Tasmanian Phoridae (Diptera) and some additional Australasian species Author DISNEY, R. H. L. text Journal of Natural History 2003 2003-03-31 37 5 505 639 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00222930110096564 journal article 10.1080/00222930110096564 1464-5262 5273495 Genus Aphiura Schmitz, 1939 Type species. Aphiura breviceps Schmitz, 1939 . The type species was described from two males from New Zealand . Borgmeier (1963) described a further species from Australia ( NSW ) based on a series of a males and a putative female of the same species. He subsequently described another female as belonging to this species and added a further species from Australia ( NSW ) (Borgmeier, 1967a). I now formally name the misidentified female, describe five new species from Tasmania and a new species from Western Australia , and provide a key to the known species of this genus . This genus is traditionally assigned to the tribe Beckerinini (e.g. Borgmeier, 1967a, 1968) on the basis of the supra-antennal ( SA ) bristles being reclinate. Furthermore, Aphiura is supposedly lacking the pre-ocellar or antial bristles, to give a frontal bristles formula of 2 SAs plus 4-2-4 bristles (Borgmeier, 1967a). However, below the ‘SAs’ there are two to four hairs that are proclinate, in contrast to the rest of the frontal hairs. I suggest, therefore, that the formula is not atypical, but is the normal 4-4-4 plus two to four SA bristles, the latter, however, being atypically greatly reduced. This simpler interpretation supports the contention (Disney, 1994b) that Aphiura does not belong to the Beckerinini . I therefore herewith formally transfer the genus to the Metopinini . Furthermore, the situation in Paraphiura (see below) suggests that the precise inclination of the SA bristles is not of tribal significance and that the Beckerinini , as presently conceived, cannot be characterized.