Relationships of male & female genitalia.
Mr. Metz continues to analyze the relationship of male and female
Ozodiceromyia nanella (Cole) genitalia. He has two years
of data on a population from a site in New Mexico and has written
two small proposals to continue this work in 1998.
Parasitic mites on Diptera. Mr. Metz has also
initiated the study from the same site in New Mexico of the
association of the families of Diptera with parasitic mites.
Long-term Malaise trapping
survey. Honours student, Narelle Power is conducting
a long-term malaise trapping survey near Brisbane, Australia
using 6 m Focks Malaise traps. Three traps are stationed in
each of three habitats: coastal dunes (alt 5m), sclerophyll
forest (200 m) and upland rainforest (ca. 600 m). They have
been monitored since the beginning of August 1997. As of 20
March 1998, 1100 specimens of 47 species of therevids have been
collected in 17 genera
Genera are as follows:
Agapophytus .......................(4 species)
Bonjeania .........................(1 species)
Squamopygia (Pipinnipons)..........(2 species)
Acraspisa..........................(1 species)
Anabarhynchus.............(at least 7 species)
Johnmannia.........................(1 species)
Taenogera..........................(2 species)
Ectinorhynchus............(approx. 12 species)
Acatopygia.........................(2 species)
Acupalpa ...........................(4 species)
Australian genus A.................(3 species)
Australian genus B.................(2 species)
Australian genus C.................(1 species)
Australian genus D.................(1 species)
Australian genus E.................(1 species)
Undescribed genus..................(1 species)
Parapsilocephala...................(2 species)
Standardized terminology. As part of his Ph.D.,
and in collaboration with Mr. Stephen Gaimari and Co-PI's David
Yeates and Michael Irwin, Mr. Shaun Winterton has proposed a
standardized terminology for body vestiture and male genitalia.
The former developed using scanning electron microscopy facilities
at the University of Queensland. This terminology will be adopted
in all monographs produced by the therevid group.
Homology of musculature and sclerotized portions of
male genitalia. Co-PI Yeates has collaborated with Dr. Olga
Ovtchinichova (Zoological Institute, St. Petersburg) in a study
of the homology of musculature and sclerotized portions of the
male genitalia of Therevidae. This has resulted in a manuscript
in press in The Australian Journal of Entomology.
Morphology & histology of a novel structure in
the female therevid reproductive system. In collaboration
with Dr. David Merritt and Anthony O'Toole (University of Queensland),
Mr. Shaun Winterton, Co-PI David Yeates and PI Michael Irwin
have made detailed studies into the morphology and histology
of a novel structure in the female therevid reproductive system.
The studies include histological sections of virgin and mated
females to determine the possible function of this structure.
Photographic library of live therevids. In collaboration
with Mr. Anthony O'Toole (University of Queensland), Mr. Shaun
Winterton and Co-PI David Yeates have begun to accumulate a
photographic library of live therevids collected from the field.
One of these photographs (of an undescribed genus and species)
recently won first prize in the photographic competition at
the 1997 annual general meeting of the Australian Entomological
Society in September.
Yeates,
D. K., and M. E. Irwin. 1996. Cladistic reappraisal and biogeography
of the Apioceridae (Diptera: Asiloidea). Zoological Journal
of the Linnaean Society. 116:247-301.
Irwin,
M. E. 1997. Therevidae. In: Solís, A. (ed.), Las Familias
de insectos de Costa Rica. INBio. <http://www.inbio.ac.cr/papers/insectoscr/Texto438.html>
Irwin,
M. E., and G. E. Kampmeier. 1997. PEET: A training effort that
is paying dividends. Illinois Natural History Survey Reports
347: 2. (September/October) <http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/chf/pub/surveyreports/sep-oct97/peet.html>
