The family Nemestrinidae comprises almost 300 species of brachycerous
flies. Although the family is distributed worldwide, species concentration
is high in just a few areas, including Australia. In the areas covered by
this catalog the family is well represented only in Australia (particularly
the eastern half), with a few New Guinean records. The 5 extant subfamilies
have representatives in the areas, although the occurrence of the Hirmoneurinae
may be considered doubtful. Hirmoneura nigripes Macquart, previously
thought to be Australian, has been placed as a South African species of Prosoeca Schiner (Bowden 1980a). About 54 species in 7 genera (out
of 23 genera worldwide) have been reported from the areas. It is reasonable
to expect that several new species await description.
Immatures of species belonging to 3 genera have been studied in some detail,
including the Australian Trichopsidea oestracea. Larvae parasitize
either grasshoppers (Trichopsideinae) or scarabaeid beetles (Hirmoneurinae).
Acridophagous forms are considered important in the control of grasshopper
populations. Adults have often been observed on flowers.
The present classification of the family was established by Bernardi (1973,
1976).
Refs.: Bernardi (1973, 1976, cat., keys, rev.), Fuller (1938b, biol.),
Mackerras (1925, keys, rev.), Paramonov (1953e, keys, rev.).
ales Newman, 1841: 220 (Rhynchocephalus). "Australia."
TRICHOPHTHALMA Westwood, 1835e: 448 (Nemestrina subg.).
Type species: Nemestrina bivittata Westwood, 1835, des. Lichtwardt,
1910: 371.
TRICHOPTHAMLA, error for Trichophthalma.
AUSTROGASTROMYIA Bequaert, 1932b: 30. Type species: Hirmoneura
novaehollandiae Macquart, 1840, orig. des.
bancrofti Mackerras, 1925: 509, 533. Australia (Qld); Australia (NSW).
doddi Paramonov, 1953e: 260, 274. Australia (Qld).
froggatti Paramonov, 1953e: 260, 274. Australia (Qld).
nigrovittata Mackerras, 1925: 509, 531. Australia (NSW); Australia
(Qld).
novaehollandiae Macquart, 1840: 18 [1841: 297] (Hirmoneura).
"Nouvelle-Hollande"; Australia (NSW, Qld, SA, Vic).
funesta Walker, 1849: 231. "New Holland."
gigas Newman, 1841: 220 (Rhyncocephalus ). Australia (NSW).
scapularis Bigot, 1881b: 18. "Australia"; Australia (ACT,
NSW, Qld, Vic).
pallipes Paramonov, 1953e: 261 (scapularis var.). Australia
(NSW & Qld).
nigripes, authors, not Macquart, 1840, misid.
LICHTWARDTIOMYIA Bequaert, 1932b: 29. Type species: Nemestrina
costalis
Westwood, 1835, orig. des.
bivitta Walker, 1857: 135. "Australia"; Australia (NSW,
Qld, SA, Vic).
nigricosta Mackerras, 1925: 509, 524 (bivitta ssp.). Australia
(NSW).
calabyi Paramonov, 1953e: 261, 276. Australia (SA).
confusa Mackerras, 1925: 509, 521. Australia (NSW); Australia (Qld,
Vic).
costalis Westwood, 1835e: 448 (Nemestrina). "Nova Hollandia";
Australia (NSW, Qld, SA, Vic, WA).
albibasis Walker, 1857: 134. "Australia."
heydenii Jaennicke, 1867: 336 (Hirmoneura). "Australia."
fuscipennis Thomson, 1869: 447. Australia (NSW).
ochropa Thomson, 1869: 447. Australia (NSW).
apicalis Mackerras, 1925: 508, 512 (costalis ssp.). Australia
(WA).
soror Paramonov, 1953e: 277 (costalis spp.). Australia (WA).
albitarsis, error for albibasis.
degenera Walker, 1849: 233. Australia (WA).
longirostris Mackerras, 1925: 509, 530. Australia (WA).
leucophaea, Mackerras, 1925, not Walker, 1849, misid.
dubiosa Mackerras, 1925: 509, 527. Australia (NSW); Australia (Vic).
fortei Paramonov, 1953e: 265, 287. Australia (WA).
fullerae Paramonov, 1953e: 261, 274. Australia (ACT & NSW &
Qld).
obscura, Mackerras, 1925, not Westwood, 1835, misid.
fulva Walker, 1849: 235. Australia (WA); Australia (NSW, Qld, Vic).
fusca Mackerras, 1925: 509, 516. Australia (Qld); Australia (NSW).
glauerti Paramonov, 1953e: 264, 286. Australia (WA).
griseola Paramonov, 1953e: 263, 283. Australia (WA).
griseolineata Mackerras, 1925: 509, 528. Australia (SA).
harrisoni Mackerras, 1925: 509, 525. Australia (NSW); Australia (Qld).
intermedia Mackerras, 1925: 508, 517. Australia (Qld).
leucophaea Walker, 1849: 233. Australia (WA).
heydenii, Hardy, 1924, not Jaennicke, 1867, misid.
lutea Paramonov, 1953e: 264, 280. Australia (NSW); Australia (Vic).
mackerrasi Paramonov, 1953e: 261, 275. Australia (Qld).
nicholsoni Mackerras, 1925: 509, 525. Australia (NSW).
orientalis Mackerras, 1925: 519 (punctata ssp.). Australia
(NSW); Australia (Qld, Vic, WA).
punctata Macquart, 1846a: 229(101) (Hirmoneura). Australia (Tas);
Australia (Qld, SA, Vic).
quadricolor Walker, 1849: 234. Australia (Tas).
nigriventris Macquart, 1850: 402(98) (Hirmoneura). Australia
(Tas).
minima Mackerras, 1925: 519 (punctata var.). Australia (NSW).
novaehollandiae, authors, not Macquart, 1840, misid.
regina Paramonov, 1953e: 263, 282. Australia (WA).
ruficosta Mackerras, 1925: 509, 522. Australia (WA).
rufonigra Mackerras, 1925: 508, 513. Australia (NSW).
subcostalis Mackerras, 1925: 508, 514. Australia (SA).
transversa Paramonov, 1953e: 262, 278. Australia (Qld).
trilinealis Mackerras, 1925: 509, 526. Australia (NSW).
TRICHOPHTHALMA Westwood, 1835e: 448 (Nemestrina subg.).
Type species: Nemestrina bivittata Westwood, 1835, des. Lichtwardt,
1910: 371.
albimacula Walker, 1849: 234. "New Holland"; Australia
(NSW, Qld, WA).
occidentalis Paramonov, 1953e: 258 (albimacula ssp.). Australia
(WA).
alulata Paramonov, 1953e: 259, 269. Australia (WA).
bivittata Westwood, 1835e: 448 (Nemestrina). "Nova Hollandia"
[= Australia (NSW)]; Australia (Qld, Vic, WA).
eques Schiner, 1868: 110. Australia (NSW).
wheeleri Bequaert, 1932a: 164. Australia (WA).
coerulea Paramonov, 1953e: 259 (bivittata var.). Australia
(NSW).
grisea Mackerras, 1925: 510, 542. Australia (WA).
laetilinea Walker, 1857: 134. "Australia"; Australia (NSW,
Qld, Vic).
primitiva Walker, 1857: 134. "Australia"; Australia (NSW,
Qld).
tabanina Thomson, 1869: 476. Australia (NSW).
ricardoae Lichtwardt, 1910: 385. Australia (SA); Australia (NSW,
Qld).
richardoae, error for ricardoae.
rosea Macquart, 1846: 228(100) (Hirmoneura). Australia (NSW);
Australia (Qld).
aurora Walker, 1849: 342. Australia (NSW).
monotaenia Schiner, 1868: 110. Australia (NSW).
montanea, error for monotaenia.
thomsoni Paramonov, 1953e: 258, 270 (n. n. for bivittata Thomson).
Australia (NSW).
bivittata Thomson, 1869: 476. Australia (NSW). [Preocc. Westwood,
1835.]
variolosa Lichtwardt, 1910: 386. Australia (SA).
variosa, error for variolosa.
waterhousei Paramonov, 1953e: 258, 270. Australia (NSW).
CYCLOPSIDEA Mackerras, 1925: 557. Type species: Cyclopsidea
hardyi Mackerras, 1925, orig. des.
hardyi Mackerras, 1925: 559. Australia (Qld); Australia (NSW, SA,
WA).
TRICHOPSIDEA Westwood, 1839: 151. Type species: Trichopsidea
oestracea Westwood, 1839, mon.
oestracea Westwood, 1839: 151. "Nova Hollandia"; Australia
(NSW, Qld, Tas, Vic, WA), PNG (PNG).
ostracea, error for oestracea.
COLAX Wiedemann, 1824: 18. Type species: Colax macula Wiedemann,
1824, des. Blanchard, 1840: 608. [Preocc. Hübner, 1816.]
ATRIADOPS Wandolleck, 1897: 246 (n. n. for Colax).
ATRIATOPS, error for Atriadops.
aruanus Paramonov, 1953e: 252 253. Indonesia (Maluku).
iavanus Wiedemann, 1824: 18 (Colax). Indonesia (Java); Australia
(NSW, NT, Qld), PNG (Bismarck Arch); India, Indonesia (Sumatra), Sri Lanka,
SE Asia.
javanus, error for iavanus.
westwoodi Lichtwardt, 1909: 650. "Neuguinea"; Australia
(NSW, Qld).
NYCTERIMORPHA Lichtwardt, 1909: 648. Type species: Nycterimorpha
speiseri Lichtwardt, 1909, mon.
speiseri Lichtwardt, 1909: 648. Australia (Qld); Australia (NSW).
NYCTERIMYIA Lichtwardt, 1909: 648. Type species: Trichopsidea
dohrni Wandolleck, 1897, orig. des.
commoni Paramonov, 1953e: 245. Australia (Qld).
horni Lichtwardt, 1912: 27. Australia (Qld).
papuana Bequaert, 1925: 18. Indonesia (Irian Jaya).
septempunctata Lyneborg, 1967: 215. PNG (Bismarck Arch).