A new species of sponge-dwelling Oukuriella (Chironomidae) from Brazil.

Oukuriella Epler, 1986 is an exclusively Neotropical genus that comprises two well supported clades: inhabitants of freshwater sponges and inhabitants of immersed wood (saproxylophilic). In this work, males of a new chironomid species, Oukuriella froehlichi sp. n., are described and illustrated. Specimens were collected near stream in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Phylogenetic analyses performed in this study show that the newly discovered species belongs in the clade of freshwater sponge inhabitants.

A revision of the New World genus Lepidophora Westwood, 1835 (Diptera, Bombyliidae, Ecliminae) with a key to the species.

The bombyliid genus Lepidophora has a distribution restricted to the New World. The genus is composed by eight species, which are revised and redescribed herein: five restricted to the Neotropical region (L. acroleuca Painter, 1930, L. culiciformis Walker, 1850, L. cuneata Painter, 1939, L. secutor Walker, 1857 and L. trypoxylona Hall, 1981), two restricted to the Nearctic region (L. lepidocera (Wiedemann, 1828) and L. lutea Painter, 1962) and one species occurring in Nearctic and Neotropical regions (L. vetusta Walker, 1857). The main characters of the external morphology of adults and male and female terminalia are illustrated. An key to species is presented.

Alone in paradise: a new genus and species of Hirmoneurini tangle-veined flies (Diptera, Nemestrinidae) in South America.

A new genus and new species of tangle-veined flies of the tribe Hirmoneurini (Nemestrinidae), Bernardia xenomorpha gen. et sp. nov., is described from the highland savannas of Brazil. This represents the first record of this tribe from the Southern Hemisphere. The new taxon is compared with the related genera and species of Hirmoneurinae. Bernardia xenomorpha gen. et sp. nov. fits perfectly in the diagnosis of the subfamily, especially by the reduction of the hypandrium and by having the proboscis reduced and, in the tribe Hirmoneurini, by having the frons projected forward and covered by dense pilosity. Bernardia xenomorpha gen. et sp. nov. is distinguished from the other species of Hirmoneurinae, mainly by the length of the proboscis, which reaches the first pair of coxae, while in the other species the proboscis does not exceed the length of the head and, by the U-shaped genital fork, with simple (not bifurcate) arms. An identification key for the American subfamilies, tribes, and genera of Nemestrinidae is also included.

Vertical stratification of insect abundance and species richness in an Amazonian tropical forest.

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 new madicolous species of Nilotanypus Kieffer (Diptera: Chironomidae) from Amazon region, northwestern Brazil.

A new species of Nilotanypus Kieffer is described and illustrated based on male, pupa and larva. Nilotanypus yanomami sp. n. was collected at madicolous system in a mountainous region of northern Amazonia. Additionally, the identification key for males is updated and a distribution map for the Neotropical species is provided.

Brazilian Diplosmittia Sæther: D. trifida sp. n. and new records of D. plaumanni Pinho, Mendes Andersen, 2009 (Diptera: Chironomidae).

Sæther (1981) erected the genus Diplosmittia based on a species from Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent in the British West Indies. The genus was revised by Pinho et al. (2009). To date, the genus comprises ten species: Diplosmittia harrisoni Sæther, 1981; D. carinata Sæther, 1985; D. recisus Sæther, 1988; D. beluina Andersen, 1996; D. forficata Andersen, 1996; D. plaumanni Pinho, Mendes Andersen, 2009; D. boraceia Pinho, Mendes Andersen, 2009; D. aragua Pinho, Mendes Andersen, 2009; D. cerayma Pinho, Mendes Andersen, 2009; and D. caribensis Wiedenbrug Silva, 2016. Diplosmittia sasai Makarchenko Makarchenko, 2005 was placed as a synonym of Pseudosmittia mathildae Albu, 1968 by Makarchenko Makarchenko (2008). Except for D. carinata from Michigan, U.S.A., all species are Neotropical and mostly recorded from the Caribbean and northern part of South America. During field work in a remote mountainous region in the Brazilian Amazon, a unique new species with the gonostylus split into three parts was collected and is described and figured below. In addition, new records of D. plaumanni are provided.

A new marine intertidal chironomid from the Brazilian coast (Diptera: Chironomidae: Telmatogetoninae).

The male, female, pupa and larva of a new Neotropical chironomid species, Telmatogeton yamaguchiae sp. n., are described and illustrated. Specimens were collected in southeastern Brazilian coast.

Cladistic analysis of the genus Bruggmanniella Tavares (Diptera, Cecicomyiidae, Asphondyliini) with evolutionary inferences on the gall inducer-host plant association and description of a new Brazilian species.

In this study, we present a phylogenetic analysis of the genus Bruggmanniella Tavares based on morphological features. Cladistic analyses were conducted using 57 characters from 26 species. All species of Bruggmanniella except for B. byrsonimae were selected as ingroup and the genera Asphondylia Loew, Bruggmannia Tavares, Illiciomyia Tokuda, Parazalepidota Maia, Pseudasphondylia Monzen, Schizomyia Kieffer, and Lopesia Rübsaamen as outgroup. We used characters from larvae, pupae, adults, and galls. The results of this study supported Bruggmanniella as the sister group of Pseudasphondylia. Bruggmanniella actinodaphnes Tokuda and Yukawa and B. cinnamomi Tokuda and Yukawa have been moved to genus Pseudasphondylia (Pseudasphondylia actinodaphnes (Tokuda and Yukawa) comb. nov. and Pseudasphondylia cinnamomi (Tokuda and Yukawa) comb. nov.). The new genus Odontokeros gen. nov. has been erected for the single species Odontokeros brevipes (Lin, Yang & Tokuda) comb. nov. In addition, we described a new Brazilian species, Bruggmanniella miconia Garcia, Lamas and Urso-Guimarães sp. nov. Identification keys to the New World species of Bruggmanniella are presented.

New Polypedilum Kieffer (Diptera: Chironomidae) from mountains of the Atlantic Forest, Brazil.

Five new species of Polypedilum from mountains of the Atlantic Forest, Southeastern Brazil, are described and illustrated as adult male. Two new species belong to the subgenus Polypedilum s. str.: Polypedilum (Polypedilum) caete sp. n. and P. (P.) aymbere sp. n. and three new species belong to the subgenus Tripodura: P. (Tripodura) yvatekaty sp. n., P. (T.) goiocoio sp. n. and P. (T.) ybytyra sp. n.

A taxonomic synopsis of Chrysomydas Wilcox, Papavero amp; Pimentel (Diptera: Mydidae: Mydinae), with first bionomic records for the genus and description of a new species from Brazil.

Chrysomydas Wilcox, Papavero Pimentel, 1989 (Diptera, Mydidae, Mydinae, Stratiomydina), is a poorly known monotypic genus, with the type-species, C. nitidulus (Olivier, 1811), recorded from Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname. The present work aims to provide an updated diagnosis for the genus and type-species, C. nitidulus, along with the description of C. phoenix Calhau Lamas sp. nov. from the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, based on a male imago and associated pupal exuviae. Additionally, the first bionomic data for the genus are reported, with the rearing of adult C. nitidulus in the laboratory from larvae collected under the decaying trunk of a coconut palm (Cocos nucifera L.) in the state of Amazonas, Brazil. The new species is easily distinguished from C. nitidulus by the predominantly black tergal and scutal setulae, which are golden in the type-species. They also differ by the male genitalia and shape of the proboscis.

New species and records of the supertribe Stomatosematidi (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in Brazil.

Six new species of the genus Stomatosema are described and illustrated: Stomatosema paratudo sp. nov., S. sisbiota sp. nov., S. terena sp. nov., S. pantaneirum sp. nov., S. terere sp. nov. and S. camilae sp. nov. These are the first records of Stomatosema for South America. The genus Didactylomyia is recorded for the first time in Brazil.

Catalogue of Lygistorrhinidae (Diptera: Bibionomorpha) types housed in the collection of the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil.

This paper provides a catalogue of the type specimens of Lygistorrhinidae (Diptera: Bibionomorpha) held in the collection of the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil (MZUSP). Label information and type condition of the six type specimens (three holotypes and three paratypes) of four species are provided, along with high resolution images of the types and their labels.

The SISBIOTA-Diptera Brazilian Network: A long-term survey of Diptera from unexplored Brazilian Western Arc of Amazon, Cerrado, and Pantanal

ABSTRACT The SISBIOTA-BRASIL was a three-year multimillion-dollar research program of the Brazilian government to document plants and animals in endangered/understudied areas and biomes in Brazil. Distributional patterns and the historical events that generated them are extensively unknown regarding Brazilian fauna and flora. This deficiency hinders the development of conservation policies and the understanding of evolutionary processes. Conservation decisions depend on precise knowledge of the taxonomy and geographic distribution of species. Given such a premise, we proposed to research the diversity of Diptera of the Brazilian western arc of Amazon, Cerrado, and Pantanal in the states of Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Rondônia. Three important biomes of the South American continent characterize these Brazilian states: Amazon forest, Cerrado (Brazilian Savannah), and Pantanal. Besides their ecological relevance, these biomes historically lack intensive entomological surveys. Therefore, they are much underrepresented in the Brazilian natural history collections and in the scientific literature, which is further aggravated by the fact that these areas are being exponentially and rapidly converted to commercial lands. Our project involved over 90 collaborators from 24 different Brazilian institutions and one from Colombia among researchers, postdocs, graduate and undergraduate students, and technicians. We processed and analyzed nearly 300,000 specimens from ~60 families of Diptera collected with a large variety of methods in the sampled areas. Here, we provide a detailed overview of the genera and species diversity of 41 families treated. Our results point to a total of 2,130 species and 514 genera compiled and identified for the three states altogether, with an increase of 41% and 29% in the numbers of species and genera known for the three states combined, respectively. Overall, the 10 most species-rich families were Tachinidae, Cecidomyiidae, Tabanidae, Psychodidae, Sarcophagidae, Stratiomyidae, Bombyliidae, Syrphidae, Tephritidae, and Asilidae. The 10 most diverse in the number of genera were Tachinidae, Stratiomyidae, Asilidae, Mycetophilidae, Syrphidae, Tabanidae, Muscidae, Dolichopodidae, Sarcophagidae, and Chloropidae. So far, 111 scientific papers were published regarding taxonomic, phylogenetic, and biogeographical aspects of the studied families, with the description of 101 new species and three new genera. We expect that additional publications will result from this investigation because several specimens are now curated and being researched by specialists.

Review of Marmasoma White with lectotype designation of M. sumptuosum White and an identification key to the Australasian/Oceanian genera of Ecliminae (Diptera, Bombyliidae).

The bombyliid genus Marmasoma White is restricted to Australia. Marmasoma sumptuosum White, the only known species of the genus, is studied and a lectotype and paralectotypes are designated. Based on the type series and on additional material, a redescription of the species is presented and the main characters of the external morphology of adults are illustrated and photographed, including male and female genitalia. In addition, the remarkable aedeagus of M. sumptuosum, unique among all Ecliminae species by the presence of serrated projections on its apical portion, is described and photographed in detail for the first time. An identification key to the Australasian/Oceanian genera of Ecliminae and a distribution map with the known geographic records of Marmasoma are also included.

New species and records of Zavreliella Kieffer, 1920 from Neotropical region (Diptera: Chironomidae).

A new species of Zavreliella Kieffer, Zavreliella kambeba sp. n., is described, based on male adults collected in the Amazon rainforest, Brazil. Further seven Zavreliella species are recorded for new localities in Brazil, with the first Neotropical record of Z. marmorata (van der Wulp). The genus Zavreliella is now composed of 15 species, of which adult males are reviewed in a key to their identification.

FAMILY NEMESTRINIDAE.

Nemestrinidae (Diptera, Nemestrinoidea) are a relatively rare group of flies, and the knowledge on the Colombian fauna is still incipient. According to the available literature, only one species is recorded to this country, Hyrmophlaeba magdalena Bernardi, 1977.

FAMILY ASILIDAE.

Asilidae is one of the largest Diptera families with more than 7,000 recognized species worldwide. All their species are predators on arthropods, mainly insects. This catalogue presents 71 species distributed in 26 genera, ten tribes or generic groups and four subfamilies. For each species we present the available geographical information and relevant references.

FAMILY MYDIDAE.

Mydidae (Diptera, Asiloidea) are a relatively rare group of flies, and the knowledge on the Colombian mydids is very poor. According to available literature, only two species are registered to this country, Protomydas coerulescens (Olivier, 1811) and P. rubidapex (Wiedemann, 1830).

FAMILY BOMBYLIIDAE.

Bombyliidae is one of the largest Diptera families with more than 4,500 recognized species worldwide. Their species vary from robust to thin, and may be small to large (2-20mm) and looks like bees or wasps. They also present great variation in color. Adults can often be seen either resting and sunning themselves on trails, rocks or twigs or feeding on flowering plants as they are nectar feeders. All reared bee flies are predators or parasitoids of arthropods. The Colombian fauna of bombyliids comprises at the moment 22 species, and 12 genera, of which, six are endemic species. Nonetheless, this number may be much higher, as Colombia is a megadiverse country and there are not many specimens of this family deposited in collections all over the world.