Two new species of Dexosarcophaga Townsend (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) are described, both from the coastal zone of the Brazilian Amazon: Dexosarcophaga salgada sp. nov. and Dexosarcophaga klycyae sp. nov.
A new species of Sarcofahrtiopsis Hall, 1933, S. terezinhae sp. nov., is described based on male specimens collected in traps baited with rotting crabs in a mangrove forest in the state of Pará, eastern Brazilian Amazon. This species differs from congeneric species in having vesica with a row of toe-like projections. We provide a key to the species of the genus.
The present study aims to document the community composition, abundance, and species richness of saprophytic fly species (Mesembrinellidae, Neriidae, Ropalomeridae, and Sarcophagidae) of the Volta Grande region of the Xingu River, a poorly sampled area impacted by the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam. Five collecting trips were carried out between 2014 and 2016, when traps baited with fermenting bananas were used. A total of 154 specimens, three genera, and six species were collected of Mesembrinellidae; 196 specimens, three genera, and seven species of Neriidae; 272 specimens, three genera, and six species of Ropalomeridae; and 624 specimens, 22 species and 10 genera of Sarcophagidae. Species accumulation curves for all families except Sarcophagidae demonstrated a strong tendency towards stabilization, showing that sampling efforts were sufficient to record most of the targeted species. Laneela perisi (Mariluis, 1987) (Mesembrinellidae) is a new record for the state of Pará. Among Ropalomeridae, Apophorhynchus amazonensisPrado, 1966, is a new record for Pará. Among Sarcophagidae, Helicobia aurescens (Townsend, 1927) is newly recorded from the Brazilian Amazon, and Ravinia effrenata (Walker, 1861) and Titanogrypa larvicida (Lopes, 1935) are new records for Pará.
This paper provided a list of all new Brazilian Hexapoda species described in 2020. Furthermore, based on the information extracted by this list, we tackled additional questions regarding the taxa, the specialists involved in the species descriptions as well as the journals in which those papers have been published. We recorded a total of 680 new Brazilian species of Hexapoda described in 2020, classified in 245 genera, 112 families and 18 orders. These 680 species were published in a total of 2019 articles comprising 423 different authors residing in 27 countries. Only 30% of these authors are women, which demonstrates an inequality regarding sexes. In relation to the number of authors by species, the majority of the new species had two authors and the maximum of authors by species was five. We also found inequalities in the production of described species regarding the regions of Brazil, with Southeast and South leading. The top 10 institutions regarding productions of new species have four in the Southeast, two at South and with one at North Region being the outlier of this pattern. Out of the total 219 published articles, Zootaxa dominated with 322 described species in 95 articles. The average impact factor was of 1.4 with only seven articles being published in Impact Factors above 3, indicating a hardship on publishing taxonomic articles in high-impact journals. The highlight of this paper is that it is unprecedent, as no annual record of Hexapoda species described was ever made in previous years to Brazil.
A new species of Sarcophagidae (Diptera) in the genus Helicobia Coquillett, Helicobia neuzalmeidae sp. nov., is described based on two male specimens obtained from pig carcasses in savanna-like vegetation in northeastern Brazil (state of Maranhão) during a forensic study. The holotype was obtained from a larva that abandoned the pig carcass to pupate, whereas the paratype was collected with a trap placed above the cage containing the carcass. This is the first record of a Helicobia species reared from a vertebrate carcass.
The Amazonian region is composed by many kinds of environments, including the Amazonian savannas, which comprise about 5% of the Amazon biome in Brazil. The biota of Amazonian savannas is poorly known, especially for insects. In this study, we performed a faunistic inventory of flesh flies (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) of four Brazilian Amazon savannas, where we recorded two subfamilies, 16 genera, and 40 species, two of which are described as new to science: Lepidodexia (Notochaeta) helenae sp. nov. and Lipoptilocnema augustoi sp. nov. Oxysarcodexia graminifolia Souza, Pape & Thyssen, 2020 is recorded for the first time for Brazil. Dexosarcophaga paulistana Lopes (1982), Helicobia biplagiata Dodge, 1966, Helicobia cearensis Tibana, 1976, Oxysarcodexia simplicoides (Lopes, 1933), and Oxyvinia excisa (Lopes, 1950) are newly recorded for the Brazilian Amazon. Oxysarcodexia nitida Soares & Mello-Patiu, 2010 is a new record for the state of Pará. The species D. paulistana is redescribed, and photographs and detailed illustrations of male terminalia are provided.
A new species of Sarcophagidae, Peckia (Peckia) veropeso sp. nov., is described based on adult male specimens collected on organic residues in an urban open air market located on the riverside in Belém, Pará state, Brazil, and in a nearby inundated forest. This species seems to be restricted to periodically inundated riparian habitats locally known as "várzea". The distiphallus of this species is similar to that of members of the monophyletic hilifera (Aldrich)-group in the subgenus Peckia Robineau-Desvoidy. It is distinguished from the other species in the subgenus by characteristics of the male terminalia, mainly in the shape of cercus and vesica. A modified key to species of the subgenus Peckia is included.
The minute litter bugs (Heteroptera: Schizopteridae) fauna from the Brazilian Amazon comprises only nine species described during the past four years. In this paper, the Schizopteridae fauna of an Amazonian savanna was surveyed, resulting in the discovery of two new species of Corixidea Reuter and a new species of Schizoptera (Cantharocoris) McAtee & Malloch: Corixidea graziae sp. nov., Corixidea quilombola sp. nov., and Schizoptera (Cantharocoris) savannensis sp. nov. The species C. graziae sp. nov. and C. quilombola sp. nov. can be distinguished from other Corixidea species by the shape of the process of mediotergite 8 while S. (Cantharocoris) savannensis sp. nov. can be recognized among species of its subgenus by a combination of the shape of the subgenital plate and right conjunctival appendage. The species herein described represent the first records of these genera for the Brazilian Amazon. We provide diagnoses, photographs of habitus, and illustrations of male genitalia.
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