Madagopsinagen. n. andGracilopsinagen. n. are described as endemic Diopsidae taxa for Madagascar. Three Madagascan Diopsidae, earlier alternately placed inDiopsis,EurydiopsisorCyrtodiopsis(also asTeleopsis), are now referred toMadagopsinagen. n., while two of these three species proved to be conspecific. This gives rise toMadagopsina apollo(Brunetti) comb. n. andMadagopsina apographica(Séguy) comb. n. =anjahanaribei(Vanschuytbroeck) syn. n. The two species are redescribed.Madagopsina apographicaproved to have a mixed type series. Three new species are allocated to the genus asMadagopsina freidbergisp. n.,Madagopsina parvapollinasp. n. andMadagopsina tschirnhausisp. n. ForEurydiopsis vadoniVanschuytbroeck (later also placed inCyrtodiopsisandTeleopsis) the genusGracilopsinagen. n. is erected, leading toGracilopsina vadoni(Vanschuytbroeck) comb. n.Gracilopsina vadoniis redescribed and is shown to have a mixed type series. One new species is allocated to the genus asGracilopsina sinespinasp. n. A key is presented to the two genera and seven species. Madagascar now counts five Diopsidae genera and 12 species, of which two genera and 11 species are endemic. The genusCladodiopsisis no longer an endemic Madagascar genus as it also occurs in the Comoros. The phylogenetic position ofMadagopsinagen. n. is discussed based on molecular data. The intra- and intergeneric phylogeny of both new genera is discussed based on morphology and geometric morphometrics analyses of wing shape. Data are presented on sexual dimorphism with respect to eye span in the genera. The resulting allometric lines (eye span/body length) are also included in the phylogenetic analysis. The allometric lines for the closely relatedM. parvapollinasp. n., and the much largerM. apolloare compared and discussed. Allometric slopes and intercepts are identical for females of both species, while in males allometric slopes are identical, but intercepts differ considerably. An identical phenomenon was found in two closely related East AfricanDiopsisspecies with a small and a large species. Various morphological characters, including eggs, are discussed. The importance of intersternite 1–2 and synsternum 7+8 as differential characters is indicated.
Catalogue and distribution data are presented for the six Diopsidae species known to occur in the Arabian Peninsula: Sphyracephala beccarii, Chaetodiopsis meigenii, Diasemopsis aethiopica, Diopsis arabica, Diopsis mayae and Diopsis sp. (ichneumonea species group). The biogeographical aspects of their distribution are discussed. Records of Diopsis apicalis and Diopsis collaris are removed from the list for Arabia as these were based on misidentifications. Synonymies involving Diasemopsis aethiopica and Diasemopsis varians are discussed. Only one out of four specimens in the D. elegantula type series proved conspecific with D. aethiopica. The synonymy of D. aethiopica and D. varians is rejected. A lectotype for Diasemopsis elegantula is now designated. D. elegantula is proposed as junior synonym of D. varians. A fly cluster of more than 80,000 Sphyracephala beccarii, observed in Oman, is described. The occurrence of cluster formations in the Diopsidae is reviewed, while a possible explanation is indicated.
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The literature on Sri Lankan Diopsidae is reviewed. Eight Diopsidae are now known to occur in Sri Lanka, five species in the genus Teleopsis and one species each in the genera Sphyracephala, Diopsis, and Cyrtodiopsis. The presence of Cyrtodiopsis requires confirmation to exclude the possibility of mislabelling. All five Teleopsis species are endemic, as are the Diopsis species and probably the Cyrtodiopsis species. Only Sphyracephala bipunctipennis Senior-White has a larger distribution as it also occurs in India. A key is presented for the Diopsidae of Sri Lanka. Three Teleopsis species were already known to occur in Sri Lanka: T. ferruginea Röder, T. krombeini Feijen and T. maculata Feijen. These species form the T. ferruginea species group. Two new species are now described for this group: Teleopsis neglectasp. nov. and Teleopsis sororasp. nov.Teleopsis ferruginea is redescribed, as an earlier redescription turned out to be based on a series of specimens of its sister species T. sororasp. nov. The other three Diopsidae of Sri Lanka are listed and illustrated. Allometric aspects of the five Teleopsis species are discussed. Three Teleopsis species are sexually dimorphic with regard to eye span, while two species are monomorphic. It is assumed that sexual dimorphism developed independently in the T. ferruginea species group. This brings the number of known cases of independent development of sexual dimorphism in the Diopsidae to ten.
For the recently established genus Madagopsina (Diopsidae, stalk-eyed flies), Madagopsina makayensis Feijen, Feijen & Feijen, sp. nov. is described from Madagascar. A concise catalogue is given for the genus and an identification key is presented for its six species. The differential character states are listed for the two species groups of the genus: the Madagopsina apollo species group and the Madagopsina apographica species group. The intrageneric relations are discussed based on morphology, geometric morphometrics analysis of wing shape, and allometric data for eye span against body length. Each of these three procedures places the new species in the M. apollo species group with Madagopsina parvapollina as its closest relative. New records are presented for M. apographica and M. parvapollina.
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