A new genus and new species of Sycoracinae (Diptera: Psychodidae) from the Neotropical region with keys to the extant genera of the subfamily and males of Neotropical species of Sycorax.

Sycoracinae is a small subfamily of Psychodidae with only 51 known species. Three genera are currently accepted for the subfamily: Aposycorax, with one species restricted to the Andean region; Parasycorax, with four Neotropical and one Philippines species; and Sycorax, with wide global distribution. A new genus is proposed for five northern Andean species previously described for Sycorax; a diagnosis and new interpretations of male terminalia characters are provided. Three new species of Sycorax from northeastern Brazil are described. The description of Sycorax bahiensis Bravo is complemented with specimens collected in the locality where it was found. New records of S. bahiensis, identification keys to the extant genera of Sycoracinae and the males of Neotropical species of Sycorax, as well as an updated list of both extant and fossil Sycoracinae are presented. Comments concerning the restricted biogeographical distribution of the genera in the subfamily are provided.

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.

A new genus of Psychodini (Diptera: Psychodidae) from the Neotropical region.

A new genus of Psychodini, Wagneromyia gen. nov. is described, based on examination of males from the State of Acre in the Brazilian Amazon. The new genus is described to accommodate a new species, Wagneromyia aquiri sp. nov., type of the genus, and six Central American species previously described in Philosepedon Eaton: Wagneromyia bicalcarata (Quate, 1996) comb. nov., Wagneromyia deceptrix (Quate, 1996) comb. nov., Wagneromyia dimorpha (Quate, 1996) comb. nov., Wagneromyia majorina (Quate, 1996) comb. nov., Wagneromyia tripetala (Quate, 1996) comb. nov., and Wagneromyia tritenacula (Quate, 1996) comb. nov. An identification key for the species of the new genus is presented.

Catalogue of type specimens of Insecta (Arthropoda: Hexapoda) deposited in the entomological collection of the Museum of Zoology of Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Brazil.

This contribution is an update catalogue of the type specimens of Insecta deposited in the entomological collection Prof. Johann Becker of the Museum of Zoology of Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil. A list of 206 holtypes and 1,430 paratypes of 23 families, 73 genera, and 244 species allocated in 12 orders. Lectotype and paralectotypes of Bitoma palmarum Bondar, 1940 were designated. Diptera present the highest number of types on the collection, with 161 holotypes and 1,324 paratypes.

Two new species of Australopericoma Vaillant (Diptera: Psychodidae: Psychodinae) from the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest.

Two new moth fly species, Australopericoma onofrei sp. nov. and Australopericoma xavierae sp. nov., are described from the Atlantic Rainforest in the state of Bahia, Brazil. A new record of Australopericoma dissimilis Bravo from the state of Sergipe, Brazil and an updated species list are also provided.

Three new species of Bryopharsos Quate, 1996 (Diptera, Psychodidae, Psychodinae) from the Neotropical Region.

Bryopharsos Quate, 1996 is a Neotropical genus with four species, all from Central America. This paper describes three new species from Brazil, Bryopharsos uncinatum sp. nov., Bryopharsos paulistensis sp. nov. and Bryopharsos amazonensis sp. nov. A wider concept to the genus Bryopharsos is proposed here to include the species from Brazil. We also provide an identification key for males of the genus.

Two new species of Lepidiella Enderlein, 1937 (Diptera: Psychodidae) from the Neotropical Region with taxonomic comments about the species of the genus.

Lepidiella Enderlein, 1937 is a Neotropical genus with 15 species. This paper describes two new species from Brazil, Lepidiella maculosa sp. nov. and Lepidiella wagneri sp. nov., and provides an identification key for males of the genus.

Male and female association in Trichomyia Haliday in Curtis, 1839 using a molecular approach (Diptera, Psychodidae, Trichomyiinae), and description of new species from Brazil

ABSTRACT A new species of Trichomyia from the state of Bahia, Brazil, is described and illustrated, and male and female are associated using DNA barcoding. Additionally, fragments of the COI of two other species, Trichomyia cerdosa Araújo & Bravo, 2016 and Trichomyia ituberensis Araújo & Bravo, 2016, and the females of two unidentified species, are sequenced.

Two new species and new records of Maruina Müller, 1895 (Diptera: Psychodidae) in Brazil.

Two new species of Maruina, Maruina cirrata sp. nov. and Maruina mucugensis sp. nov., collected in two mountainous areas in Bahia, are described and figured. Additionally, we present new records of Maruina guria Bravo, 2004 and M. menina Bravo Lago, 2003 in Brazil.

Two new species of Trichomyia Haliday 1839 (Diptera, Psychodidae, Trichomyiinae) from the Pantanal of Mato Grosso, Brazil

Abstract Two new species in the Trichomyiinae (Psychodidae), Trichomyia pantanensis sp. nov. and Trichomyia lamasi sp. nov., are described and illustrated. New records are given for the two additional species Trichomyia spinicauda Araújo & Bravo, 2016 and Trichomyia hispida Araújo & Bravo, 2016. These four species comprise the first records of the genus in the Pantanal region.

Description of fourty four new species, taxonomic notes and identification key to Neotropical Trichomyia Haliday in Curtis (Diptera: Psychodidae, Trichomyiinae).

Trichomyia Haliday in Curtis is distributed worldwide, except in Antarctica. The Neotropical region has the greatest known species richness of Trichomyia, with 76 described species, compared with five in the Nearctic region, nine in the Palearctic, five in the Afrotropical region, six in the Oriental region, and 46 in the Australasian region. Two morphological groups within the genus have been previously recognized: Group A, comprising species with four clearly differentiated palpus segments; and Group B, comprising species with three palpus segments, as well as a group of species with four palpus segments but with the two basal segments not fully articulated (partially fused). We examined 1,330 specimens of Trichomyia that were collected almost exclusively from Brazil, specifically from the states of Amazonas, Pará, Bahia, Roraima, Rondônia, and Minas Gerais. 44 new species have been identified, representing an increase of 37% for this genus in the Neotropical region. In order to facilitate their study, some species are placed in provisional morphological groups. The distributions of five species of Trichomyia are expanded and a key to the males of Neotropical species is presented.

Two new species of moth flies (Diptera, Psychodidae) from the semi-arid region of Brazil.

Two new species of Psychodinae, Psychodidae, from the semi-arid region of Brazil are described and illustrated: Arisemus rubeni sp. nov. and Lepidiella olgae sp. nov. Only nine psychodid species were previously known from that region.