Forty-one new species of the mostly neotropical genus Coniceromyia Borgmeier are described. The descriptions follow the methodology of recent works on the genus taxonomy and illustrate habitus, foremetatarsus, wing, hind femur, and hypopygium for each species. Unique features of some species are also illustrated, including several male features possibly related to sexual selection such as processes on different tarsomeres of the foreleg. New records for the known species are presented, as well as an identification key for the species of the genus and maps with their updated distribution. Coniceromyia brandaoi Ament & Amorim is synonymized with Coniceromyia plaumanni Borgmeier. Even though this work examined the Coniceromyia of the major collections of neotropical Phoridae, the high number of singletons and doubletons indicates that the real diversity of the genus may still be far from understood.
Coniceromyia is a genus of 100 species of phorid flies mostly distributed in the Neotropical region. The genus is distinguishable based on several male-exclusive features in different parts of the body, many of which are unique among the Phoridae. In addition, many species of Coniceromyia have nearly identical morphology of their male copulatory apparatus (i.e. hypopygium). The co-occurrence of these unusual characteristics suggests an evolutionary correlation between them. To investigate this possible correlation and to understand other aspects of the evolution of these puzzling male-exclusive characters, we performed the first phylogenetic analysis of Coniceromyia, based on morphological and molecular data. Ancestral state reconstructions and comparative analyses then allowed us to infer the evolution of these characters and search for general evolutionary patterns and correlated histories. We demonstrate that these male-exclusive features varied from highly homoplastic to uniquely derived on the phylogenetic history of Coniceromyia. For some characters, we found evidence of a biased evolution favouring gains over losses of the feature, but no male characteristics were significantly correlated with hypopygium morphology. The evolutionary patterns of the male-exclusive features and comparative evidence with other better known groups suggest possible functions for these features related to sexual selection.
The 55 known species of Coniceromyia are herein revised. Three new species from the Atlantic Forest in Brazil are described-C. apioneura, sp.nov., C. neofusca, sp.nov. and C. tanycrossa, sp.nov.-and fourteen species are redescribed. Most of the species have foreleg, wing, hind femur, and male terminalia illustrated. Characters previously unnoticed are described for the first time. Coniceromyia cubensis Brues, previously accepted as a synonym of C. latimana (Malloch), has its status reinstated. Taxonomic problems in the genus are addressed, including the condition of the damaged holotypes of C. boliviana Borgmeier and C. vespertilio Schmitz, and our inability to associate males with the female holotypes of C. arizonensis Borgmeier, C. fusca Borgmeier and C. grenadensis (Brues). The holotypes of Coniceromyia angularis Borgmeier & Prado and Coniceromyia laticosta Prado are considered to be lost.
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