DOI: 10.3897/asp.82.e116703

Authors: Kinga Walczak, Thomas Pape, James F. Wallman, Krzysztof Szpila, Andrzej Grzywacz

Abstract: The muscid genus Achanthiptera Rondani (Diptera: Muscidae) was classified within its own subfamily Achanthipterinae for decades due to a misinterpretation of adult morphology. Conversely, the larval morphology suggested that Achanthiptera should be classified within Azeliinae, yet no formal changes were implemented based on this source of data. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), we examined the larval morphology of Ac. rohrelliformis (Robineau-Desvoidy), Potamia littoralis Robineau-Desvoidy and Australophyra rostrata Robineau-Desvoidy. Despite the challenges posed by the poor condition of hundred-year-old museum specimens of Ac. rohrelliformis for light microscopy, CLSM examination yielded satisfactory results. Additionally, CLSM observations revealed peculiar modifications to the cephaloskeleton, including a dome-shaped (second instar) or spade-like (third instar) anterior rod attached to each mouthhook in Ac. rohrelliformis and P. littoralis. These structural modifications are likely to enhance the efficiency of food collecting by enlarging the surface of the mouthhooks. The results of our morphological analyses lead to the conclusion that larvae of Au. rostrata are facultative carnivores, while modified accessory oral sclerites in Ac. rohrelliformis and P. littoralis suggest a saprophagous feeding strategy. This study contributes new evidence that Achanthiptera is the sister taxon to Potamia Robineau-Desvoidy, and both are nested within the subfamily Azeliinae.

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DOI: 10.3897/asp.81.e104969

Authors: Luciano Damián Patitucci, Pablo Ricardo Mulieri, Márcia Souto Couri, Martha Cecilia Domínguez

Abstract: Coenosiini (Diptera: Muscidae) is a large cosmopolitan tribe of muscids, within which Coenosia Meigen and Neodexiopsis Malloch are the genera with the largest number of species. In this work, we revised for the first time, all the species placed by Malloch (1934) under Austrocoenosia, an endemic genus from the Andean Patagonian Forests, whose species are now placed in Coenosia and Neodexiopsis. We provide detail redescriptions for eight species placed by Malloch (1934) under Austrocoenosia, and decribed two new species (Coenosia delneneo sp. nov. and Coenosia patagonica sp. nov.), with high quality photographs detailing new structures of the male and female terminalia. To establish the position of the species of Austrocoenosia with respect to Coenosia and Neodexiopsis, we made a phylogenetic analysis using implied weighting for 36 taxa and 132 morphological characters of adults, including male and female genitalia. We recovered all species of Austrocoenosia as Coenosia species. We propose the following nomenclature actions: Austrocoenosia as a junior synonymy of Coenosia (syn. rest.); Coenosia brevicornis (Malloch) (comb. nov.), Coenosia dubia (Bigot) (comb. rest.); Coenosia hucketti, Pont (nom. nov.) and Coenosia nigerrima (Malloch) (comb. rest.). We also propose Coenosia spumicola Pont as an unplaced species of Coenosia sensu lato. Finally, we updated the geographic distributions for all species and observed several new male and female terminalia structures, which enriched the discussion of the genera and the tribe.

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