Blaena cirra Froeschner, 1966

Blaena cirra Froeschner, 1966

( Figs 10—18 View Figs 10–18 )

Blaena cirra Froeschner, 1966: 692 ; Lis, 1995: 138, 1996: 183.

Redescription

Body. Length 4.25—4.80 (female), 3.65—4.75 (male).

Head ( Fig. 10 View Figs 10–18 ). Black or dark brown, paraclypei coarsely punctured and bearing gold, erect hairs of different lengths; lateral margins conspicuously narrowed anteriorly; paraclypei longer than clypeus and joined anteriorly; clypeus somewhat convex, bare; each paraclypeus with a submarginal row of 5—6 long hair-like setae; bucculae bearing fine hairs; ocular index 3.21—3.60 (male), 3.71—4.01 (female); ocelli small, distance between ocelli about 2.8—3.6 times longer than the distance between an ocellus and the eye, ocellar index 6.1—10.8; rostrum extending beyond anterior coxae; antennal segments I to IV progressively longer, V segment as long as or shorter than IV.

Prothorax. Pronotum about 1.6—1.8 times broader than long ( Fig. 11 View Figs 10–18 ), black or dark brown, margins somewhat lighter than a disc, the latter densely coarsely punctured; dorsal surface of disc bearing golden hairs; anterior margin broadly concave, posterior margin shallowly concave in its middle; lateral margins not serrated, each submargin with a row of 18—20 long hair-like setae; transverse postmedial impression shallow. Prosternum black or blackish brown, punctured; prosternal carinae vague, bearing golden woolly hairs. Propleuron black or dark brown, coarsely punctured, its anterior margin densely covered with golden woolly hairs, lateral parts sparsely, shallowly punctured and finely pilose.

Mesothorax. Scutellum blackish brown or dark castaneous, slightly wider than long, punctation of disc as dense as that of pronotum, median discal carina well-developed; scutellar disc bearing numerous hairs over its entire surface. Anterior part of mesopleuron punctured, evaporative area rounded, elongated. Corium castaneous or dark castaneous, costal margin with 12—15 setigerous punctures bearing long hair-like setae; membrane normally developed, narrower than abdomen, reaching or almost reaching its tip, veins usually straight, sometimes branched; base of membrane usually with two pale patches.

Metathorax. Metapleural evaporatorium large, nearly two thirds of metapleuron length, peritreme elongated.

Legs. Anterior pair castaneous or brown, bearing numerous erect light hairs; anterior tibiae apically broadened. Femora of middle pair with a row of sharp spines, among these one or two very large in male ( Fig. 13 View Figs 10–18 ), female middle femora unmodified; tibiae straight with black spines. Male hind femora ventrally with a row of sharp spines, among which one or two are clearly longer than others ( Fig. 12 View Figs 10–18 ); female hind femora ventrally without such a modification; male hind tibiae clearly recurved in the middle ( Fig. 12 View Figs 10–18 ), female hind tibiae straight.

Abdomen. Sterna without lateral submarginal furrow, ventral surface entirely punctured in female, but with lateral impunctate band on visible segments III and IV in male; lateral margins of each segment with a row of 5—6 setigerous punctures bearing long hair-like setae, and with well-developed posteriorly projecting spine. Sterna bearing erect light hairs, especially numerous close to lateral margins. Male genital capsule as in Fig. 17 View Figs 10–18 , paramere as in Figs 14—16 View Figs 10–18 . Female genital plates moderately broad ( Fig. 18 View Figs 10–18 ), densely punctate.

Material examined. SOUTH AUSTRALIA: 1 male, Sundews nr. Hackham, in Malaise trap, 12 may 1975, M. Anderson ( SAMA) ; WESTERN AUSTRALIA: 1 male, Yanchep 32 km N from Perth , 29.I-8.II 1936, R.E. Turner, B.M. 1936—28 ( BMNH) ; 2 males 1 female, Rottnest, Lea , Pres. by Com. Inst. Ent., B.M. 1948—548 ( BMNH) ; 1 female, Geraldton & Mullewa, Lea , Pres. by Com. Inst. Ent. B.M. 1948—548 ( BMNH) ; 1 female, Denmark , 34.57'S 117.21'E, January 1976, R.P. McMillan ( WAMP) ; 1 female, Greenwood, Perth , 26. Jan. 1977, P.G. Kendrick ( DBUO) ; 1 male, Fremantle , 91—82, 1870 ( BMNH) .

Distribution. New South Wales, South Australia (first record), Western Australia.