Lonsdale: Australian Heteromeringia flies (Clusiidae) 
255 
in species with otherwise pale mid and hind legs), more 
extensive pigmentation on the fore femur (present only as 
outer mottling in the males), and a relatively pale bronze- 
coloured frons (two males also have a bronze anteromedial 
tint). The pigmentation on the antenna, fore tibia and wing, 
however, is quite different. 
Heteromeringia stegna, H. macropa, H. patula and H. 
asteia are similar in that they have small, rounded surstyli 
and an uneven U-shaped sclerite on the distiphallus (free 
or attached). The genitalia of Heteromeringia patula are 
easily separable from those of the other species in that 
the posterolateral sclerite of the hypandrium+pregonite is 
produced into a long, dark bar that projects laterally from 
the abdomen and is usually visible without dissection. 
Furthermore, H. patula has a brown halter, the male palpus 
and clypeus are yellow, tergite 1 is yellow, the scutum is 
yellowish posterolaterally, there is yellow mottling on the 
fore tibia and the first flagellomere has an inner-ventral 
infuscation. 
Of the remaining three species, Heteromeringia asteia 
has darkly-patterned wings, H. stegna has a brown halter 
and a basally brown palpus, minute ocellar bristles, a 
shiny frons and heavily modified external male terminalia, 
and H. macropa has an entirely brown palpus, a ventrally 
brown gena, an entirely shiny (not posteriorly tomentose) 
anepistemum, a dusky wing, an anteriorly infuscated first 
flagellomere, a relatively long, pointed surstylus and a long 
series of setae on the hypandrium. 
Heteromeringia ptenopa n.sp. 
Figs 69-72, 103 
Type material. Holotype: Queensland: 12.44S 143.14E, 3km ENE 
of Mt. Tozer, 28.vi-4.vii. 1986, D.H. Colless, Malaise trap (Id', ANIC). 
Paratype: Queensland: N QLD, Claudie R. near Mt. Lamond, 5.vi.l966, 
D.K. McAlpine (1 $, AMS). 
Description 
Male. Body length 3.9 mm. Bristles dark brown. First 
flagellomere orbicular. Arista short plumose. Vibrissa 
relatively long and curved. Ocellar bristle minute. Two 
dorsocentral bristles. Gena small and flat. Face and buccal 
cavity shiny and meeting at an angle. Head dark brown with 
antenna (excluding arista) dirty yellow, buccal cavity and 
mouthparts yellow with palpus brown, dorsal half of gena 
dirty yellow and silvery tomentose, and frons yellowish 
along posteromedial and lateral margins; frons shiny. Thorax 
dark brown with postpronotum yellow, and meron and 
katepisternum below level of anepistemum yellow. Legs 
yellow with fore coxa light yellow, fore tibia and tarsi dark 
brown, fore femur with inner-distal spot, mid tibia yellow 
and hind tibia light brown with base darker. Fore tarsi slightly 
compressed laterally. Abdomen dark brown with terminalia 
yellow. M 1+2 ratio 6.0. Wing with relatively wide anterodistal 
infuscation. Halter white. 
Female. As described for male except as follows: 
postpronotum brown; mid tibia brownish; head (excluding 
antenna) dark brown; wing clear. 
Male terminalia (Figs 69-72). Epandrium with height, 
length and width subequal; perianal region deeply excavated. 
Cerci entirely united, long and subrectangular. Surstylus 
nearly as long as epandrium and rounded, with distal 
half wrinkled and curved inwards so that outer face only 
fully visible posteriorly; inner-distal margin with several 
tubercle-like bristles. Hypandrial complex relatively pale and 
gracile compared to other Australian species. Hypandrium 
+ pregonite divided into thin anterior lobe with two stout 
apical bristles, and long, wide, posteriorly-directed setulose 
lobe with rounded posterobasal swelling. Ribs of phallus 
unequal in length, with one rib entirely thin and linear and 
ending at % length; longer rib abruptly bent apically and 
with two accessory sclerites near apex (one sclerite thin, 
tapered at both ends and lightly “feathered”, and one smooth 
and deeply trifid. 
Female terminalia (Fig. 103). Ventral receptacle weakly 
sclerotized and narrowing apically and flagellum long and 
straight. Spermatheca tapering apically, as wide as long and 
with shallow basal wrinkles. 
Etymology. The specific name is derived from the Greek 
for “feathered” (ptenos ), referring to the long-plumose arista 
characteristic of this species. 
Comments. Heteromeringia ptenopa is distinct from most 
other Australia Heteromeringia in that the hairs on the 
arista are short-plumose, not pubescent, and the thorax is 
brown excluding most of the katepisternum. The only other 
species with a similar arista is H. hypoleuca, which has much 
different colouration. 
Heteromeringia spinulosa D.K. McAlpine, 1960 
Figs 1,2,5, 11,73-80, 104, 105 
Heteromeringia spinulosa D.K. McAlpine, 1960:74. 
Heteromeringia pulla D.K. McAlpine, 1960: 73, new 
synonym. 
Holotype [ Heteromeringia spinulosa ]: New South Wales: Below Govett’s 
Leap, Blue Mountains, 7.xii.l956, D.K. McAlpine (1(3, AMS). Paratypes 
[H. spinulosa ]. New South Wales: Otford, 12.x. 1957, D.K. McAlpine 
(13, AMS), Sydney, ii. 1925, Health Department (1$, AMS) [allotype of 
H. australiae]. 
Holotype [Heteromeringia pulla]. New South Wales: National Park, 
13.iv. 1954, D.K. McAlpine (1(3, AMS). Paratypes [H. pulla]. New South 
Wales: National Park, D.K. McAlpine, 13.iv.1954 (233, AMS), 20.iv. 1954 
(433, AMS), Otford, 265.1959, D.K. McAlpine (13, AMS). 
Additional material examined. Australian Capital Territory. Black Mtn., 
Malaise, site 1, D.H. Colless, 20.ii.1980 (13 1$, ANIC), 18.ii.1980 (13, 
ANIC), 4-5.iii. 1980 (13, ANIC), 29.xi.1979 (1$, ANIC), 30.xi-2.xii.1979 
(1 $, ANIC), 4.ii. 1980(1$, ANIC), 14.ii.l980(l3,ANIC),21.ii.l980(l3, 
ANIC), 25.ii. 1980 (13, ANIC), 8-10.ii.1980 (1$, ANIC), 2-3.ii.1980 (1$, 
ANIC), 20.xi. 1980(1$, ANIC), 19.xi. 1979 (233, ANIC), 28.ii.1980 (1$, 
ANIC), 17-18.xi.1979 (1$, ANIC), 29.ii.1980 (13 1$, ANIC), 15-17. 
iii. 1980 (1 $, ANIC), 15-17.xii.1979 (233, ANIC), 29.ii-2.iii. 1980(13 1$, 
ANIC), Black Mtn., xii.1987, M. Irwin, Malaise trap (233 2$$, ANIC), 
Blundells Ck„ ii.1987, D.H. Colless, Malaise trap (2$?, ANIC). New 
South Wales: Katoomba, 19.xi.1963, G.H. Hardy (1<3, AMS), 8.xii.l961 
(2$$, AMS), Sassafras Gully, Springwood, 23.ix.1972, D.K. McAlpine 
(13, AMS), Wright’s Lookout, New England National Park, 1 .iv. 1961, D.K. 
