Genus Austrolopa Evans
Austrolopa
brunensis Evans
Genus
Austrolopa
Evans 1937a: 47
Type species:
Austrolopa
brunensis Evans, by original designation
Known species: Austrolopa victoriensis Evans, from Victoria, and the type species from all States of Australia except NT and WA (although see note below).
Comments: The feature used in the key, the covering of the anteclypeus by a ventral extension of the frontoclypeus, is diagnostic for this genus. A. brunensis is a common species that can be swept from Cassinia (Asteraceae) in Eastern Australia. Moir, et al. (2003) recorded Austrolopa from WA from species of Bossiaea, Mirbelia (Fabaceae), Melaleuca (Myrtaceae), Hakea (Proteaceae) and Trymalium (Rhamnaceae) and commented that the variation shown by A. brunensis needed to be more closely examined to determine whether there was more than one species present in the Australian fauna. For this reason, they did not provide a species determination from WA although it is likely to be A. brunensis. The species is known to occur in a number of different colour forms, some of which were described by Evans (1937a, 1939) as different species although these were later synonymised (Evans 1966). Moir, et al. (2003) also suggested that the validity of A. victoriensis needed to be confirmed. This species, which was differentiated by Evans (1939) from A. brunensis by the relative length of the vertex, is only represented in collections by the female holotype.