Description of larva, pupa, and genitalia of Hybosa acutangula Spaeth, 1913 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae) from the Brazilian Cerrado

ABSTRACT Great advances were made in recent years regarding the description of immatures of Cassidinae and their taxonomy as a whole, but many taxa remain undescribed. This study focuses on updating morphological data for Hybosa acutangula Spaeth, 1913 (Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae: Ischyrosonychini), a tortoise beetle native of South America, which was collected in Fridericia florida (DC.) L. G. Lohmann in the Brazilian Cerrado. We provide descriptions and illustrations of the morphology of the larva, pupa, and genitalia of adults, all of which are novel for this genus. The main discerning features for this species among other Ischyrosonychini are the lack of dark patterns in the dorsum of either the larvae, being limited to the dark scoli and the cranium, or the pupae, and a much reduced anal fork. We also present the first record of parasitism by Chalcididae wasps, Brachymeria sp. Westwood, 1832 and Conura sp. Spinola, 1837. Morphological comparisons remain limited demanding further studies with other species of Ischyrosonychini, as to better understand the placement of this species within the taxonomy of tortoise beetles.

The oldest Gondwanan fossil of Leiinae (Diptera, Mycetophilidae): Phylogenetic and evolutionary implications.

A fossil Mycetophilidae from the Aptian Crato Formation-Cretomanota gondwanica gen. nov., sp. nov.-is described, which is the first mycetophilid from the Crato Formation and corresponds to the oldest known fossil leiine and only the second Gondwanan fossil mycetophilid described so far. Cretomanota gondwanica and both species of Alavamanota Blagoderov and Arillo were added as terminals to the data matrix of a general phylogenetic analysis of the Mycetophilidae, and both fit into the Leiinae. Alavamanota is monophyletic, sister to the clade composed by Cretomanota and the extant genus Manota Williston. The biology of the extant members of this fungivorous family corroborates the reconstruction of the Crato palaeoenvironment as including woodlands with humid habitats and microhabitats. The presence of a Cretaceous member of the tribe Manotini at low latitudes in South America reinforces the hypothesis that the clade with all manotines except Leiella Edwards corresponds to a Lower Cretaceous offshoot from a group in southern Gondwana expanding its distribution to more northern areas into the Gondwana and into Laurasia.

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.

An unknown world in the Neotropical region: a complete life cycle of a new species of Monoclona Mik, 1886 (Diptera: Mycetophilidae: Sciophilinae).

Popularly known as fungus gnats, Mycetophilidae are found in humid environments usually associated with mushrooms and decaying wood. Their immature forms often feed on fungus fruiting bodies. Similar to most bibionomorphans, mycetophilids need due attention concerning their taxonomy and information on their natural history, especially in the Neotropical region. This work describes Monoclona carambeiensis sp. nov., a new species of Monoclona Mik, and furnishes information on the morphology of adults and immatures, besides notes and photographs on the life cycle of the species. Immature forms present on a piece of decaying wood with lichens and fungi were collected from Carambe, Paran, and reared in the laboratory. The emerged adult male was fixed in 80% ethanol. This is the first study describing an immature of a Neotropical species of Monoclona, and also the first record of the genus in the state of Paran, Brazil. This is the third Neotropical species of Mycetophilidae to have its life cycle described, for a fauna with over 1,100 known species.

On the uncommon genera Pseudiastata Coquillett and Hyalistata Wheeler (Diptera: Drosophilidae: Steganinae): new species and additional records from the Neotropical Region.

Two uncommon genera of Steganinae (Drosophilidae) are herein studied based on material from the Neotropical Region, Pseudiastata Coquillett and Hyalistata Wheeler. Additional records for Pseudiastata Coquillett are provided, including the redescription of the species Pseudiastata brasiliensis Costa Lima, originally described in 1937. An update to the morphological nomenclature is also proposed, as well as a lectotype and some paralectotype designations. Moreover, the genus Hyalistata Wheeler, for which two new species are described (Hyalistata cerradensis sp. nov. and Hyalistata emas sp. nov.) is first recorded in Brazil. We present photographs and detailed illustrations of the terminalia of all species described here.

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.

Monotypic no more: A new species of the unusual genus Mayagueza Wheeler, 1960 from the Neotropical region (Diptera: Drosophilidae: Steganinae).

A new species belonging to the previously monotypic steganine genus Mayagueza Wheeler, 1960 (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is described. The new species, Mayagueza lopesi sp. nov., was collected in the Brazilian Cerrado. This is the first record of this genus for South America, and the description of the new species, based on male and female adult specimens, includes photographs and detailed illustrations of male and female terminalia.

Description of the larva and updated distribution of Albardia furcata van der Weele (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae)

ABSTRACT The complex taxonomy of Albardia furcata van der Weele is totally related to the unique characters of the adults, which hinder a morphological comparison with other owlfly genera. The behavior and life history of the immature stages of A. furcata are known, but the larval morphology remains undescribed. Herein, we present a morphological description of the A. furcata larva, the most iconic Neotropical owlfly (Myrmeleontidae: Ascalaphinae), a Brazilian species endemic to Cerrado, Caatinga, and Atlantic Forest biomes. The morphological description of the larva was based on three third instar larvae collected in areas of Cerrado and reared at laboratory conditions. We provide high-resolution images from the life cycle, including immature and adults, as well as an updated distributional map. Comments are done on the similarities and differences of the larva regarding other owlflies species and also on biogeography in Neotropical region.

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.

FAMILY ANISOPODIDAE.

This considerably small family is poorly known in Colombia, with only two species reported for the genus Sylvicola Harris (1776) so far. We synonymize Neomesochria Amorim & Tozoni (1994) to Mycetobia Meigen (1818), hence transferring the Dominican amber species Neomesochria antillea (Grimaldi 1991) and N. cryptambra (Grimaldi 1991), and the recent Neotropical species N. limanda (Stone 1966) and N. stonei (Lane & d'Andretta 1958) back to the genus Mycetobia. This paper provides new records for Mycetobia and Olbiogaster Osten-Sacken (1886) for Colombia.

FAMILY BIBIONIDAE.

The Bibionidae are a family belonging to the suborder Bibionomorpha with four genera and 17 species known from Colombia. This work expands the distribution of these species to other localities in the country.

FAMILY LYGISTORRHINIDAE.

The Lygistorrhinidae are a family belonging to the suborder Bibionomorpha, with no previous record from Colombia. This paper refers for the first time to the occurrence of the family in the country, an undetermined species of the genus Lygistorrhina (Probolaeus) Williston.

FAMILY MYCETOPHILIDAE.

The Mycetophilidae include small fungus-gnats which life cycle is associated with fungi, especially of the larvae. The known diversity of the family in the Neotropical region is 1,145 species, but only some very few papers have been published on the Colombian species of Mycetophilidae, with records for the genera Docosia Winnertz, Paraleia Tonnoir, and Dziedzickia Johannsen. This catalogue gathers the information available on mycetophilids from Colombia, including genera and some species that for the first time are mentioned to occur in the country-as Leiella unicincta Edwards and Leiella zonalis Edwards.

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

ABSTRACT Following a recommendation of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, this paper provides a catalogue of the type specimens of Anisopodidae (Diptera: Bibionomorpha) held in the collection of the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil (MZUSP). Information on labels and type conditions, on 54 type specimens (including 21 primary types) of 24 Neotropical species are provided.

A new case of an Holarctic element in the Colombian Andes: first record of Cordyla Meigen (Diptera, Mycetophilidae) from the Neotropical region.

Three new species of Mycetophilidae - Cordyla monticola sp. n., Cordyla pseudopusilla sp. n. and Cordyla reducta sp. n. - are described from the Colombian Andes, representing the first described species of Cordyla Meigen from the Neotropical region. Colour photos of their habitus, wing and terminalia are provided. The morphological affinities of male terminalia are discussed in a worldwide context. The distributional pattern of the genus clearly indicates a case of northern elements reaching the north-western region of the Neotropics that corresponds to a secondary extension of a Holarctic clade to the south.

First record of Neoempheria Osten Sacken (Diptera, Mycetophilidae) biology in the Neotropical region, with associations between its larvae and fungi.

BACKGROUND: Members of the family Mycetophilidae (Diptera) have life cycles that are typically associated with fungus. Their biology is relatively well known in the Palaearctic, though other regions are poorly known, and there are no associations recorded between mycetophilid immatures and fungi in the Neotropical region. Here we report the first association between a mycetophilid-Neoempheriapuncticoxa Edwards-and fungi in this region. Immatures of N.puncticoxa were collected on fungi and some were reared in the laboratory until adult emergence. The immature stages and adult of N.puncticoxa are described and re-described respectively, and high resolution images and illustrations of the habitus, wings, thorax, male and female terminalia, immatures, and in situ specimens are given. NEW INFORMATION: We report the first association between Mycetophilidae and fungi in the Neotropical region.

On Afrotropical Mohelia Matile (Diptera, Mycetophilidae): new species and phylogenetic comments.

Mohelia was originally described by Matile for M. nigricauda, from the Comoros. Three new Afrotropical species of Mohelia are described. The male and female terminalia of M. matilei sp.n., M. amorimi sp.n., and M. chandleri sp.n. are illustrated. An additional species, not formally described, is commented on. An identification key is also provided, as well as a distribution map for the genus. The differences between Mohelia and Aphrastomyia Lane & Coher are also discussed.

The first Cordyla Meigen species (Diptera, Mycetophilidae) from continental Australia and Tasmania.

A new species of Mycetophilidae, Cordyla australica sp. n., is described from continental Australia and Tasmania, representing the first Cordyla record in the region. A detailed description of its morphology with illustrations of male and female terminalia and a map of the collecting localities are provided. According to the structure of male terminalia, Cordyla australica sp. n. belongs to the Cordyla murina species-group that has 13 species worldwide. Within the group Cordyla australica sp. n. resembles Cordyla murina but has a unique outline of the hypoproct and medial branch of the gonostylus. The observed distributional pattern is restricted to the rainforest of eastern Australia and Tasmania.

Types of Neotropical Mycetophilidae (Diptera) at the Natural History Museum collection, London.

The primary types, secondary types, and some other identified specimens of 407 Neotropical species of Mycetophilidae at the Natural History Museum, London were examined. Notes were made on the condition of the primary types, their labels, and presence of other specimens in the type series. Additional comments are made about types, secondary types and some few other cases worth of note mistakenly determined to be at the NHM. Lectotypes are designated for syntypes of 17 species: Epicypta insipiens (Williston), Epicypta dolosa (Williston), Leia amabilis Williston, Leia concinna(Williston), Leia nitens (Williston), Megalopelma cellularis Edwards, Megalopelma fraudulenta (Williston), Megalopelma platyura Edwards, Mycetophila borgmeieri Edwards, Mycomya meridionalis Johannsen, Monoclona digitata Edwards, Mycomya peruviana Edwards, Neoempheria maculipennis Williston, Procycloneura paranensisEdwards, Stenophragma nigricauda Edwards, Tetragoneura simplex Edwards, Trizygia nitens Edwards. Three species­Leia biamputata Edwards, Leia fuscicornis Edwards, and Neallodia flavida Edwards­previously considered subjective junior synonyms in the literature were revalidated. Mycetophila rufoides nom. nov. is proposed for Mycetophila rufaLane (preocc. Macquart 1826). Mycetophila dolosa Williston is transferred to Epicypta, without being assigned to a particular subgenus. The type of Sceptonia paiaguensis Freeman is formally considered lost. Photographs taken of holotypes and lectotypes are included, helping taxonomic documentation and in some extent, species identification. After the nomenclatural acts in this paper, the Natural History Museum, London, now holds holotypes of 292 Neotropical species of the Mycetophilidae, 23 lectotypes, syntypes of 3 species that have syntypes in other collections, paratypes of 81 species that have holotypes in other collections, identified specimens of 5 species with types lost and specimens of three species which fit in other cases.

Redescription of the enigmatic Thoracotropis cypriformis Freeman (Diptera, Mycetophilidae) / Redescrição do enigmático gênero Thoracotropis cypriformis Freeman (Diptera, Mycetophilidae)

The Chilean species Thoracotropis cypriformis, type species of the monotypic genus Thoracotropis, is redescribed based on the only known specimen, the holotype. Habitus, head, wing venation, and male terminalia are illustrated. Comments are made on the diagnostic features of the genus and on its position in the subfamily to which it is usually assigned, the Leiinae.

A espécie chilena Thoracotropis cypriformis, espécie-tipo do gênero monotípico Thoracotropis, é redescrita com base no único exemplar conhecido, o holótipo. Habitus, cabeça, venação alar e terminália do macho são ilustrados. Comentários são feitos sobre as características diagnósticas do gênero e sua posição na subfamília na qual ele é normalmente incluído, Leiinae.