Leptotarsus, Tipulidae — Life in a Southern Forest

Workbook

Genus Leptotarsus

Skuse, FAA 1890 Diptera of Australia Pt VIII - The Tipulidae longlpalpi. Proc. Linn. Soc. NSW 2 5(1): 53-139

First longitudinal vein joining the anterior branch of the second longitudinal near the base, its tip with the ultimate section of the branch forming an arctuation; praefurca as long or a little longer than the great cross-vein; second posterior cell petiolate. Front broad, slightly gibbose anteriorly. Rostrum short, about the length of the head, arched in front, with a distinct, obtuse nasus. Antennae 10-jointed, as long as or but little longer than the head. Palpi with the last joint long, flageilliform. Genitalia in both sexes inconspicuous.

Alexander, C.P. 1932. A review of the Tipulidae of Australia (Diptera). I. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 57: 1-23 [7].

Cell M1 of wings lacking
Vein R3 nearly straight, gently sinous, or gently curved throughout its entire length (as apposed to Vein R3 bent strongly caudad or near midlength, so cell R3 is strongly narrowed at this point)
M3+4 present, M forking into the two elements M1+2 and M3+4; Rs longer, not simulating a crossvein
Sc1 usually atrophied and cell 2nd A wide
Cell 1st M2 closed
Antennae without definitely branched segments in males, simple or nearly so in the females;
Terminal flagellar segments of antennae not differing in general form from the basal ones;
first flagellar segment not more conspicuously enlarged than the successing segments;
first segment of scape shorter, not exceeding 1/3 the length of the entire antenna;
antenna 10-segmented;

Leptotarsus costalis

Swederus, N.S. 1787. Et nytt genus och femtio nya species af insecter [concl.]. Kongliga Svenska Vetenskaps-Academiens Nya Handlingar, Stockholm 8: 276-290 [286].

First description from material collected by Banks.

Tipula costalis

sordide lutea, antennis corpore duplo longioribus; alis patentibus hyalinis costa brunnea.

Habit. in Terra a van Diemen dicta. Muf. Dom. BANKS.

Descrp.

Inter majores non maximas numeranda: whole body dirty golden-yellow, except final abdominal segments, which are black
Head: pubescent
Antennae: filiform, narrow, twice body length, dark, golden-yellow scape.
Eyes: black
Wings: hyaline with tawny veins, external costal margin brown, but with hyaline apex
Femora: golden-yellow, black apices
Tibiae: tawny

Dobrotworsky, N.V. 1974 The Tipulidae of Australia X The genus Leptotarsus. Australian Journal of Zoology Supplementary Series 25: 31-62

Male

The male can easily be recognized by the very long, almost filiform antennae and by the long, pale, dense hairs on the head and thorax; the female has short antennae and is very similar to L. (M.) macquartianus which, however, is confined to Tasmania. The wing membrane is hyaline, with light greyish tint and the anterior border and the stigma brown. Wing length 18-21 mm.

scape large, swollen in middle, fulvous (tawny); pedicel very small; flagellar segments black

1/2/19 male, wing 17mm long, anterior border and stigma brown; wing membrane hyaline with light greyish tint

Head. Densely clothed with long pale hairs; tubercle above antennae large and densely haired; an oval, smooth, shining patch lateral to tubercle; rostrum long with prominent nasus and long setae on its apex; antennae about 3 times the length of wing and almost fiiform; scape large, swollen in middle, fulvous; pedicel very small; flagellar segments black; basal segment of palp brown, black apically.

haltere of ground colour with brown knob; legs of ground colour; femora and tibiae dark brown or blackish at apexl apex usually dark brown or blackish

Thorax. Fulvous (tawny); clothed with long, pale, fine, erect hairs; prescutum with 4, sometimes indistinct, brown stripes; scutal lobes, scutellum and postnotal mediotergite of ground colour; former often with brown patch anteriolaterally. Legs of ground colour; femora and tibiae dark brown or blackish at apex; tarsi usually dark brown or blackish. Wing membrane hyaline with light greyish tint; anterior border and stigma brown; cell M I petiolate; haltere of ground colour with brown knob.

from Dobrotworsky, N.V. 1974 to show difference in wing venation of different species of Leptotarsus — from Dobrotworsky, N.V. 1974 to show difference in wing venation of different species of *Leptotarsus*

Abdomen. Basal segments fulvous; terminal segments black or dark brown.

Hypopygium (Figs. 1 and 5). Apical margin of tergite 9 almost straight; inner style with narrow and relatively high hump, with black spinoid setae on apex; beak strong, bluntly pointed; outer style short, with long setae.

Female

Similar to male, but differs from it as follows: the antennae short, shorter than length of the head with rostrum; prescutum almost bare.

Skuse (1890) and Alexander (19221) recorded the occurrence of M. costalis in Tasmania but later Alexander (1924) recognized that the Tasmanian form was distinct from the mainland costalis and named it M. macquartiana. I have examined specimens of M. costalis in the collections of the South Australian Museum and found that all those from Tasmania should be regarded as Leptotarsus (Macromastix) macquartianus.

1/2/2019 home - tarsi usually dark brown or blackish.

1/2/2019 home - Legs of ground colour; femora and tibiae dark brown or blackish at apex;

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