McAlpine: Australian Helosciomyzidae 
69 
Figure 28. Neosciomyza peckorum, left wing of holotype. Longitudinal veins: sc, subcosta; vl-v7, veins 1 to 7. 
Crossveins: ac, anterior crossvein; an, anal crossvein; dc, discal crossvein; hm, humeral crossvein. Cells: al, anal 
cell; di, discal cell; ma, marginal cell; sm, submarginal cell; su, subcostal cell; lb, first basal cell; lp, first posterior 
cell; 2b, second basal cell; 2c, second costal cell. 
raised and rounded medial carina for whole length; cephalic 
bristles as described for Helosciomyza bickeli. Antenna: 
segment 2 with ventral setulae not as long as in H. bickeli, 
H. macalpinei, and related species, more as in N. anhecta; 
pubescence on segment 6 very minute but extending for 
whole length. Palpus with some distal setulae thickened. 
Thorax generally as described for H. bickeli ; scutellum 
strongly convex; stemopleuron laterally with very extensive¬ 
ly distributed fine setulae (compared with L. luteipennis, H. 
bickeli, etc., much as in N. anhecta ), ventrally with bristles/ 
setulae less strongly developed than in H. bickeli ; pteropleuron 
and hypopleuron without setulae. Fore femur with bristles as 
described for H. bickeli’, mid femur with subapical posterior 
bristle, no anterior bristles in male, but few short anterior 
bristles in female; hind femur of male with many moderately 
long fine setulae but no bristles, that of female with less 
development of setulae, but with one or two short, slightly 
differentiated anterior bristles beyond mid-length; hind tibia 
with long preapical dorsal bristle, but subapical anterior 
bristle much finer and more nearly terminal than in most other 
helosciomyzid species (N. anhecta excepted); basitarsi of 
males with well-developed ventral scopulae (brushes of dense, 
fine pubescence on plantar surface), that of hind basitarsus 
extending for most of its length; basitarsi of female apparently 
without scopulae; fore tarsal segment 4 of male subquadrate, 
slightly broader than long, that of female distinctly longer than 
broad. Wing resembling that of Helosciomyza spp.; vein 1 
terminating in costa slightly beyond level of anterior crossvein. 
Abdomen. Sternite 1 vestigial, without setulae; stemite 
5 with numerous setulae, posterior ones longer, but none 
forming pair of dense patches as in males of H. fuscinevris 
group. Male postabdomen: surstylus broad basally, tapered 
distally, with very small incurved apical tooth, with posterior 
plate broad, but tapered to upper base, on inner surface 
partly defined by a raised, curved ridge; basal surstylar 
process slender, setulose; anterior epandrial process long, 
without pubescence, apically expanded and compressed, its 
terminal margin sharp, chisel-like; aedeagus without spine¬ 
like epiphallus, with preapical sclerotized segment broadly 
inflated; cerci joined to proctiger for c. 0.8 of length of 
each, narrowed distally, relatively broad basally on posterior 
exposure, with numerous long and short setulae. 
Dimensions. Total length, <$ 6.9-7.3 mm,.'9 6.7 mm; 
length of thorax, $ 3.1-3.5 mm, $ 3.4 mm; length of wing, 
S 7.8-8.5 mm, $ 8.4 mm. 
Distribution. Highlands of Australian Capital Territory, 
Victoria, and New South Wales, as far north as Kanangra- 
Boyd National Park. 
Notes 
Neosciomyza peckorum is closely related to N. anhecta, 
from which it is most readily distinguished by having the 
palpus grey-brown distally (instead of entirely yellow) and 
abdominal tergite 5 largely smooth and glossy in contrast 
to the preceding pruinescent tergites (instead of having 
all preabdominal tergites thinly pruinescent). In the male 
the anterior epandrial process is more strongly expanded 
apically, the surstylus is somewhat differently shaped from 
that of N. anhecta, and the preapical segment of the aedeagus 
is much more inflated than in that species. 
All or most specimens were collected in cool highland 
forest. Most specimens were taken on or near carrion, 
including a much decayed domestic fowl. 
The specific epithet is a noun in the genitive case, plural 
number, and refers to the collectors Jarmila Kukalova-Peck 
and Stewart B. Peck. 
Genus Cobergius Barnes 
Cobergius Barnes, 1981: 49-50. Type species (original 
designation): C. canus Barnes [= Cobergius vittatus 
(Macquart)]. 
Notes 
This genus is distinguished by the characters given in the 
above key. Barnes has emphasized the concave scutellum 
of Cobergius. While the median dorsal concavity of the 
scutellum is an apparently consistent feature of C. vittatus, 
a similar condition is present in a few dried specimens of 
Napaeosciomyza and Helosciomyza spp., probably because 
of collapse when drying. In the female the stemopleuron is 
very extensively setulose, as in Neosciomyza, but in the male 
the stemopleuron is long-hirsute with many mollisetae, as is 
