Genus Victoriana Miranda gen. nov.

Figs 48–60, 77, 88–91, 9–101

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: E43E026E-3144-48B2-9328-0D8C63878EB6

Type species: Baccha melanorrhina Philippi, 1865

Baccha victoria species group, in part. Hull (1949a)

Ocyptamus mentor species group. Mengual et al. (2012)

Ocyptamus melanorrhinus species group. Miranda et al. (2016); Mengual et al. (2018)

Comments. This genus, corresponding to the former Ocyptamus melanorrhinus species group, is currently divided into three species groups: V. attenuata, V. melanorrhina and V. parvicornis species groups. All groups are similar in external morphology, including a wing that is bare on the base (basal 1/4 of c, basal 2/3 of br and most of bm except for apico-posterior margin). The V. attenuata and V. melanorrhina groups form a clade ( Miranda et al. 2016), characterized by apical projections of the subepandrial sclerite into the surstyli (unique) (Fig. 52), a postgonite with a strongly projected ventro-apical extremity (Figs 54, 55, 56), and a more dorsally positioned facial tubercle (not unique to the taxon, but still not very widespread in other taxa). The V. attenuata and V. melanorrhina clade was recovered as sister to Eosalpingogaster Hull, 1949 in a recent study ( Miranda et al. 2016), and V. melanorrhina (Philippi, 1865) was resolved as sister taxon to Eosalpingogaster in other works (Mengual and Thompson 2011; Mengual 2015). Unpublished hybrid-enrichment molecular data places V. parvicornis as sister to Eosalpingogaster as well, further supporting the close relationship of the three groups.

Due to the numerous differences between the groups, more than the fewer shared characteristics between them (see comments above), we have chosen to focus on the description of each group separately.

Etymology. The genus is named after the first author’s oldest daughter. The name is to be treated as feminine.