No abstract

Recently a new species of bombyliid fly, Marleyimyia xylocopae, was described by Marshall & Evenhuis (2015) based on two photographs taken during fieldwork in the Republic of South Africa. This species has no preserved holotype. The paper generated some buzz, especially among dipterists, because in most cases photographs taken in the field provide insufficient information for properly diagnosing and documenting species of Diptera.

Tropical forests are among the most biodiverse biomes on the planet. Nevertheless, quantifying the abundance and species richness within megadiverse groups is a significant challenge. We designed a study to address this challenge by documenting the variability of the insect fauna across a vertical canopy gradient in a Central Amazonian tropical forest. Insects were sampled over two weeks using 6-m Gressitt-style Malaise traps set at five heights (0 m–32 m–8 m intervals) on a metal tower in a tropical forest north of Manaus, Brazil. The traps contained 37,778 specimens of 18 orders of insects. Using simulation approaches and nonparametric analyses, we interpreted the abundance and richness of insects along this gradient. Diptera, Hymenoptera, and Coleoptera had their greatest abundance at the ground level, whereas Lepidoptera and Hemiptera were more abundant in the upper levels of the canopy. We identified species of 38 of the 56 families of Diptera, finding that 527 out of 856 species (61.6%) were not sampled at the ground level. Mycetophilidae, Tipulidae, and Phoridae were significantly more diverse and/or abundant at the ground level, while Tachinidae, Dolichopodidae, and Lauxaniidae were more diverse or abundant at upper levels. Our study suggests the need for a careful discussion of strategies of tropical forest conservation based on a much more complete understanding of the three-dimensional distribution of its insect diversity.

A list of all 24 genera and 73 species of Stratiomyidae from Chile is provided, along with all their synonyms and photos of the type specimens of 20 species (including 12 primary types). Only one species is assigned to morphospecies level. All references known to us from the taxonomic and biological literature, including information about name, author, year of publication, page number, type specimens, type locality, and references are given. The geographic distribution of each species is given based on bibliographic and collection data. Three species are removed from the Chilean fauna: Nemotelus tenuivena James, 1974 is only known from the type locality in Argentina; Promeranisa nasuta (Macquart, 1850), which has its type locality corrected to Bolivia, Chiquitos Province; and Ptecticus pomaceus Loew, 1855, referred to Chile due to a locality information error, is a junior synonym of P. trivittatus Say, 1829, syn. nov.

ABSTRACT. Checklist of species of Pantophthalmidae and Stratiomyidae (Diptera, Stratiomyioidea) of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. In this paper we provided a checklist of the Pantophthalmidae and Stratiomyidae species registered in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Only one species of Pantophthamildae is recorded for the state. Stratiomyidae is represented by 12 species in nine genera: Acrochaeta Wiedemann (1), Artemita Walker (1), Neochauna Williston (1), Chrysochlorina James (3), Cyphomyia Wiedemann (1), Hermetia Latreille (2), Ptecticus Loew (1), Sargus Fabricius (1), and Hoplitimyia James (1).KEYWORDS. Central-Western region, distribution, diversity, taxonomy, Biota-MS Program.RESUMO. Nesse artigo é fornecida uma lista de espécies de Pantophthalmidae e Stratiomyidae registradas no estado Mato Grosso do Sul. Apenas uma espécie de Pantophthalmidae possui registro para o estado. Stratiomyidae é representada por 12 espécies distribuídas em nove gêneros: Acrochaeta

Five new species are herein described for the Neotropical genus Arthropeina previously known only from the type-species, A. fulva Lindner: A. colombiana, sp. nov., A. diadelothorax, sp. nov., A. lindneri, sp. nov., A. melanochroma, sp. nov. and A. pseudofulva, sp. nov. The new species are described and habitus, antenna, palpus, thorax, wing, and male and female genitalia, including genital fork and spermathecae, are illustrated. A key to the species of the genus is provided. The diagnosis of Arthropeina is emended to include these new species. Additionally, the genus is recorded for the first time for Guyana, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.

No abstract

Two new species of the genus Austroleptis Hardy, so far known only from Australia and Chile, are described from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest-A. longirostris nov. sp. and A. papaveroi nov. sp. The species share clear apomorphic features of the genus, as the subdivision of female tergite 8. Both new species share a distinctive wing pattern, and a flagellomere 1 that is as wide as the more distal flagellomeres, features that clearly differentiate them from the Chilean and Australian species. It is likely that the Brazilian species compose a small clade apart from the Chilean species of the genus. A. longirostris nov. sp. has a particular long proboscis, even for the standards of non-tabanid tabanomorphs, while A. papaveroi nov. sp. has a stump on M3. The scutum coloration also helps to discriminate between both species. This is an additional example of a group in southern Brazil with southern temperate connections, i.e., involving southern Chile and Argentina and either Australia, New Zealand or both. Additional records and illustrations of Austroleptis atriceps Malloch and           A. penai Nagatomi Nagatomi from Chile are provided.