A new species of Pseudoparaclius Grichanov (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) from Udzungwa Mountains National Park, Tanzania, and a key to Afrotropical species
Author
Kaae, Mathias Emil
Author
Grichanov, Igor
Author
Pape, Thomas
text
Zootaxa
2015
4018
1
137
145
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.4018.1.8
61c19b53-91d2-4608-b381-8b285f5efe57
1175-5326
242722
C1C9EDB6-D2A5-4ED9-A0AB-B8230484120F
Genus
Pseudoparaclius
Grichanov
Pseudoparaclius
Grichanov, 2006
: 29
. Type-species,
Pelastoneurus brincki
Vanschuytbroeck, 1960
, by original designation.
Diagnosis
.
Pseudoparaclius
is morphologically similar to
Afroparaclius
(
Grichanov, 2006
)
, both belonging to the
Tachytrechus
Haliday
genus-group
sensu
Brooks (2005)
. Wing vein M1+2 is convex posteriad and is convergent towards R4+5 from middle of distal part. M1+2 join Costa well before the wing tip (
Fig. 1
B). Stylus positioned almost mid-dorsally on postpedicel, with short pubescence. Metepimeron usually with cluster of setae on posterior margin. Male fore or mid legs often modified (apomorphy). Epandrium large, trapezoidal, characterized by possession of 1–2 finely branched setae on apicoventral epandrial lobe (rarely present in the subfamily). Postgonite narrow, usually as long as the longest lobe of surstylus. Cercus well developed. Proctiger brush absent.
Remarks
. The genus
Pseudoparaclius
consists of 15 described and named species (including the current addition), which are all Afrotropical [see
Grichanov (2006)
for a catalogue of included species], but a number of Oriental species currently placed in
Paraclius
Loew
appear to be sharing the relevant diagnostic characters (
Brooks 2005
;
Yang
et al.
2011
) and may eventually prove to belong in
Pseudoparaclius
. Also, material from the eastern Palaearctic (
Japan
) as well as from
Australia
[in the Canadian National Insect Collection, Ottawa] appears to represent additional species of this genus (S. Brooks, pers. comm. 2015), indicating a much wider distribution. The species of this genus were separated from the genus
Paracleius
Bigot
(a suppressed senior synonym of
Pelastoneurus
Loew
) by
Grichanov (2006)
, and we are here providing a key specifically for the Afrotropical species of
Pseudoparaclius
.