Australian endemic Drosophila V. Queensland rain-forest species associated with fungi, with descriptions of six new species and a rediscription of D. pictipennis Kertesz

Abstract

Direct aspiration from the undersides of bracket fungi, or collections from the vicinity of soft fungi, usually on decaying logs, yielded nine Hirtodrosophila species of which three are new. Of these, five species including two new ones use the undersides of bracket fungi as courting territories. Baiting with rotted commercial mushrooms yielded 10 Scaptodrosophila species of which three are new and a fourth, D. pictipennis Kertesz, is a new record for Australia. The uniqueness of the north Queensland fauna is emphasized, since few of the species here discussed also occur in the south. By far the highest species diversities occur in the complex mesophyll vine forests of north Queensland, in agreement with previously reported collections for the subgenera Drosophila and Sophophora. Descriptions of the six new species are provided, together with a redescription of D. pictipennis.