Dalton De Souza Amorim

On typeless species and the perils of fast taxonomy

C H A R L E S M O R P H Y D . S A N T O S 1, D A L T O N S . A M O R I M 2, B R U N A K L A S S A 1, D I E G O A . F A C H I N 2, S I L V I O S . N I H E I 3, C L A U D I O J . B . D E C A R VA L H O 4, R A F A E L A L . F A L A S C H I 5, C Á T I A A . M E L L O P A T I U 6, M Á R C I A S . C O U R I 6, S A R A H S . O L I V E I R A 7, V E R A C . S I L VA 8, G U I L H E R M E C . R I B E I R O 1, R E N A T O S . C A P E L L A R I 9 and C A R L O S J O S É E . L A M A S 5

Docosia adusta sp. nov. (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) from the Colombian Andes: A Holarctic Element in Northwestern South America

Abstract n A third Neotropical species of the genus Docosia Winnertz is described from the Colombian Andes. Three males and four females of D. adusta sp. nov. from Cundinamarca, Colombia, collected at 3600 m elevation were examined. Detailed illustrations of the male and female terminalia are presented and morphological differences in relation to those of other species of the genus are discussed. The relationships between Holarctic and Neotropical species within Docosia are discussed and overlap of circumantarctic, tropical, and Nearctic elements in the northern Andes is considered.

Brazil's government attacks biodiversity

To address the rapid and massive loss of biodiversity worldwide, scientific research must inform agile decision-making. The political leaders of Brazil, the country with the planets greatest biological wealth ([ 1 ][1]), continue to undermine this goal. In 2001, citing the laudable objective of

Flies, endemicity, and the Atlantic Forest: a biogeographical study using topographic units of analysis

Abstract. We present a study of the endemicity patterns in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest on the basis of the distribution of 107 fly species belonging to 24 genera of 15 families. This is the first picture of endemism for Diptera in the Atlantic Forest. Instead of the traditional grid of geographical coordinates, we used a system of topographic units (TUs) for the analysis, delimited after gathering information on rivers and altitude for each state and country. A parsimony analysis of the data matrix with the species records for the TUs was performed, named topographic-unit parsimony analysis (TUPA). The same distributional data was used in a NDM/VNDM analysis. The combination of the resulting patterns from both analyses indicated the existence of the following three major areas of endemism for flies in the Atlantic Forest: a Northern Atlantic Forest, north of Rio Doce; a Southern Atlantic Forest, south of Rio Doce along the coast, extending to the west and to the south at the level of the state of Paraná; and a Semideciduous Seasonal Forest, west to the ombrophilous forest along the coast. None of these areas seems to be shaped solely by vicariance events. They can possibly be the result of biotic fusion of ancestral areas of endemism as a result of barrier collapse and secondary overlap of sister biotas, a hypothesis yet to be tested. The recognition of a separate area of endemism for flies in the Semideciduous Forest agrees with phytogeographical reconstructions and raises an important alert for the scarcity of biological reserves for this vegetation.

Taxonomic revision of the Neotropical genus Arthropeina Lindner, 1949 (Diptera: Xylomyidae)

Five new species are herein described for the Neotropical genus Arthropeina previously known only from the type-species, A. fulva Lindner: A. colombiana, sp. nov., A. diadelothorax, sp. nov., A. lindneri, sp. nov., A. melanochroma, sp. nov. and A. pseudofulva, sp. nov. The new species are described and habitus, antenna, palpus, thorax, wing, and male and female genitalia, including genital fork and spermathecae, are illustrated. A key to the species of the genus is provided. The diagnosis of Arthropeina is emended to include these new species. Additionally, the genus is recorded for the first time for Guyana, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.

First two species of Austroleptis Hardy (Diptera: Brachycera: Austroleptidae) from Brazil

Two new species of the genus Austroleptis Hardy, so far known only from Australia and Chile, are described from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest-A. longirostris nov. sp. and A. papaveroi nov. sp. The species share clear apomorphic features of the genus, as the subdivision of female tergite 8. Both new species share a distinctive wing pattern, and a flagellomere 1 that is as wide as the more distal flagellomeres, features that clearly differentiate them from the Chilean and Australian species. It is likely that the Brazilian species compose a small clade apart from the Chilean species of the genus. A. longirostris nov. sp. has a particular long proboscis, even for the standards of non-tabanid tabanomorphs, while A. papaveroi nov. sp. has a stump on M3. The scutum coloration also helps to discriminate between both species. This is an additional example of a group in southern Brazil with southern temperate connections, i.e., involving southern Chile and Argentina and either Australia, New Zealand or both. Additional records and illustrations of Austroleptis atriceps Malloch andxa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0 A. penai Nagatomi Nagatomi from Chile are provided.

A contribution to the systematics of the genus Manota Williston (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) in Brazil

A total of 286 male specimens of Manota from 38 different collecting sites in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest were analysed. They belong to 32 different species, including 20 described as new to science and 12 recognized as previously described species. The new species are M. abbreviata sp. n., M. atlantica sp. n., M. carioca sp. n., M. cavata sp. n., M. hirta sp. n., M. lamasi sp. n., M. lanei sp. n., M. nordestina sp. n., M. oliveirai sp. n., M. paniculata sp. n., M. papaveroi sp. n., M. periotoi sp. n., M. perparva sp. n., M. pseudoiota sp. n., M. rostrata sp. n., M. sanctavirginae sp. n., M. securiculata sp.n., M. silvai sp. n., M. tavaresi sp. n. and M. unispinata sp. n. The taxonomic context of the newly described species is discussed. Manota palpalis Lane, 1948, the type of which is considered lost, is redescribed and discussed, based on the original description, the original illustrations, and the type-locality. Our specimens of the previously described species belong to M. aligera Hippa, Kurina Sääksjärvi, 2017, M. anfracta Hippa Kurina, 2013, M. appendiculata Hippa Kurina, 2013, M. caribica Jaschhof Hippa, 2005, M. diversiseta Jaschhof Hippa, 2005, M. micula Hippa Kurina, 2013, M. panda Hippa Kurina, 2013, M. pustulosa Hippa, Kurina Sääksjärvi, 2017, M. quantula Hippa Kurina, 2013, M. serrulata Hippa, Kurina Sääksjärvi, 2017 and M. subaristata Kurina, Hippa Amorim, 2017. Among the species dealt with here, ten have a wide distribution in South America or the Neotropics, six are known from only a single site, nine are widespread along the Atlantic Forest, and seven are known only from southern Brazil/northwestern Argentina. A discrepancy between the distribution patterns of Manota species and the general areas of endemism known for flies in the Atlantic Forest is discussed, and a non-destructive sequencing reverse workflow protocol for Manota specimens proposed.xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0xa0 Including the species described here, the Neotropical region closely approaches the Oriental region in terms of the number of described species (92 and 102, respectively), while the genus now includes 300 species worldwide.

A new species of Euricrium Enderlein from southern Brazil, new records for E. varians (Lane), a new combination, and a key for the Neotropical species of the genus

A new species of the genus Euricrium is described-Euricrium edwardsi sp. n.-from the State of Paraná, southern Brazil. Additional material of E. varians is identified and illustrated, expanding the known distribution of the species. E. unimacula (Lane), n.com. is redescribed based on the female holotype and illustrated, and formally transferred to Euricrium. A key for the Neotropical species of Euricrium is presented and comments are made on the known diversity of the genus.

Taxonomic revision of Coniceromyia Borgmeier (Diptera: Phoridae), with the description of three new species from Brazil.

The 55 known species of Coniceromyia are herein revised. Three new species from the Atlantic Forest in Brazil are described-C. apioneura, sp.nov., C. neofusca, sp.nov. and C. tanycrossa, sp.nov.-and fourteen species are redescribed. Most of the species have foreleg, wing, hind femur, and male terminalia illustrated. Characters previously unnoticed are described for the first time. Coniceromyia cubensis Brues, previously accepted as a synonym of C. latimana (Malloch), has its status reinstated. Taxonomic problems in the genus are addressed, including the condition of the damaged holotypes of C. boliviana Borgmeier and C. vespertilio Schmitz, and our inability to associate males with the female holotypes of C. arizonensis Borgmeier, C. fusca Borgmeier and C. grenadensis (Brues). The holotypes of Coniceromyia angularis Borgmeier & Prado and Coniceromyia laticosta Prado are considered to be lost.

Going beyond the tip of the Drosophilidae iceberg: New Cladochaeta Coquillett, 1900 (Diptera: Drosophilidae) from Brazil

Drosophilidae comprises more than 4,000 described species worldwide. Despite the huge number of papers published on the genus Drosophila Fallén, 1823, large parts of the family are still poorly known. The drosophiline genus Cladochaeta Coquillet, 1900 has more than 100 Neotropical and several southern Nearctic described species, but there is quite a large number of undescribed species. The Brazilian fauna of the genus was studied and 12 new species are herein described-Cladochaeta armatopsis nov. sp., C. balbiae nov. sp., C. paraitinga nov. sp., C. asapha nov. sp., C.chauliodactyla nov. sp., C. conicophallus nov. sp., C. dicrophallus nov. sp., C.grimaldii nov. sp., C. atlantica nov. sp., C. periotoi nov. sp., C. phallotrixa nov. sp. and C. stigmata nov. sp. We set the first record of C. arthrostyla Grimaldi & Nguyen, 1999 for northeastern Brazil a species otherwise known from Costa Rica, and the first record of C. bomplandi (Malloch, 1934) for the state of Minas Gerais, a species known for northeastern Argentina and southern Brazil. The descriptions include photographs for each species and detailed illustrations of the male terminalia in different views. A synopsis on the taxonomy and natural history of the genus is provided, as well as comments about the relationships of species in the genus, a discussion on problems of male terminalia sclerite homology and the problem of association between males and females.