Bandella, a new hilarine fly genus from Australia (Diptera: Empididae)
Abstract
Bandella n.gen. (Diptera: Empididae: Empidinae: Hilarini) is described from mainland Australia and Tasmania, and comprises nine new species: B. albitarsis, B. cerra, B. allynensis, B. costalis, B. duvalli, B. maxi, B. montana, B. noorinbee, and B. tasmanica. Bandella is distinguished from other genera in the Hilarini by the following combination of characters: mesonotum glabrous, without pruinosity, but with diagnostic colour patterns; mesonotal vestiture highly reduced, comprising only short setulae; male tarsus I unmodified; and male abdominal terga 7 and 8 reduced or modified to form flaps so that hypopygium can be flexed forward. The genus is distinctive in having an almost fully formed vein CuP running lengthwise across the centre of cell cup. Although vein CuP is part of the wing groundplan in Diptera, it has variable expression in the lower Brachycera. In other Empididae, this vein is either residual and positioned closely posteriad of vein CuA2, or totally absent.Also, Bandella has a divided and sclerotised male cercus, a character also shared by the endemic Tasmanian hilarine genus Cunomyia Bickel. Bandella has a predominately temperate Bassian distribution: Tasmania, southeastern and southwestern Australia, with an outlying species in submontane rainforest of tropical Queensland.
