Species Arachnocampa (Campara) richardsae Harrison, 1966

Museums

Regional Maps

• Arachnocampa (Campara) richardsae Harrison, R.A. 1966. Australian glow-worms of the genus Arachnocampa Edwards (Diptera: Mycetophilidae). Pacific Insects 8: 877-883 [881].

  Type data:

   Holotype AM ♂ adult, Newnes, ex railway tunnel, NSW.
  Paratype(s) AM 2♂ 2♀ adults; ANIC ♂ ♀ adults.

 

Distribution

Extra Distribution Information

Endemic; known only from Newnes and Blue Mountains, NSW.

Australian Endemic.

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IBRA

NSW: Sydney Basin (SB)

Australian Region

• Australia
  • New South Wales: SE coastal

Distribution References

Ecological Descriptors

Adult: volant.

Extra Ecological Information

Larva is luminous, produces sticky snares.

 

Diagnosis

Diagnosis. Body length 10-11 mm (♂♂ cave), 7-7.5 mm (♂♂ epigean), 9-11.5 mm (♀♀ cave), 9 mm (♀♀ epigean); wing length 6.5-7.5 mm (♂♂ cave), 5.2-6 mm (epigean ♂♂), 6-8.5 mm (♀♀ cave), 5-6 mm (♀♀ epigean); ♀♀ cave antennae 3 mm, epigean ♀♀ 2-2.2 mm. m-cu well distal to r-m. r-m cross vein straight. bm-cu curved and 1.5-3 times (SNSW1 1.8-2.8x, SNSW6 2.3x, SNSW4 1.5-3x) length of m-cu, sloping backwards, towards wing base (Fig. 12F). m-cu sloping forwards. Laterotergite with 0-21 setae. Larval malpighian tubules light to medium brown (Fig. 15I, J). Larval maxillary teeth 9 and 10 plus lobe (cf Fig. 16A, C). Larval colouration: head capsule sclerotised brown, body with green pigmentation extending along entire length of lateral edges of body. Some brown/red pigmentation at posterior end (Fig. 15I, J).

Harrison’s (1966) use of colour for distinguishing A. flava from A. richardsae can be problematic given the large colour variation within these species. The darkened malpighian tubules in the larvae of A. flava is a more reliable character to separate the species.

 

ID Keys

Baker (2010) provides a key to subgenus A. (Campara)

 

General References

Baker C.H. 2010. A new subgenus and five new species of Australian Glow-worms (Diptera: Keroplatidae: Arachnocampa). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 55: 11-41 [Date published 15 March]

Gatenby, J.B. 1960. The Australasian Mycetophilid Glowworms. Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand 88: 577-593 [577] (morphology, observations)

Harrison, R.A. 1966. Australian glow-worms of the genus Arachnocampa Edwards (Diptera: Mycetophilidae). Pacific Insects 8: 877-883 [882] (possible VIC distribution)

Lee, J. 1976. Bioluminescence of the Australian Glow-worm Arachnocampa richardsae Harrison. Photochemistry and Photobiology 24: 279-285 [279] (bioluminescence)