput brown; gena yellow. 
Male terminalia (Figs 35-37). Epandrium well developed 
and relatively large (comparable to those of Sobarocephala 
species, but much smaller than that of H. magnicauda ). Cerci 
widest medially and emarginate. Surstylus dark, heavily- 
sclerotized, triangular, with longitudinal wrinkles and two 
apical tubercle-like bristles. Hypandrium+pregonite long, 
thin and truncated with square anterodistal emargination. 
Distiphallus with two posterobasal projections at junction 
with basiphallus; with lobate posteriorly-directed sclerite 
projecting from one rib near base; other rib trifid with one 
process long and coiled. 
Female terminalia (Fig. 94). Sternite and tergite 8 entirely 
fused. Spermathecae wider than long, transversely wrinkled, 
apically concave and with distal margin raised on one 
side. Ventral receptacle slightly tapered apically and with 
subterminal flagellum straight and long. 
Etymology. The specific name is derived from the Greek for 
“vine tendril” ( helinos ), describing the shape of the phallus. 
Comments. Like many Australian congeners, Hetero- 
meringia helina has a dark notum, pale fore coxae and 
apically brown fore femora. Unlike these other species, 
however, the fore tibia is yellow with brown mottling, 
the palpus is relatively thin, the male face is reddish, the 
distiphallus has a characteristic apical “coil” and the distal 
margin of the spermatheca is produced on one side (also 
seen in H. hypoleuca). 
The two known females of this species are only tentatively 
included due to a relative lack of convincing autapomorphies. 
While they are similar to the males in overall colouration, 
other Australian Heteromeringia (such as H. patula, H. 
stegna, H. macropa and H. montana ) are also similarly 
coloured, and a conservative approach will be taken because 
of the aforementioned sexual dimorphism characteristic of 
Old World Heteromeringia. Of these similar species, H. 
macropa has a thin palpus but the fore tibia is brown; H. 
patula (also with tentatively assigned females) has a mottled 
fore tibia, but tergite 1 is yellow, the mid coxa is brown, and 
the mid and hind femora have light brown spots. 
Heteromeringia hypobrunnea n.sp. 
Figs 38-40 
Type material. Holotype: Queensland: Claudie R., 5 miles W Mt. 
Lamond, D.K. McAlpine & G.A. Holloway, 21.xii.1971 (1^, AMS). 
Paratypes: Queensland: Claudie R., 5 miles W Mt. Lamond, D.K. 
McAlpine & G.A. Holloway, 31.xii.1971 (1$, AMS), 15.04S 145.07E, Mt. 
Webb Natl. Pk., rainforest, 29.iv.1991, D.H. Colless (1<£ ANIC), 13.43S 
143.19E, Mcllwraith Range, vi-vii.1989, Naumann (1 ^, ANIC), Whitfield 
Forest Reserve, Cairns, 19.iv.1967, D.H. Colless (1$, ANIC), 12.43S 
143.17E, 9km ENE Mt. Tozer, 5-10.vii.1986, D.H. Colless (1$, ANIC), 
12.43S 143.18E, 1 lkm ENE Mt. Tozer, ll-16.vii. 1986, D.H. Colless(l$, 
ANIC), 12.44S 143.14E, 3km ENE Mt. Tozer, 28.vi^l.vii.l986, D.H. 
Colless (2^, ANIC; 1$, DEBU; 1^, USNM). 
Description 
Male. Body length 3.4-4.6 mm. Anepisternal disc present. 
First flagellomere orbicular. Bristles brown. Arista pubescent. 
Vibrissa relatively long and curved. Ocellar bristle minute. 
Two dorsocentral bristles. Gena shallow and not sharply 
angled. Face and buccal cavity pilose and meeting at an 
angle. Head mostly yellow; antenna (excluding arista) light 
yellow with dark inner-basal spot; back of head with one pair 
of brown stripes radiating from foramen; upper half of gena 
and anterodorsal half of occiput white and silvery tomentose; 
gena with central rusty spot; posterior half of occiput 
(excluding venter) brown; frons with pilose anteromedial and 
anterolateral patches. Scutum yellowish-orange with one pair 
of brown stripes uniting at anterior margin and with three 
pairs of brownish lateral spots. Scutellum yellowish-orange 
with lateral margin brown. Laterotergites yellowish-orange. 
Pleuron yellow with anterodorsal corner of anepisternum 
dark brown, posterior and dorsal margins of anepisternum 
rusty, and anepimeron brown. Legs yellow with fore tibia 
and tarsi dark brown, and fore femur with thin oblique inner- 
distal spot. Fore tarsi compressed laterally. Abdomen dark 
brown with tergites 1 and 2 orange-brown. M 1+2 ratio 5.0. 
Wing lightly clouded. Halter white. 
Female. As described for male except as follows: notal 
stripes wider and background of postsutural scutum orange; 
tergites 1 and 2 yellow laterally; terminalia yellow. 
Male terminalia (Figs 38-40). Epandrium relatively small. 
Cerci thin and deeply emarginate. Surstylus small and 
rounded with apex slightly truncated and outer face setulose; 
inner-distal margin with numerous tubercle-like bristles. 
Hypandrium+pregonite with two thin divergent lobes 
(anterior lobe with two stout apical bristles and posterior 
lobe setulose distally). One rib of distiphallus thin, pointed 
and bent backwards, and one rib wide and elaborate apically 
with posteriorly-directed subapical lobe. 
Female terminalia. Not dissected. 
Etymology. The specific name notes the resemblance to the 
similarly-coloured H. hypoleuca, while indicating that the 
fore tarsi are brown (- brunnea ), not white (- leuca )—the best 
character to use when separating the two species. 
Comments. See comments for Heteromeringia hypoleuca. 
