Milania, Šifner, 2010

Šifner, František, 2010, Two new genera and species of the family Scathophagidae (Diptera) from the Palaearctic and Oriental Regions with additional faunistic records, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 50 (2), pp. 609-618 : 610-611

Genus Milania gen. nov.

Type species. Norellisoma agrion Séguy, 1948 , by present designation.

Diagnosis. Principal diagnostic characters of the new genus are as follows:

i) ratio of the length of thorax to the length of abdomen equal to 1: 2–2.2; ii) double rows of bristles on anterior femora and tibiae very weakly developed; iii) all legs covered with long hair-like bristles; iv) epiphallus straight and dilated apically; v) all abdominal sternites in both sexes weakly sclerotized; vi) sternites 8 in female weakly sclerotized, without thorns and only with short bristles.

Differential diagnosis. Milania gen. nov. can be separated from other genera of the tribe Cordilurini by characters summarized in the following key.

1 All bristles on thorax distinctly developed; ratio of length of thorax to length of abdomen equal to 1: 1.5–1.7; all abdominal sclerites in both sexes distinctly sclerotized; epiphallus slightly arched and pointed. ........................................................................................... 2

– Bristles on thorax weakly developed; ratio of length of thorax to length of abdomen equal to 1: 2–2.2; all abdominal sclerites in both sexes weakly sclerotized; epiphallus almost straight and dilated apically. Double row of bristles at inner side of anterior femur and tibia weakly developed, all femora and tibiae with long and fine hair-like bristles; palpi narrow with 1–2 weak apical or subapical bristles; sternite 7 of female long, sclerotized in lateral part and membranous only medially; sternites 8 distinctly prolonged, without thorns and only apically with short fine bristles. ............................... Milania gen. nov.

2 Double row of bristles at inner side of anterior femur and tibia strong; palpi uniformly narrow with 1–2 apical or subapical bristles; sternite 7 of female partly or entirely divided in two sclerites; sternites 8 of female with varying number of thorns. ............................. ............................................................................................ Norellisoma Wahlgren, 1917

– Double row of bristles at inner side of anterior femur and tibia not developed; palpi narrow and dilated in their median portion with 1–2 strong apical or subapical bristles; sternite 7 of female divided in three separate sclerites; sternites 8 of female with short and weak bristles. ............................................................................................................................... ... Cordilura Fallén, 1810 , Parallelomma Becker, 1894 and Scoliaphleps Becker, 1894

Etymology. I dedicate this genus to the memory of my late son Milan. The gender is feminine.

Comments. HACKMAN (1956) was the first author to notice the differential characters of the Japanese species of Norellisoma (or the subfamily Norellinae ). ŠIFNER (2003) considered the Japanese species as intermediate between the genera Norellisoma and Cordilura , probably representing a new genus. OZEROV (2008) placed the Japanese and Chinese species Norellisoma longiabdominum ( Sun, 1992) in the genus Cordilura (subgenus Cordilurina James, 1955 ), citing the presence of rows of long anteroventral and posterovetral bristles on the fore femora and tibiae (sic!), a long apical seta on palpus, two pairs of setae on scutum and long hairs on arista. Based on the characters mentioned above under the generic diagnosis, I instead propose for Norellisoma longiabdominum and N. agrion Séguy, 1948 a new genus, Milania gen. nov., belonging to the tribe Cordilurini (cf. ŠIFNER 2003). Both included species are redescribed below with emphasis on the previously undescribed genitalia of both sexes.