Austropsyche ambigua Wells & Contents 2018, sp. nov.

Austropsyche ambigua sp. nov.

(Figs 50–51, 58, 61–62, 74, 93)

Material examined. Holotype 1♂, Upper Manning River, 20 km NNW Rawdon Vale, 19.ii.1980, A.A. Calder [PT-1093 (ANIC)]

Paratypes. Victoria: 2♂ 1♀, Noorinbee, 23.xi.1965, A. Neboiss; New South Wales: 1♂, Barrington House via Salisbury, 27.v.1963, G. Monteith [PT-1093]; 20♂ 1♀, Upper Manning River, 20 km NNW Rawdon Vale, 19.ii.1980, A.A. Calder [♂ PT-1019, ♀ PT-1058]; 2♂, NSW, Styx River, Hyatts Flat, 8.xii.1998, G. Theischinger (ANIC); 3♂ 1♀, NSW, Nungatta Creek, Yambula State Forest, 16–17.ii.2000, J. Miller (ANIC).

Other material. New South Wales: 3♂ 1♀ (dry), Barrington Tops, 15.xi.1953; 2♂, Brown Mountain, 18.i.1961, E.F. Riek (ANIC); 2♂ 2♀, Kangaroo Valley, 22.iii.1961, E.F. Riek (ANIC); 1♂ (dry, dissected), Little Styx River, New England NP, 11.ix.1972, O.S. Flint (USNM); 7♂, Styx River, 2 km S of Ebor, 17.x.1973, A. Neboiss; 3♂, Kanangra-Boyd NP, Budthingaroo Creek, 24–26. xii.1977, G. Daniels; 1♂, Mumbulla Creek nr Bega, 20.xi.1978, I. Campbell [PT-635]; 1♂, Mumbulla Creek, 15 km NE Bega, 29.iii.1979; 11♂, Dilgry River 19 km NW of Rawdon Vale, 18.ii.1980, A.A. Calder; 1♂, Allyn River, Chichester SF, 32°08'S 151°27'E, 10–11.xi.1981, T. Weir; 1♂, Dilgry River, Barrington Tops SF, 31°53'S 151°32'E, 15–16xi.1981, T. Weir; 1♂, Tennyson Creek, 5 km NW of Buldah, 1–7.i.1982, ANZSES exped; 1♂, between Ebor and Dorrigo, 12.xi.1983, G. Theischinger; 2♂ ♀, Qld, Binna Burra, Lamington NP, 2–10.xi.1984, E.D. Edwards [TRI-39507]; 9♂, Errinundra River, 3 km below E warm junction, 14.iii.1982, J. Blyth; 1♂, Nadgee S. F., Maxwell's Creek, 13–19.ii. 1987, 400 m, D. Bickel; 1♂, Wilson River, nr Belangry, 5.xii.1988, G. Theischinger; 1♂, Gloucester Tops at 1200 m, 19.xi–4.xii.1988, D. Bickel, Malaise trap; 14♂ 1♀, Gloucester Tops, 32°04’S 151°34’E at 1300m, 2–3.xii.1988, Theischinger & Mueller; 3♂ 1♀, Gloucester Tops at 1200 m, 4–30.xii.1988, D. Bickel, Malaise trap; 2♂ 1♀, Barrington Tops, Polblue, 1500 m, 11.xii.1992, G. Theischinger. Victoria: 1♂, Noorinbee, 23.xi.1965, A Neboiss [PT-1097]; 5♂, Noorinbee, 12.xi.1969, A. Neboiss; 1♂, Errinundra River, 17 km N of Club Terrace, 11.xi.1975, J. Blyth; 4♂, Noorinbee North nr Cann River, 30.xii.1975, M.S. Moulds; 4♂ 1♀, Noorinbee North, 20.iii.1977, A. Neboiss; 3♂, Beehive Creek, 30 km N of Cann River, 21.iii.1977, A. Neboiss; 2♂, Back Creek above Cann River, 9.ii.1980, A. Wells.

Diagnosis. Resembling Au. acuta in having the forewing discoidal and median cells equal in length, males with a pair of slender elongate sclerotised spines that arise deep within abdominal segment IX from the base of the apodeme that connects to the gonopods, and the mesal process apical on the coxopodite. It is distinguished from Au. acuta by the shorter mesal process, which is irregular or acute apically, and lacks a small, conical dorsal process at its base.

Description. Length of each forewing: ♂ 9.7–11.1 mm (n = 10), ♀ 11.5–12.4 mm (n = 4); forewings (Fig. 50) with cross-vein r-m distad of cross-vein closing median cell; forks 4 and 5 long, about equal in length; discoidal and median cells about same length. On segment V lateral filaments about 2/3 length of sternite.

Male. Internal sacs small, in VI and VII, less than one segment in length. Genitalia (Figs 61–62, 93): abdominal sternite IX deeply concave proximally; tergites IX and X more or less fused; gonopods each with coxopodite almost equal width throughout length, narrow process apicomesally, without small conical dorsal process at base between process and harpago, harpago about half length of coxopodite, digitiform; phallic apparatus slender medially, dilated apically, without endothecal spines; pair of slender spines arising deep within segment IX, converging apically close to apex of phallus.

Female. Terminal abdomen with sternite VIII divided, forming two valves, separated medially, apicolaterally tapered to narrow angle; sternite IX in form of small paired lobes separated by membranous area.

Distribution. Found from central-eastern New South Wales, south to East Gippsland in eastern Victoria.

Remarks. In Austropsyche ambigua males, the apicomesal process on each coxopodite varies in shape, in some males being acute apically, in others irregular to almost narrowly truncate.