taxonID	type	description	language	source
03C08792FFAA6666FD92F807E52F3D66.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis Parasphen includes just two, relatively large (length 15 – 18 mm), darkly pigmented species with neither dorsocentral nor frontal bristles and further characterized by a uniformly textured and pigmented frons covered with small black setulae, a short third costal sector (approximately 0.3 × second costal sector), almost concolorous legs, a distiphallus terminating in a large phallic bulb, and reduction of spermathecal number from three to two.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFAA6666FD92F807E52F3D66.taxon	description	Description HEAD. Antenna with first flagellomere about 1.5 × as long as wide, elongate oval with a dorsal depression distal to aristal base; arista long-haired in basal ¾, bare distally. Postocellar bristle absent, inner vertical present, outer vertical present. Frontal vitta entirely orange, not differentiated from frontal plate; lower frons with scattered small black setulae. Frontal vitta behind ocelli broad, almost parallel-sided, depressed between slightly swollen and shiny epicephala. Ocellar triangle closer to vertex than to anterior margin of frons. One small to very small upper fronto-orbital bristle flanking vitta just anterior to level of ocelli. Palpus broad, spatulate, orange to reddish brown, parallel-sided, with scattered, uniformly short black setulae. Face and parafacial pale, dull, orange on upper half and white on lower half; subantennal depression and parafacial silvery microsetulose. THORAX. Prosternum bare. Cervical sclerite simple, convex. Dorsocentral bristles absent, anterior and posterior notopleural bristles strong, supraalar and postalar bristles well developed; scutellum with one pair of apical bristles. Katatergite convex, slightly swollen. Scutum shiny blue-black with an indistinct pattern of silvery pruinosity. Fore tarsomeres 2 – 5 completely dark, tarsomere 1 mostly yellow to white but distally darkened; fore tibia dark. Mid and hind tibiae flattened and sulcate in basal half and cylindrical in distal half, basal half with a single row and distal half with a loose double row of small anterodorsal bristles. All femora uniformly pigmented, orange to dark brown. Wing almost entirely clear (P. rufipes (Fabricius, 1805) comb. nov.) or strongly banded (P. amazonicus Enderlein, 1922). Last (third) costal sector shorter than section of M between r-m and dm-cu. Anal cell long and tapered towards wing margin, entirely bare, surrounded by microtrichose areas; veins A 1 + CuA 2 and CuA 1 reaching wing margin. ABDOMEN. Male abdomen with P 1 – 2 dark but without an obvious pleural sac, pleuron otherwise mostly pale except along dorsal margin. FEMALE TERMINALIA. Ventral receptacle small. Two large spermathecae on an elongate single duct arising centrally on a small, compact bursa copulatrix. MALE TERMINALIA. S 5 with genital fork large, divided into two short, thick, relatively straight arms; inner face of each arm densely packed with dense, short, stout spines. S 6 small, bare, shining; epandrium short; cercus large. Basiphallus small, distinct from base of distiphallus. Distiphallus short, broad and dorsoventrally flattened, terminating in a very large and complex phallic bulb, distal distiphallus absent. Hypandrium broad and scoop-like anteriorly, with a well-developed and dorsally complete dorsal bridge connecting to anterior margin of phallic plate. Postgonite minute, inconspicuous.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
D431E23BFFAD6667FF19FD9EE3063806.taxon	materials_examined	(Table 1).	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFAC666FFD93F806E4293BE4.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis Relatively robust Taeniapterinae (length 11 – 20 mm), colour orange to black. Frons with strongly differentiated but variably coloured frontal vitta anteriorly tapered to a point at or near anterior margin of frons. Third costal sector 0.5 – 0.7 × second costal sector, at least as long as section of M between r-m and dm-cu. Three or (rarely) four spermathecae. Distiphallus divided into basal distiphallus, phallic bulb and distal distiphallus. Dorsocentral bristles present or (rarely) absent, frontal bristles present or (rarely) absent.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFAC666FFD93F806E4293BE4.taxon	description	Description HEAD. Antenna with first flagellomere oval, about 1.2 × as long as wide; arista long-haired in basal ¾, bare or almost bare distally. Postocellar bristle absent. Inner vertical present, outer vertical present (most species) or absent (two species). Fronto-orbital bristles usually in two pairs, a small lower (frontal) pair on the margin of the midpoint of the frontal vitta and a larger upper (orbital) pair at or above the level of ocelli but one or both fronto-orbitals sometimes absent. Ocellar triangle closer to vertex than to anterior margin of frons. Palpus parallel sided with rounded apex, 3 – 6 × as long as wide, uniformly yellow to orange or (usually) darker on basal half. Frontal vitta flat to slightly elevated in front of ocelli, oval to teardrop-shaped, usually strongly tapered anteriorly and variably tapered posterior to ocelli. Lower face usually pale; subantennal depression and parafacial silvery microsetulose. THORAX. Prosternum bare or with sparse or dense setulae. Cervical sclerite variable, often centrally concave in female only. Postsutural dorsocentral bristles usually present as a single prescutellar pair (absent in some species). Scapular (suprahumeral) setae present or absent in one or both sexes, sometimes forming a strong cluster near anteromedial corner of postpronotum. Two notopleural bristles, anterior bristle usually relatively small (rarely absent). Supraalar and postalar bristles present. Katatergite convex but not distinctly swollen. Mid and hind femora often pale basally, hind femur, and usually mid femur, also with a median or distomedian pale ring. Mid and hind tibia weakly sulcate and often slightly flattened on basal third to half (more so on larger species), usually with sparse rows of small anterodorsal bristles. Wing clear or (usually) patterned, basal band present or absent, discal band usually prominently V-shaped or triangular but sometimes reduced to a spot or narrow band, preapical band present or absent, apex of wing usually at least weakly pigmented. Anal cell (= cell cup, cell cua) bare, not microsetulose like the rest of the wing membrane, long and tapered towards wing margin; veins A 1 + CuA 2 and CuA 1 reaching wing margin. ABDOMEN. Pleural membrane with conspicuous black markings, often sexually dimorphic and usually including a vertical band on P 2 and P 3 and extensive pigmentation on at least dorsal part of P 4, P 5, and P 6. Male pleuron often with an apparent pleural sac on P 1 – 2 and sometimes on P 4 – 5 (often difficult to discern on dry specimens). Middle abdominal tergites reduced or desclerotized in some species, tergal sclerotization sometimes sexually dimorphic. FEMALE TERMINALIA. Bursa copulatrix small, often with an elongate apical extension or common spermathecal duct apparently continuous with primary spermathecal duct; secondary duct usually arising laterally at or near base of primary duct; ventral receptacle very small or (usually) apparently absent. Three or (rarely) four spermathecae on two ducts, primary duct usually larger than secondary (single) duct (smaller in two species, equal in one) and ending in two spermathecae usually on distinctively developed stems often separated from the corresponding duct by extremely narrow, threadlike constrictions. Secondary or single duct normally leading to a single spermatheca without a distinct broad stem; single spermatheca usually much smaller than the primary or paired spermathecae but sometimes equal, rarely larger and different in form. Form of ducts and spermathecal dimensions variable between species. MALE TERMINALIA. S 5 with a prominent genital fork on a large base, arms usually finger-like but sometimes broad and scoop-like or elaborated with additional long or short processes. S 6 large, plate-like. Epandrium small, narrow and somewhat compressed. Cercus setose, simple and relatively prominent. Hypandrium with a band-like to broad and scoop-like anterior loop and a dorsally incomplete dorsal bridge, posterior arms of hypandrium bent dorsally at apex of anteroventral epandrial extension and extending to or almost to phallapodeme and anterolateral margin of phallic plate (thus forming a phallic guide); subepandrial sclerite often with sclerotized margins (= bacilliform sclerites); phallic plate well developed, usually striate. Postgonite small but distinct, usually broadly rounded, posteriorly spinulose and apically with a few anterior setulae. Basiphallus usually dome-like and shiny, often projecting conspicuously beyond base of distiphallus but sometimes barely differentiated from basal distiphallus. Basal distiphallus relatively broad and short, separated from a narrower distal distiphallus by a simple bipartite phallic bulb; phallic bulb usually comprising two overlapping chambers including a proximal chamber (a terminal swelling of the ejaculatory duct in the basal distiphallus) and a more heavily sclerotized and generally much smaller distal chamber usually continuous with the base of the distal distiphallus (Fig. 6 K); distal distiphallus long or short, with or without a terminal swelling or expanded (funnel-like) apex. Ejaculatory apodeme smaller than epandrium, sperm pump robust with large lateral lobes or apodemes.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFA5666DFDF0FD28E32839A1.taxon	description	Fig. 1	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFA5666DFDF0FD28E32839A1.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Holotype BRAZIL • ♀; Upper Amazon region; MNBG. Other material examined BRAZIL • 2 ♀♀; Amazon; H. W. Bates leg.; NHMUK (a third specimen apparently from the same series but with neither abdomen nor collector label has a handwritten label “ Parasphen amazonicus Enderlein ”). COLOMBIA • 1 ♀; Putumayo, Orito, Reserva Natural La Isla Escondida; 0.65547 ° N, 77.07302 ° W; 850 m a. s. l.; 18 Aug. 2024; Pollet and De Braekeleer leg.; sweep net; IAVH, Life on Trees: LOT 00 - 40018 / S 72. ECUADOR • 2 ♀♀, 1 ♂; Prov. Napo, Jatun Sacha Res., 6 km E of Misahualli; 1 ° 4 ′ S, 77 ° 37 ′ W; 450 m a. s. l.; 30 Apr. – 8 May 2002; S. A. Marshall leg.; varzea; DEBU (terminalia of male missing) • 1 ♀; Napo, Tiputini Biodiversity Station; May 2011; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU • 1 ♂; Napo, Tiputini Biodiversity Station, lot 2077, transect 8; 216 m a. s. l.; T. Erwin et al. leg.; insecticidal fogging of mostly green leaves, some with bryophytes or moss; USNM. PERU • 1 ♀; Prov. Loreto, Campamento San Jacinto; 175 – 215 m a. s. l.; Jun. 1993; R. Leschen leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀; Cuzco, Villa Carmen Field Station; 22 – 24 May 2011; Bennett and Razuri leg.; yellow pan traps; USNM.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFA5666DFDF0FD28E32839A1.taxon	description	Redescription (see generic description for head and thorax chaetotaxy) LENGTH. 17 – 18 mm. COLOUR (Fig. 1 A – B, E – F). Head almost entirely orange, epicephalon slightly darkened. Notum black to dark brown with metallic blue highlights; with a very narrow central strip flanked by narrow silver vittae and a transverse silver pruinose strip along suture. Legs, abdominal tergites and terminalia mostly dark brown to black, tarsomere one of foreleg white except at apex. Wing with an elongate-triangular basal band, a thick dark discal band, and lightly infuscated tip. FEMALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 1 G). Ventral receptacle very small, basally constricted and distally bulbous. Two spherical spermathecae on a single duct, with elongate stems studded with conspicuous tubercles on distal half. Spermathecal duct of uniform width, slightly narrower than stems and only slightly longer than stem + spermathecae. MALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 1 C – D). Genital fork with two short, thick, relatively straight arms; inner face of each arm with about 30 short, stout spines covering distal ¾ of arm but absent in V-shaped base of fork between arms. Distiphallus broad and relatively short, terminating in an elongate phallic bulb. Hypandrium with a scoop-like anterior bridge and a narrow dorsal bridge continuous with a broad, transverse striate phallic plate. Ejaculatory apodeme about half the size of the hypandrium, sperm pump robust.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFA5666DFDF0FD28E32839A1.taxon	discussion	Remarks This Amazonian species is distinguished from its only congener, Pa. rufipes comb. nov., by its dark legs and terminalia, distinctly banded wings, and the male and female genitalia (short genital fork, spherical spermathecae). Curran described a variety “ ruficauda ” for specimens from Guyana that he thought fit the description of Pa. amazonicus except for their reddish terminalia, but the distribution, habitus and the reddish terminalia of the specimens he examined were typical of Pa. rufipes Fabricius. Parasphen amazonicus ruficauda Curran, 1932 is therefore here treated as a junior synonym of Pa. rufipes and considered further under that species.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFA76673FE22FC4BE5CA3C54.taxon	description	Fig. 2	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFA76673FE22FC4BE5CA3C54.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Holotype of Parasphen rufipes BRAZIL? • ♀; “ America merid. ”; ZMUC. Holotype of Parasphen frontalis GUYANA (as BRITISH GUIANA) • ♀; Kartabo, Bartica District; 11 Mar. 1922; AMNH (not examined). Paratypes of Parasphen frontalis GUYANA (as BRITISH GUIANA) • 1 ♀; Parish; USNM • 1 ♀; Kamakusa, H. Long (Bequaert); USNM. Holotype (♂) and 2 paratypes (♀ ♂) of Parasphen amazonicus var. ruficauda GUYANA (as BRITISH GUIANA) • 1 ♀, 2 ♂♂; Kartabo; 26 – 27 Mar. and 28 May 1924; AMNH. Other material examined BRAZIL • 1 ♂; Prov. Benevides, Para; 1918; S. M. Klages leg.; CMNH • 1 specimen without abdomen; Para; H. W. Bates leg.; NHMUK. FRENCH GUIANA • 2 ♀♀; Prov. Mana River; May 1917; CMNH • 1 ♀; Prov. Barticon; 1961; USNM. GUYANA (as BRITISH GUIANA) • 5 specimens, one labelled as “ examined by Hennig 1937 ”; NHMUK • 2 ♀♀; Kartabo, Bartica District; A. L. Melander collection; USNM (one badly damaged with one leg and one wing).	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFA76673FE22FC4BE5CA3C54.taxon	description	Redescription (see generic description for head and thorax chaetotaxy) LENGTH. 15 – 16 mm. COLOUR (Fig. 2 B, E – G). Epicephalon and paracephalon shining brown to shining blue-black, contrasting sharply with orange frontal vitta. Notum dark with distinct metallic blue highlights around postpronotal lobe and forming a pair of narrow vittae flanking a central dark strip; pleuron reddish at least on ventral half. Legs, including at least basal half of fore femur and all of mid and hind femora, orange to reddish brown. Wing without distinct bands, entire wing transparent with a very faint discal band. Male terminalia, abdominal tergites posterior to T 2 and female oviscape orange. FEMALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 2 A). Bursa copulatrix small, ventral receptacle not visible. Two very large, elongate spermathecae, with an expanded and round-rimmed apex and tuberculate basal portion, stems thin and short connecting to a sclerotized U-shaped base. Duct long and simple. MALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 2 C – D). Genital fork with two short, thick, relatively straight arms; inner face of each arm flat and densely packed with about 70 short black spines, spinose area extending to base of arm; base of fork between arms with narrow cleft. Phallus subequal in length to epandrium, terminating in a very large phallic bulb; basal distiphallus with ventral sclerotization Y-shaped, phallic bulb between the arms of the Y. Hypandrium with a broad, ribbon-like sclerotized process connecting the posteromedial margin of the anterior hypandrium with the phallapodeme just anterior to the dorsal hypandrial bridge; anterior hypandrium broad and scoop-like. Phallic plate continuous with dorsal hypandrial bridge, broad, and densely transverse-striate. Ejaculatory apodeme large, similar in size to epandrium; sperm pump about ⅓ size of apodeme.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFA76673FE22FC4BE5CA3C54.taxon	discussion	Remarks Curran (1932) described two males and one female from Kartabo District, Guyana, as a new variety of Pa. amazonicus, stating that they agree with the description of Pa. amazonicus except that “ the apex of the abdomen and the genitalia of the male are reddish and the ovipositor of the female is reddish yellow ”. But those same characters are diagnostic for Pa. frontalis (a junior synonym of Pa. rufipes comb. nov.), which Cresson described two years earlier from the same locality (Kartabo District). Photographs of the type specimens of Parasphen amazonicus var. ruficauda (provided by David Grimaldi, AMNH) show all of the external diagnostic features of Pa. rufipes (wing with a diffuse discal band, femora and terminalia reddish brown to orange, epicephalon and paracephalon contrasting sharply in colour with upper frontal vitta). Parasphen amazonicus var. ruficauda is therefore here recognized as a synonym of Pa. rufipes. The terminalia of the only male specimen of Pa. rufipes available for dissection has a broad, ribbon-like sclerotized median process connecting the posteromedial margin of the anterior hypandrium with the phallapodeme, just anterior to the dorsal hypandrial bridge (Fig. 2 D, h + ph). This structure is probably homologous with the phallic guide of some other nerioids, including other micropezid subfamilies (McAlpine 1998) and some Ptilosphen, but more material is needed to confirm this.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFB96670FDEAF937E3F439DC.taxon	description	urn: lsid: zoobank. org: act: 8 B 8726 C 6 - FA 26 - 4 B 9 D- 9486 - 3 B 4 B 71180339 Fig. 3	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFB96670FDEAF937E3F439DC.taxon	etymology	Etymology This species name is a noun in apposition derived from the type locality.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFB96670FDEAF937E3F439DC.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Holotype COLOMBIA • ♂; Prov. Choco, Utria Natl. Pk., Boroboro; 6 ° 1 ′ 9 ″ N, 77 ° 20 ′ 55 ″ W; 10 m a. s. l.; 19 – 27 Jul. 2000; J. Pérez leg.; IAVH, debu 00402411. Paratypes COLOMBIA • 1 ♀; Prov. Choco, Utria National Park; 6 ° 1 ′ 9 ″ N, 77 ° 20 ′ 55 ″ W; 20 m a. s. l.; 7 – 28 Sep. 2000; J. Pérez leg.; IAVH • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; DEBU • 1 ♂; Choco, Parque Nacionales Naturales Utria Cocalito; 26 Dec. 2000 – 1 Feb. 2001; J. Perez leg.; IAVH • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; 30 Jul. – 16 Aug. 2000; IAVH • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; 50 m a. s. l.; 5 – 19 Jul. 2000; Malaise trap; IAVH • 1 ♀; same data as for preceeding; 0 – 10 m a. s. l.; IAVH • 2 ♀♀, 4 ♂♂; Prov. Valle del Cauca, Farallones de Cali Alto, Anchicaya; 3 ° 26 N, 76 ° 48 W; 730 m a. s. l.; Jan. – Sep. 2000; S. Sarria leg.; Malaise traps; IAVH • 3 ♀♀, 3 ♂♂; same data as preceding; sequence MYCRO 958 - 22; DEBU • 1 ♀; Aljibes, Providencia, cf. 33 km SW of Zaragosa, Antioquia; 22 Dec. 1970; “ Bench B ”; USNM.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFB96670FDEAF937E3F439DC.taxon	description	Description LENGTH. 14 – 15 mm. COLOUR (Fig. 3 A, C – E, G – H). Dark shiny blue-black to brown except as follows: frontal vitta dull orange, darkened towards anterior margin and well defined; frontal plate dull reddish brown; ocellar triangle, epicephalon and paracephalon dark reddish brown, shiny except for a microtrichose area between inner vertical bristles and on postocciput. Palpus yellow in apical third, otherwise brown; scape, first flagellomere, lunule and face orange; subantennal depression brown; clypeus black and entirely setulose. Notum mostly silvery pruinose with an incomplete central brown vitta and blue highlights dorsally, black laterally. Fore tarsomeres 1 – 3 white, distal two tarsomeres pale brown; foreleg otherwise dark brown. Mid tarsus and tibia brown; mid and hind femora brown with white rings at distal third; mid femur with a white base 1 – 3 × width of femur, hind femur with white ring 2 – 4 × width of femur; hind tibia and tarsus brown. Wing with a broadly triangular complete discal band, a narrow and staggered preapical band, and an infuscated apex. Abdominal tergites dark brown with patterns of silvery pruinosity as follows: female with T 1 – 2 silvery except for a bare triangle with truncate points touching the middle of the hind margin and the middle of the side margins of the syntergite, T 3 and T 4 silvery along anterior margins, T 5 silvery on anterior and posterior margins, T 6 entirely silvery, oviscape brown, mostly silvery pruinose except for a narrow bare dorsal strip and a bare, shiny apical fifth; male tergites similar but S 8 and epandrium entirely pruinose. Abdominal P 1 of female brown on anterior half, P 2 entirely black except for posterior margin, P 3 mostly black except for anterior margin, black area of P 3 continuous with black area of P 4 dorsally; P 4 with a broad band on upper half only, P 5 – 6 entirely black. Male pleural pigmentation similar to female on segments 1 – 3, P 4 – 5 with dense white microsetulosity covering ventral ⅔ of pleuron. HEAD. Two fronto-orbital bristles, upper (orbital) large. Frontal vitta gradually tapered to a point both anteriorly and posteriorly, 0.6 × as wide as frons at maximum width, postocellar part narrow. Outer vertical bristle present. THORAX. Prosternum bare except for minute scattered setulae. Cervical sclerite finely microtrichose except at anterior margin; female with centre part of cervical sclerite depressed and pit-like, posterior part slightly but distinctly convex; male cervical sclerite with centre and posterior parts almost uniformly convex. Scapular setae not differentiated from anterior dorsocentral setulae. Postpronotum microsetulose dorsally, bare laterally, with a few scattered setulae. Two notopleural bristles, anterior 0.5 × as long as posterior. Katepisternum with one vertical row of strong setae preceded by a vertical row of about 6 fine lower setae and scattered small, fine and pale upper setae. Dorsocentral bristle present. FEMALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 3 B). Three spermathecae; paired spermathecae on a very long, uniform-width primary duct arising from the apex of an elongate common duct; apex of primary duct slightly swollen where it divides into two long, sinuate stems each ending in an elongate funnel-shaped and strongly recurved spermatheca. Secondary spermathecal duct arising from side of common duct, smaller and shorter than primary duct, ending in a very small acorn-shaped spermatheca. MALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 3 E – H). Genital fork with two pairs of long arms separated by a basal cluster of 6 – 8 stout teeth, upper arm strongly arched downward and with a few short dark distal teeth; lower arm shorter but almost reaching distal tip of upper arm, with dark teeth forming a double row along mesal surface. Basiphallus small, projecting slightly beyond distiphallus base. Basal distiphallus broad, subequal in length to epandrium, distal distiphallus very long, threadlike and extending anteriorly beyond phallapodeme, apparently reaching anterior apex of hypandrium. Anterior bridge of hypandrium elongate. Phallic bulb small, about half the distal width of the basal distiphallus, with proximal chamber oval and twice as large as the distal chamber. Postgonite very small and short, with a broad, posteriorly spinulose apex and a few small setulae on anterior surface.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFB96670FDEAF937E3F439DC.taxon	discussion	Remarks Ptilosphen boroboro Marshall sp. nov. is closely related to the Central American species Pt. gentilis Cresson, 1830, which also has a four-armed genital fork. In Pt. gentilis, however, the lower arms are much less than half as long as the upper arms, in contrast to the relatively long lower arms of Pt. boroboro. Both species resemble the South American Pt. facetus Enderlein, 1922 in external features other than pigmentation of the fore tarsus.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFBA6675FE48FBBEE5E13DA6.taxon	description	Figs 4 – 5	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFBA6675FE48FBBEE5E13DA6.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Syntypes of Calobata callichroma “ MEXICO ” • 2 ♂♂; OXUM (photographs provided by Zoe Simmons). Holotype of Pt. albibasis MEXICO • ♀; Oaxaca, Deppe; MNBG. Lectotype of Pt. viriolatus (here designated) GUATEMALA • ♂; Tumbador; 12 Nov. 1912; Riedel leg.; MNBG. (Both syntypes of Pt. viriolatus were examined in MNBG in 2002 but only the above Guatemala specimen was photographed and sketched. The second specimen, from Costa Rica, was noted as damaged. The specimen from Guatemala is therefore here treated as lectotype). Other material examined Typical form (linear wing band) BELIZE • 3 ♀♀, 2 ♂♂; Prov. San Ignacio, Maya Mtn. Lodge; Jan. 1991; S. A. Marshall leg.; dung trap; DEBU • 1 ♀; 1 ♂; Middlesex; 125 m a. s. l.; 8 Apr. 1965; E. C. Welling leg.; CNCI. GUATEMALA • 1 spec. (no abdomen); Puente Samala, J. Bml. NB. San Felipao; 25 Jul. 1966; K. U. Survey Course leg.; SNOW. MEXICO • 1 ♀, 4 ♂♂; Prov. Chiapas, Yaxoquintela; 560 m a. s. l.; Sep. 1978; J. E. Rawlins leg.; CMNH • 2 ♀♀; Prov. Veracruz, 33 km NE of Catemaco, Los Tuxtlas Biol. Stn; 160 m a. s. l.; Jul. – Aug. 1983; S. and J. Peck leg.; CMNH • 3 ♂♂; Veracruz, 32 km N of Catemaco UNAM Preserve; 4 – 9 Jan. 1982; E. M. May leg.; Malaise trap; SNOW • 1 ♂; Veracruz, Cordoba; 13 Aug. 1964; P. J. Spangler leg.; USNM • 2 ♀♀, 6 ♂♂; Sontecompan; Jun. 1969; W. R. M. Mason leg.; CNCI • 1 ♂; Sontecompan; Jun. 1969; B. V. Peterson leg.; CNCI • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; Sontecompan, U. Mex. Biol. Res; 400 ft a. s. l.; Jun. 1969; W. R. M. Mason leg.; CNCI • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; Catemaco; 1100 ft a. s. l.; Jun. 1969; W. R. M. Mason leg.; CNCI • 1 ♂; Chiapas, Palenque; 600 ft a. s. l.; 22 – 23 Jun. 1969; W. R. M. Mason leg.; CNCI • 1 ♀; Chiapas, Palenque Ruins; 23 Jun. 1969; B. V. Peterson leg.; CNCI • 1 ♀; Veracruz, Lake Catemaco; 18 Jun. 1969; B. V. Peterson leg.; CNCI • 1 ♀; Guererra, near Tierra Colorado; 29 May 1963; USNM. Costa Rican form (broad wing band) COSTA RICA • 1 ♂; Guanacaste, ACG, Pailas Dos; 9 – 16 Feb. 2017; D. Janzen and W. Halwachs leg.; BIOUG • 1 ♂; same data as preceding; 6 – 13 Jun. 2019; BIOUG • 1 ♂; same data as preceding; 16 – 23 Jan. 2020; BIOUG • 8 ♀♀, 1 ♂; Heredia, Estac. Biol. La Selva; 1993 – 1995; Malaise trap; CO 1 specimen DEBU 0554; INBC • 2 ♀♀, 1 ♂; Rara Aves Nat. Res., 12 km S of Las Horquetas; 10 ° 17 ′ 0 ″ N, 84 ° 2 ′ 50 ″ W; 700 m a. s. l.; Feb. 2005; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; same data as preceding; MNCR • 3 ♀♀, 2 ♂♂; Santo Domingo; Oct. 1999; S. A. Marshall and M. Buck leg.; DEBU • 3 ♂♂; Sto. Domingo, INBioParque; 19 Aug. 2001; S. A. Marshall leg.; CO 1 specimen DEBUA 289 - 17; DEBU • 6 ♀♀; Pandora, Estrella Valley; Mar. 1984; G. V. Manley and H. F. Howden leg.; DEBU • 4 ♀♀; San José, Pérez Zeledon, Rivas; 820 m a. s. l.; Dec. 1998 – Jan. 1999; B. D. Gill leg.; DEBU • 3 ♀♀; Alajuela, Volcan Tenorio, N Slope, trail to laguna; 800 – 900 m a. s. l.; Jun. 2000; S. A. Marshall leg.; rainforest; DEBU • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; Prov. Puntarenas, Corcovado Natl. Pk, San Pedrillo; 8 ° 37 ′ 15 ″ N, 83 ° 44 ′ 6 ″ W; 5 – 50 m a. s. l.; Aug. 2001; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀, 2 ♂♂; Punta Leona, forest around hotel; Feb. 2001; P. D. Careless leg.; DEBU • 1 ♂; San Vito, Las Cruces; 1200 m a. s. l.; Jul. 1983; B. Gill leg.; CNCI • 1 ♀; Prov. Turrialba; 640 m a. s. l.; Oct. 1981; R. Davidson leg.; CMNH • 2 ♂♂; Prov. Guanacaste; 700 m a. s. l.; 1994; C. Moraga leg.; DEBU • 1 ♂; Cacao; 750 m a. s. l.; Feb. 1996, S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU • 1 ♂; Prov. Cartago; 1100 m a. s. l.; Oct. 1994; G. Fonseca leg.; DEBU • 2 ♀♀, 1 ♂; Prov. Alejuela, Soltis Research Centre; 10 ° 22 ′ 59 ″ N, 84 ° 37 ′ 3 ″ 27 Apr. – 12 May 2018; S. A. Marshall and S. M. Paiero leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; same data as preceding; 26 Apr. – 13 May 2022; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU • 3 ♀♀; Tapanti National Park; 8 Aug. 2013; S. A. Marshall leg.; MNCR • 2 ♀♀, 1 ♂; San Jose, Farm La Caja; 1942; H. Schmidt leg.; USNM.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFBA6675FE48FBBEE5E13DA6.taxon	description	Redescription LENGTH. 12 – 14 mm. COLOUR (Figs 4, 5 A – E, H). Body mostly pale orange. Frontal vitta and frontal plate reddish to dark brown. Lunule orange; clypeus microtrichose, sparsely so medially, yellow except for a dark basal median patch. Palpus pale yellow, white along apical margin. Pleuron with a broad vertical white pollinose band on posterior half of anepisternum. Fore tarsomeres 4 and 5 completely dark, tarsomere 3 variable but usually mostly dark, tarsomeres 1 and 2 white; fore tibia brown; fore femur yellow basally, dark brown distally. Mid tarsus and tibia brown; mid femur orange-brown with basal and medial white rings 1 – 2 × width of femur, margins of rings usually distinctly darkened. Hind femur orange-brown with basal white ring 3 – 4 × width of femur and medial white ring 2 × width of femur; hind tibia brown; hind tarsomeres 2 – 5 brown, tarsomere 1 white. Abdomen with T 1 + 2 microtrichose except for a bare posteromedial patch, T 1 pale; T 2 darker, with black posterior corner; T 3 – 4 brown, microtrichose on basal half only; pleural pigmentation distinct: P 1 pale, P 2 almost entirely black except for anterior margin, P 3 with a black band covering posterior half, and upper part of P 4 – 5 with dark area increasing in extent towards posterior margin. Oviscape brown dorsally and apically, yellow laterally. HEAD. Frontal vitta convex, broadly tapered anteriorly and narrowly tapered posteriorly, 0.4 × width of frons at maximum. Outer vertical bristle present. THORAX. Prosternum microsetulose and with a few fine setae along anterior margin. Cervical sclerite in both sexes prominent, elevated but not bilobed, narrowest posteriorly. Scapular setae very small to absent. Katepisternum with one main posterior row of strong yellow bristles, setae anterior to row fine and pale. Dorsocentral bristle present. Wing with discal band transverse, parallel-sided and narrow in typical form, more triangular in Costa Rican specimens; apex of wing indistinctly pigmented. FEMALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 5 G). Single and paired or primary spermathecae similar in size and shape, expanded apically; primary duct arising from apex of bursa extension or common duct and conspicuously broad, 4 – 5 × as wide and twice as long as single (secondary) duct; primary spermathecal stems long and sinuate, greatly constricted at base; single spermathecal stem greatly reduced. Single spermathecal duct arising just before apex of long common duct or thin extension of the bursa. MALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 5 E – F). Inner face of each genital fork arm with short, stout spines forming a loose cluster of 6 – 7 around mid point and a tight cluster of 3 – 4 at base; apex of each arm with or without a single inner short spine; base of fork between arms with a deep V-shaped cleft. Basiphallus prominent, projecting posteriorly as a rounded lobe. Distiphallus longer than epandrium, distal distiphallus straight, half as wide and twice as long as basal distiphallus, apex expanded into a broad funnel with a central seta-like process. Anterior bridge of hypandrium short and scoop-like. Phallic bulb weakly differentiated, with distal chamber only slightly smaller than proximal chamber. Ejaculatory apodeme similar in size to epandrium.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFBA6675FE48FBBEE5E13DA6.taxon	discussion	Remarks Ptilosphen callichroma was treated as a junior synonym of Pt. cyaneiventris by Enderlein (1922), Hennig (1934) and Steyskal (1968) but syntypes of Pt. callichroma in OXUM seem to be conspecific with types of Pt. albibasis Enderlein, 1922 and Pt. viriolatus Enderlein, 1922 rather than Pt. cyaneiventris. Hennig (1934: 315) separated Pt. albibasis from Pt. viriolatus (and Pt. cyaneiventris) on the basis of the more extensive basal white ring on its hind femur, but the proportions of the white parts of the hind femur vary intraspecifically and have similar dimensions in the types of Pt. albibasis and Pt. viriolatus (it is usually narrower in Pt. cyaneiventris). Ptilosphen cyaneiventris also differs from Pt. callichroma in wing pigmentation and other characters, but the two species are closely related and show as sister species on the CO 1 trees (Fig. 30). Specimens of Ptilosphen callichroma from Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras have a characteristic wing pigmentation in which the discal band is narrow and straight, almost parallel-sided, and never tapered anteriorly; they also usually have a reddish brown frontal vitta. Specimens from Costa Rica, where Pt. callichroma is arguably the most frequently encountered micropezid species, have the discal band tapered anteriorly to form a more or less triangular band, and usually have a darker frontal vitta. Male and female genitalia of these geographical variants are identical and both variants barcode in a single BIN; they are therefore treated as a single species.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFBA6675FE48FBBEE5E13DA6.taxon	materials_examined	(Table 1).	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFB16678FD87FE84E4053931.taxon	description	Fig. 6	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFB16678FD87FE84E4053931.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Holotype of Ptilosphen comis GUYANA • ♂; Kamakusa; H. Lang leg.; ANSP. Paratypes of Ptilosphen comis GUYANA (as BRITISH GUIANA) • 2 ♀♀; same data as for holotype (not examined); ANSP. Other material examined BOLIVIA • 3 ♀♀; Prov. S. Inicua, Riv. Alto Beni; 1100 m a. s. l.; Jan. 1976; L. Peña leg.; CNCI. BRAZIL • 1 ♀, 3 ♂♂ (see Remarks); Prov. Roraima, Serra Pacaraima, BR- 174; 4 ° 27 ′ 04 ″ N, 61 ° 07 ′ 56 ″ W; 800 m a. s. l.; 1 – 7 Sep. 1995; J. A. Rafael, A. L. Henriques and J. Vidal leg.; arm, Malaise; INPA. COLOMBIA • 4 ♀♀, 1 ♂; Prov. Amazonas, Leticia; 185 m a. s. l.; Feb. 1972; P. Ward and A. Forsyth leg.; CNCI. ECUADOR • 13 ♀♀, 8 ♂♂; Prov. Napo, Jatun Sacha Res., 6 km E of Misahualli; 1 ° 4 ′ S, 77 ° 37 ′ W; 450 m a. s. l.; Apr. – May 2002; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU • 13 ♀♀, 8 ♂♂; same data as for preceding; QCAZ • 2 ♀♀; same data as for preceeding; S. M. Paiero leg.; QCAZ • 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; J. Boone leg.; QCAZ • 1 ♂; same data as for preceeding; J. Lapierre leg.; QCAZ • 1 ♀; same data as for preceeding; T. Eles leg.; QCAZ • 1 ♀; same data as for preceeding; J. Steiner leg.; QCAZ • 1 ♂; same data as for preceeding; C. Thickett leg.; QCAZ • 4 ♀♀, 1 ♂; Yasuni Ntl. Pk, Yasuni Research Station; Apr. – May 2009; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU • 5 ♀♀; same data as for preceding; QCAZ; 1 ♀; same data as for preceeding; M. Morno leg; CO 1 specimen DEBUA 310 - 17; DEBU • 2 ♂♂; same as for preceeding; D. Verkindt leg.; QCAZ; 2 ♀♀, 3 ♂♂; same as for preceeding; M. D. Jackson leg.; DEBU • 2 ♀♀; Yasuni Ntl. Pk, Yasuni Research Station; 0 ° 38 ′ S, 76 ° 36 ′ W; Nov. 1998; T. Pape and B. Viklund leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀, 2 ♂♂; Tiputini Biodiv. Stn, vic. Yasuni Ntl. Pk.; Feb. 1998; D. C. Darling leg.; ROME • 1 ♀; Res. Ethnica Waorani, 1 km S of Onkone Gare Camp; 0 ° 39 ′ 10 ″ S, 76 ° 26 ′ 0 ″ W; Oct. 1994; T. L. Erwin leg.; USNM • 2 ♀♀, 1 ♂; Napo, vicinity of Misahualli; 1 ° 2 ′ S, 77 ° 40 ′ W; 27 – 31 Oct. 2002; E. M. Fisher leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀; Coca; 250 m a. s. l.; May 1965; L. Peña leg.; CNCI. FRENCH GUIANA • 1 ♀; Regina, Kaw Kaw Mtns., Point Rd 30; 3 – 27 Mar. 2007; K. Sarv leg.; rainforest / plantations Malaise trap; DEBU • 1 ♀; Cayenne, Kaw Mt., Relaise de Patawa; 300 m a. s. l.; Feb. 2006; Malaise; J. A. Cerda leg.; CO 1 specimen MYCRO 944 - 22; DEBU. GUYANA • 6 ♀♀, 6 ♂♂; Potaro-Siparuni, Mount Wokomung; 21 – 26 Oct. 2004; B. Hubley leg.; dung trap in primary forest; CO 1 specimens MYCRO 941 - 22; DEBU • 6 ♀♀, 7 ♂♂; same data as for preceding; ROME .. PERU • 1 ♀, 2 ♂♂; Prov. Loreto; 175 – 300 m a. s. l.; Jul. 1993; R. Leschen leg.; DEBU • 6 ♀♀, 4 ♂♂; Cusco, Villa Carmen Biological Station; Oct. 2012 – Apr. 2014; Norrbom, Steck, Sutton, Rodriguez, Choque, Forster leg.; Malaise traps and multilure traps; USNM • 1 ♂; Puculpa; 14 Dec. 1950; Schunke leg.; USNM • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; Madre de Dios, Tambopata; 16 Aug. 1982; J. Anderson leg.; human feces; USNM • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; Loreto, Campamento San Jacinto; 175 – 215 m a. s. l.; 4 and 11 Jul. 1993; R. Leschen leg.; flight intercept trap; DEBU. VENEZUELA • 1 ♀; Akuriman, Gran Sabana EB; Nov. – Dec. 1940; USNM.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFB16678FD87FE84E4053931.taxon	description	Redescription (from topotypic material, variation noted below) LENGTH. 10 – 15 mm, usually 14 – 15 mm. COLOUR (Fig. 6 A – D, G). Frons reddish, epicephalon and frontal vitta pruinose and varying from orange to dark reddish brown; epicephalon shining. Lunule orange, face and parafacial white to silvery pruinose. Clypeus brown, entirely microsetulose. Palpus yellow-brown distally, darker basally. Thorax and abdomen black to dark brown, notum indistinctly vittate with narrow central reddish strip separating broader silvery vittae, pleuron with extensive pruinosity forming diffuse vertical bands, anterior part of katepisternum and anepisternum bare. Legs mostly brown, mid and hind femora with basal white bands and distomedian white bands (often indistinct or absent on mid femur), basal white band usually twice as long as distomedian band. Fore tarsus entirely white, with white setulae on tarsomeres 1 – 2, black setulae on tarsomeres 4 – 5 and at least ventral side of tarsomere 3 (distal tarsomeres thus appearing dark). All coxae black with a heavy white pruinosity; fore trochanter and femur uniformly brown-black. Wing with a large, distinctly triangular discal wing band, anterior corner of discal band extending to costa; apical pigmentation diffuse but extensive. Abdominal tergites dark brown to blue-black, entirely pruinose. Abdominal pleuron boldly banded in black and white, with narrowly separated complete black bands on P 1 and P 2, P 3 with dark area tapering ventrally from posterior part of T 3, the P 3 band complete and narrow in males, broader, incomplete and often continuous with the P 4 – 6 pigmentation in females; P 4 – 6 usually with dorsal pigmentation and sometimes entirely pigmented. Oviscape brown with darker apex, microsetulose except for apex and at least basal dorsal area. HEAD. Two fronto-orbital bristles, upper strong. Anterior frontal vitta mostly parallel-sided, abruptly tapered to anterior frontal margin, half as wide as frons at maximum width. Postocellar frontal vitta broad, almost parallel sided. Outer vertical bristle present. THORAX. Prosternum microsetulose, with a few inconspicuous fine setulae along anterior margin. Cervical sclerite broad, posterior part convex, indistinctly microsetulose. Postpronotum bare or almost so. Two notopleural bristles, anterior slightly smaller. Dorsocentral bristle present. FEMALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 6 E). Oviscape elongate triangular and slightly longer than T 4 – 6, strongly flattened in dried specimens. Paired spermathecae elongate goblet-shaped, apically flat and normally invaginate; stems and spermathecal base thick and studded with short protuberances; single spermatheca smaller, with a short, simple stem. Ducts and stems separated by a short, inconspicuous constriction. Spermathecal ducts long, thin, parallel-sided, ringed by transverse striae; single duct ½ as long as and slightly narrower than primary duct; ducts arising at apex of long common duct or thin extension of the bursa. MALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 6 F, H – K). Arms of genital fork long, thin, inwardly arched with fine hairs along entire outer surface; inner face of arms with about 12 small stout spines on distal half; inner basal lobes subquadrate and each with an apical compact cluster of stout spines; base of fork with deep, narrowly U-shaped cleft (cleft V-shaped in Ecuadorian specimens examined). Epandrium long and narrow, twice as long as high. Basiphallus prominent, projecting posteriorly as a rounded lobe. Basal distiphallus very short, dorsoventrally flattened, about half as long as epandrium and less than a third as long as the narrow, cylindrical and transverse striate distal distiphallus. Phallic bulb small, proximal chamber twice as large as distal chamber. Anterior bridge of hypandrium short scoop-like. Phallic plate with transverse rows of minute microtrichiae. Postgonite small but bulbous, with three minute setulae anteroventrally, posterior surface evenly covered with minute bumps. Ejaculatory apodeme unusually small, only slightly larger than sperm pump, sperm pump with broad, flat lateral extensions.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFB16678FD87FE84E4053931.taxon	discussion	Remarks The widespread and common South American Pt. comis exhibits considerable variability in head and leg pigmentation but can be reliably recognized, at least to the species complex level, by the solid triangular discal wing band in combination with the red or reddish brown frontal plate. The redescription above is based on material from Guyana (type locality) and French Guiana; specimens from other countries differ slightly in female pleural pigmentation, male genital fork shape, size, and head colour. Andean specimens (15 mm in length) are slightly larger than specimens from Guyana (14 mm) and Ecuadorian specimens have a V-shaped cleft between the inner basal lobes of the genital fork, in contrast with the almost parallel-sided cleft of other specimens. The four specimens examined from Brazil are significantly smaller, at about 10 mm. All specimens dissected were uniform for the characteristic spermathecal characters and for details of the internal male genitalia. The CO 1 analysis shows members of the complex on a single branch, with specimens from different countries in three different BINS (Fig. 30). They are treated as a single named species here although “ Pt. comis ” is probably a species complex. More material is needed to reconsider the status of the Andean and Brazilian populations relative to the typical northeastern South American populations. In the meantime, “ Pt. comis ” is an easily diagnosed clade.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFB16678FD87FE84E4053931.taxon	materials_examined	(Table 1) • (Table 1) • (Table 1).	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFB2667DFD9CFCD4E4293865.taxon	description	Fig. 7	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFB2667DFD9CFCD4E4293865.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Lectotype (here designated) PANAMA • ♀; Bugaba; 800 – 1500 ft. a. s. l.; Champion leg.; NHMUK (labelled as “ cotype ”, B. C. A. [Biologia Centrali-Americana] Dipt. II Calobata conveniens). Paralectotypes PANAMA • 4 ♂♂, one partial specimen (sex unknown); same label data as for lectotype; NHMUK. Other material examined COSTA RICA • 2 ♂♂; Prov. Puntarenas, Osa Pen., Corcovado Natl. Pk; 500 – 600 m a. s. l.; Aug. 1996; Pape and Viklund leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; Osa Peninsula, 2.5 km S of Rincon; 8 ° 42 ′ 1 ″ N, 83 ° 30 ′ 50 ″ W; Aug. 2001; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU • 1 ♂; Drake; 8 ° 41 ′ 25 ″ N, 83 ° 40 ′ 3 ″ W; 5 m a. s. l.; Aug. 2001; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀; Corcovado Natl. Pk, San Pedrillo; 8 ° 37 ′ 15 ″ N, 83 ° 44 ′ 6 ″ W; 5 – 50 m a. s. l.; Aug. 2001; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀; P. N. Corcovado, Sirena; Jan. 2000; P. Oritz leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀; Projecto Campaniero de Osa, N of San Pedrillo; Feb. 2005; P. Careless leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀; Prov. Puntarenas, Fila Matajambre Osa; 300 – 740 m a. s. l.; May 1994; M. A. Zumbado leg.; INBC • 1 ♂; Estacion Sirena; 1 – 100 m a. s. l.; Mar. 1995; M. A. Zumbado leg.; INBC • 1 ♂; Prov. San José, Carlos, Rios Paraiso Reserve, Pecari Stn, 16 km NNE of Quepos; 9 ° 33 ′ 53 ″ N, 84 ° 7 ′ 32 ″ W; 400 m a. s. l.; 12 – 15 Apr. 2006; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; 15 Feb. 2003; DEBU • 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; 22 – 27 Feb. 2006; MNCR • 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; 23 – 26 Feb. 2006; S. M. Paiero leg.; CO 1 specimen MYCRO 957 - 22; DEBU • 2 ♀♀, 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; MNCR ..	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFB2667DFD9CFCD4E4293865.taxon	discussion	Note Wulp (1897) indicated that he described a female but also examined four males and another female. There are six specimens labelled as cotypes in the NHMUK. Four specimens are males, one specimen is damaged beyond recognition (one leg, no head, no abdomen), and one specimen is a relatively intact female that also has only one leg (left foreleg), but which shows the characteristic abdominal pigmentation. The intact female (illustrated in Fig. 7) is presumably the one used for Wulp’s description, and is therefore here designated as lectotype.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFB2667DFD9CFCD4E4293865.taxon	description	Redescription LENGTH. 12 – 13 mm. COLOUR (Fig. 7 A – E). Dark shiny blue-black except as follows: frontal vitta dull orange and well defined, frontal plate shiny orange; ocellar triangle, epicephalon and paracephalon reddish brown with a microtrichose area between inner vertical bristles and on postocciput. Palpus yellow and antenna orange, clypeus and face pale, clypeus entirely pale setulose. Fore tarsomeres 3 – 5 yellowish white to light brown, tarsomeres 1 and 2 white; fore tibia dark brown; fore femur white to yellow basally and dark brown distally. Mid tarsus and tibia brown; mid and hind femora brown with medial white rings and a reddish apex; mid femur with a white base 1 – 3 × width of femur, hind femur with white ring 2 – 4 × width of femur; hind tibia brown; hind tarsomeres 2 – 5 brown, tarsomere 1 pale ventrally. Wing with transverse basal and preapical bands and triangular discal band. Female abdomen with tergites dark except for pale posterior half of T 2 and pale and unsclerotized T 3 – 4; P 1 with a narrow vertical white stripe, upper half of P 3 – 4 extensively yellow to white so that side of abdomen seems to have large white spot continuous with the pale middle tergites. Male tergites uniformly dark but pleuron with vertical black and white stripes: P 1 brown on anterior half, otherwise white, P 2 with a broad black band, P 3 with a narrow black band on posterior half, and P 4 – 5 dark dorsally. HEAD. Two pairs of fronto-orbital bristles, upper pair large. Frontal vitta gradually tapered to a point both anteriorly and posteriorly, maximum width half of frontal width. Outer vertical bristle normally absent (present on one side on one specimen), inner vertical bristles usually present and single but doubled on one female specimen. THORAX. Prosternum anteriorly with dense golden setulae. Cervical sclerite densely microsculptured and microtrichose except at margin, centre part strongly differentiated, white and prominent in female, weakly convex and brown in male. Female with 2 – 3 inconspicuous scapular setae in a more or less transverse row, male with scapular setae not differentiated from anterior dorsocentral setulae. Postpronotum with a few scattered setulae. Two notopleural bristles, anterior 0.5 × as long as posterior. Katepisternum with one vertical row of strong setae preceded by a vertical row in which only the lower six setae are long and dark, and the upper setae are small, fine and pale. Dorsocentral bristles absent. FEMALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 7 I). Three spermathecae similar in size but different in shape and surface sculpture, primary and secondary ducts arising together at apex of bursa extension or common duct; primary duct long with basal ⅔ greatly expanded and distal third narrow and parallel sided, with paired spermathecae smooth and oval, each on a narrow and distally expanded stem about as long as spermatheca. Secondary (single) duct slightly shorter than primary spermathecal duct and ⅓ as wide as basal ⅔ of primary spermathecal duct, base of duct threadlike, greatly constricted; single spermatheca broader than paired spermathecae, rough-surfaced, flattened and irregularly anvil-shaped. MALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 7 F – H). Genital fork with two short, thin, arched arms with fine hairs along entire inner and outer surface; inner face of arms with short, small spines extending entire length of arm and in two compact basal clusters; base with shallow groove. Basiphallus prominent, projecting posteriorly as a rounded lobe. Distiphallus shorter than phallapodeme; basal distiphallus short; distal distiphallus long and thin, narrower and twice as long as basal distiphallus, with weak transverse striations and expanded goblet-like apex. Phallic bulb broad, clearly divided into long proximal chamber and short distal chamber. Anterior bridge of hypandrium long, tongue-like. Postgonite very small and short, with a round and weakly spinulose apex.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFB2667DFD9CFCD4E4293865.taxon	discussion	Remarks Ptilosphen conveniens, known from Costa Rica and Panama, and the South American species Pt. tetrastigma (Schiner, 1868) and Pt. inconveniens Marshall sp. nov. all show similar sexual dimorphism in abdominal colour and sclerotization. Females of Pt. tetrastigma have T 3 – 4 white in contrast to adjacent black-banded pleurae; however, while Pt. conveniens and Pt. inconveniens have a similar large white pleural area adjacent to a desclerotized or pale T 3 (Pt. inconveniens) or T 3 – 4 (Pt. conveniens). This seems to be convergent similarity; however, since several characters (the absence of outer vertical and dorsocentral bristles, the distinct narrow preapical wing band, and the unusual spermathecal complex with a swollen duct and an anvil-shaped single spermatheca) suggest a closer relationship between Pt. conveniens and Pt. dellarum Marshall sp. nov. This relationship is recovered in the neighbour-joining tree (Fig. 30) but not the maximum likelihood tree. Ptilosphen conveniens is a Central American species, and there are no verified records from South America. According to Hennig (1934) the female specimens of Pt. conveniens recorded by Enderlein (1922) from Brazil are Pt. comis.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFB2667DFD9CFCD4E4293865.taxon	materials_examined	(Table 1).	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFB76642FD9CFD07E2BF3B91.taxon	description	urn: lsid: zoobank. org: act: 8525 D 018 - 64 FD- 46 F 2 - 929 E-BE 1912575061 Fig. 8	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFB76642FD9CFD07E2BF3B91.taxon	etymology	Etymology The species name refers to the stout male genital fork (Lat. ‘ crassus ’ = ‘ fat’).	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFB76642FD9CFD07E2BF3B91.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Holotype ECUADOR • ♂; Prov. Napo, Jatun Sacha Res., 6 km E of Misahualli; 1 ° 4 ′ S, 77 ° 37 ′ W; 450 m a. s. l.; 30 Apr. – 8 May 2002; S. A. Marshall leg.; varzea; QCAZ. Paratypes ECUADOR • 9 ♀♀, 10 ♂♂; same data as for holotype; QCAZ • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; M. Buck leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; 2 – 7 May 2002; M. Buck leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; 5 May 2002; M. Buck leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; 4 May 2002; M. Buck leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; 2 May 2002; O. Lonsdale leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; 30 Apr. – 7 May 2002; Buck et al. leg.; landslide in forest, Malaise; DEBU • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; 1 – 2 May 2002; Buck and Lonsdale leg.; dung pans; DEBU • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; 7 May 2002; S. A. Marshall leg.; tower trail; DEBU • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; same data as for holotype; S. M. Paiero leg.; DEBU • 2 ♀♀; same data as for holotype; Z. Fitzgerald leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; G. Reisinger leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; P. Careless leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; same data as for holotype; P. Mikoda leg.; DEBU • 4 ♀♀, 1 ♂; Tiputini Biodiversity Station; May 2011 and Jan. 2013; S. A. Marshall and P. Careless leg.; CO 1 specimen DEBUA 311 - 17; DEBU • 2 ♂♂; Puerto Orellana, Tiputini Biodiversity Station, M. Kotrba; Aug. 1999; DEBU • 14 ♀♀, 9 ♂♂; Yasuní Natl. Pk., Yasuní Research Station; 28 Apr. – 8 May 2009; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU • 2 ♀♀, 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; H. Cumming, M. Buck and L. Hewitt leg.; DEBU • 3 ♀♀; same data as for preceding; 3 – 20 Nov. 1998; T. Pape and B. Viklund leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; Pompeya, Pastaza; 14 – 22 May 1965; L. Peña leg.; CNCI • 1 ♀; Coca, Napo; 250 m a. s. l.; May 1965; L. Peña leg.; CNCI • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; Napo, vic. Misahualli; 27 – 31 Oct. 2002; E. Fisher leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀; Zamora, Podocarpus National Park; 19 – 22 Feb. 2003; C. Darling leg.; human dung; ROME • 8 ♀♀, 4 ♂♂; Napo, Narupa Yacu Reserve; 0 ° 40 ′ 50 ″ S, 76 ° 24 ′ 2 ″ W; 250 m a. s. l.; May 2019, S. A. Marshall and K. Lindsay leg.; DEBU • 3 ♀♀, 3 ♂♂; Prov. Napo, Parque Nacional Sumaco; 1500 m a. s. l.; 18 – 21 Jan. 2024; S. Luk and S. A. Marshall leg.; MECN • 1 ♂; Prov. Pastaza, Mera, Centro de Investigacion Sumak Kawsay; 1400 m a. s. l.; 23 – 26 Jan. 2024; S. A. Marshall leg.; MECN. PERU • 2 ♀♀; Prov. Loreto, Teniente López, 1.5 km N; 230 – 305 m a. s. l.; 18 Jul. 1993; R. Leschen leg.; flight intercept trap; DEBU • 2 ♀♀; same data as for preceding; 22 Jul. 1993; DEBU • 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; 24 Jul. 1993; DEBU • 2 ♀♀; Depto Loreto, Campamento San Jacinto; 175 – 215 m a. s. l.; 5 – 10 Jul. 1993; R. Leschen leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀; Prov. Loreto, 1.5 km N of Taniente Lopez; 230 – 305 m a. s. l.; 26 Jul. 1993; R. Leschen leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀; Iquitos; Mar. – Apr. 1911; R. C. Shannon leg.; USNM. Other material examined COLOMBIA • 11 ♀♀; Prov. Putumayo, Parque Nacionales Naturales La Paya Cabaña La Paya; 0 ° 2 ′ S, 75 ° 12 ′ W; 330 m a. s. l.; 5 – 25 Dec. 2001; E. Lozano leg.; Malaise trap; IAVH • 1 ♀; Putumayo, Orito, RN La Isla Escondida; 0.65547 ° N, 77.07302 ° W; 850 m a. s. l.; 18 – 22 Aug. 2024; Pollet and De Braekeleer leg.; yellow pan traps; IAVH, Life on Trees: LOT 00 - 39007 / Y 1 - 1 • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; yellow pan traps; IAVH, Life on Trees: LOT 00 - 39005 / Y 1 - 1 • 1 ♀; same data as for preceeing; white pan traps; IAVH, Life on Trees: LOT 00 - 39005 / W 1 - 1.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFB76642FD9CFD07E2BF3B91.taxon	description	Description LENGTH. 12 – 14 mm. COLOUR (Fig. 8 A – B, E, H, J). Frons black to dark brown, frontal vitta entirely black and well defined, pruinose except for ocellar triangle; epicephalon and paracephalon shiny and smooth. Lunule, face and parafacial white to silvery pruinose, subantennal depression shining black. Clypeus brown to black with lower rim pale, palpus yellowish distally, slightly darker on basal third. Thorax and abdomen black to dark brown, notum indistinctly vittate with narrow anteriorly tapered central reddish strip incomplete anteriorly but otherwise separating broader silvery vittae, pleuron with extensive pruinosity forming broad silvery vertical bands. Legs mostly dark brown to black, mid femur with a narrow white base, hind femur with an extensive white base and broad distomedian white band. Fore tarsus entirely white, with white setulae except for a few darker setulae on distal tarsomeres. Fore coxa white pruinose at least dorsally, fore femur uniformly brown-black. Wing with V-shaped or broadly U-shaped discal band, uniform in width and usually strong to anterior wing margin. Tergites of female abdomen black with bluish pruinosity except on posterior half of T 3, margins of T 4 – 5, and middle part of T 2, oviscape black with silvery lateral pruinosity and orange apex. Male similar but non-pruinose part of T 3 more extensive. Abdominal pleuron similar in both sexes: boldly banded in black and white, with separate bands on P 1, P 2, and posterior half of P 3 and dorsal pigmentation on P 4 – 6, P 2 band covering all of P 2, P 3 band very narrow and parallel sided. HEAD. Frontal vitta broad, maximum width 0.7 × frontal width, tapered to a point anteriorly, broad and parallel-sided behind ocelli with a broadly rounded posterior apex. Two strong, subequal fronto-orbital bristles. Outer vertical bristle present. THORAX. Prosternum bare and shiny except for a narrow microsetulose anterior margin. Cervical sclerite simple in both sexes. Postpronotal and scapular setae absent. Katepisternum with one vertical row of bristles. Two notopleural bristles, anterior small. Dorsocentral bristle present. FEMALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 8 I). Spermathecae with a minutely tuberculate surface; primary (paired) spermathecal stem elongate, bulbous and broader than spermathecae on basal half, distally weakly differentiated from the small spermathecae, stems separated from duct by a moderate constriction. Single spermatheca bean-shaped, separated from duct by a constriction but without an obvious stem, duct 0.7 × as long as and half as wide as paired spermathecal duct. Spermathecal ducts transverse striate, slightly swollen on basal half, both arising from apex of narrow extension of bursa or common duct. MALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 8 C – D, F – G). S 5 with genital fork half as long as anterior part of sternite, inner faces of short, stout, thick, slightly incurved arms with dense, short spines over entire length and with compact clusters of stout, short spines on medioventral swellings basally. Hypandrium with a broad, scoop-like anteromedial bridge. Basiphallus prominent but narrow, projecting posteriorly as a parallel-sided lobe. Distal distiphallus narrower and 0.8 × as long as basal distiphallus, with a slightly expanded funnel-like apex; phallic bulb with an elongate but weakly differentiated proximal chamber and a small, spherical distal chamber. Ejaculatory apodeme smaller than epandrium, with a stout sperm pump.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFB76642FD9CFD07E2BF3B91.taxon	discussion	Remarks The partially sympatric Pt. crassus Marshall sp. nov. and Pt. ramosus Marshall sp. nov. are very difficult to distinguish without recourse to male genitalic characters, although the distinctive and widely different genitalia of these species leave no doubt that they are valid species. Males of both species can be easily recognized by the genital fork, even on the basis of dried specimens.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFB76642FD9CFD07E2BF3B91.taxon	materials_examined	(Table 1).	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF886647FDC0FE74E43439D1.taxon	description	Fig. 9	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF886647FDC0FE74E43439D1.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Holotype of Ptilosphen cyaneiventris COLOMBIA • 1 ♀; “ Collection de M. Robyns, de Bruxelles ” (not examined; see Remarks below). Syntypes of Ptilosphen rufifrons COLOMBIA • ♀, ♂; Cordillieren, terra caliente; MNBG. Other material examined Typical specimens with a dark frontal vitta COLOMBIA • 1 ♀; Cacaguslito, Santa Maria; H. Smith leg.; CMNH • 2 ♀♀; Providencia, Algipes, 33 km SW of Zaragosa, Antioquia; 1 Dec. 1970; R. Pinger leg.; USNM • 4 ♀♀, 2 ♂♂; Magdalena, Tayrona N. Pk., Canaveral; Apr. – Aug. 2000; R. Henriquez leg.; Malaise traps; CO 1 specimen MYCRO 953 - 22; IAVH. PANAMA • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; Alhajuelo; 19 Feb. and 12 Mar. 1912; A. Busck leg.; USNM • 1 ♀; Canal Zone, Juan Galegos Isl.; Jun. 1981; B. Gill leg.; CNCI • 13 ♀♀, 13 ♂♂, 1 no abdomen; Canal Zone, Barro Colorado Isl.; Feb. – Aug. 1956; C. W. and M. E. Rettenmeyer leg.; 2254; SNOW • 1 ♀; Canal Zone, Barro Colorado Isl.; 7 Jan. 1971; G. W. Beyers leg.; SNOW • 1 ♀; Canal Zone, Barro Colorado Isl.; Jul. 1967; W. W. Wirth leg.; USNM • 1 ♀; Canal Zone, Barro Colorado Isl.; 20 May – 11 Jun. 1981; B. Gill leg.; DEBU • 2 ♀♀; Canal Zone, Barro Colorado Island; 4 – 11 Dec. 1996; J. Pickering leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding 23 Apr. – 5 May 1996 • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; 11 – 19 May 1996 • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; 16 – 23 Oct. 1996; CO 1 specimen MYCRO 954 - 22. VENEZUELA • 1 ♂; Prov. Aragua, Rancho Grande Biol. Stn, Henri Pittier Nat. Park, La Cumbra; 8 Mar. 1995; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀, 2 ♂♂; Prov. Aragua, Henri Pittier Nat. Park: Pico Periquito; 1680 m a. s. l.; Nov. 1997; T. Pape leg.; Malaise trap; CO 1 specimen DEBU 0555; DEBU • 1 ♀; Carabobo, Henri Pittier Nat. Park, Portachuelo Pass; 13 Sep. 2008; J. Skevington leg.; DEBU • 3 ♀♀; Carabobo, “ Valle Seco, Jan. 40 ”; P. Anduze leg.; USNM • 1 ♀; Lara, Barquisimeto; R. Urtiaga leg.; “ in laboratory ”; USNM • 2 ♂♂; Puerto la Cruz; Dec. 1928; E. Holt leg.; CMNH. Specimens with a red frontal vitta (“ rufifrons ”) COLOMBIA • 1 ♀; Magdalena, Tayrona N. Pk., Canaveral; 14 – 29 Jun. 2000; R. Henriquez leg.; Malaise traps; IAVH • 1 ♀; Cacagusalito, Stn Marta; H. H. Smith leg.; CMNH. PANAMA • 2 ♀♀; Trinidad River; 25 Mar. 1912; A. Busck leg.; [determined as Pt. cyaneiventris by Cresson, 1923]; USNM • 1 ♂; Canal Zone, Barro Colorado Isl.; 1 Aug. 1956; C. W. and M. E. Rettenmeyer leg.; 2254; SNOW.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF886647FDC0FE74E43439D1.taxon	description	Redescription LENGTH. 12 – 14 mm. COLOUR (Fig. 9 A – B, G – H). Orange except as follows: frontal vitta usually entirely brown and well defined, sometimes uniformly orange (see Remarks below about Ptilosphen rufifrons). Lower frons orange, lunule orange-yellow, clypeus brown, entirely microsetulose. Palpus orange-brown, paler in apical quarter. Fore tarsomeres 4 and 5 completely dark, tarsomeres 1 – 3 white; fore tibia brown; fore femur yellow basally, dark brown distally. Mid tarsus and tibia brown, mid and hind femora orange-brown with white basal and distomedian rings 1 – 3 × width of femur, margins of rings usually not distinctly darkened (but darkened in the type). Hind tarsomeres brown except tarsomere 1 white ventrally. Wing with a small subquadrate discal band with a thin anterior branch extending anteriorly and a less distinct branch along dm-cu. Abdomen with T 1 reddish brown, tergites otherwise dark brown, T 2 with black posterior corners. Pleural pigmentation distinct: P 1 pale, P 2 black on dorsal margin and posterior half, P 3 with a black band broad dorsally and tapered ventrally, distinctly separated from black part of P 3 but broadly fused with the black upper half of P 4 – 5; black area more extensive on female. Oviscape brown and shiny dorsally and apically, yellowish and densely silver microsetulose laterally. HEAD. Frontal vitta broad, maximum width approximately 0.7 × frontal width, abruptly tapered to a point anteriorly and posteriorly. Two strong fronto-orbital bristles, upper (orbital) inserted just above level of upper ocelli. Outer vertical bristle present. THORAX. Cervical sclerite prominent in both sexes, elevated but not bilobed, narrowest posteriorly. Scapular setae very small to absent. Katepisternum with one main posterior row of strong golden bristles, setae anterior to row fine and pale. Dorsocentral bristle present. FEMALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 9 I). Paired (primary) spermathecal duct broad and parallel-sided, slightly narrower than spermathecae; paired spermathecal stems elongate and twisted, very narrow at base, paired spermathecae small, broad at one end and tapered at other, stem arising from side of narrowed end. Single spermatheca oval and tuberculate, on a very short and very narrow stem separated from duct by a threadlike constriction, single (secondary) duct ½ as long as and ¼ as wide as paired spermathecal duct. Spermathecal ducts arising from a long apical extension of the bursa copulatrix; secondary duct apparently arising laterally from base of primary duct. MALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 9 C – F). Genital fork with two long, thin, arched arms with long, fine hairs along entire outer surface; inner face of each arm with short, stout spines forming a cluster in distal half and smaller cluster at apex; base of fork narrowly and shallowly cleft with short, blunt stout spines flanking cleft. Distal distiphallus longer than epandrium, basal distiphallus less than one third as long and 3 × as wide as distal distiphallus and apparently fused with a broadly rounded basiphallus. Phallic bulb very small and simple, much narrower than apex of basal distiphallus; proximal chamber elongate but weakly differentiated, distal chamber very small but distinct. Distal distiphallus straight, apex flared into a small funnel 2 – 3 × diameter of distal distiphallus. Anterior bridge of hypandrium short scoop-like. Ejaculatory apodeme similar in size to epandrium.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF886647FDC0FE74E43439D1.taxon	discussion	Remarks Ptilosphen cyaneiventris is closely related to the Central American species Pt. callichroma, from which it can be distinguished by the white third fore tarsomere, the characteristically shaped discal wing band and by the broadly joined pigmented portions of P 3 and P 4 – 5, as well as minor differences in male terminalia and the female spermathecal complex. Ptilosphen cyaneiventris has a more southerly distribution than Pt. callichroma, with a known distribution extending from Panama to Colombia and Venezuela. Ptilosphen rufifrons is here treated as a synonym of Pt. cyaneiventris, although Pt. rufifrons was named for specimens with a red frontal vitta, contrasting with the usual dark frontal vitta of Pt. cyaneiventris. Male and female syntypes of Pt. rufifrons (Colombia; examined at MNBG) otherwise match the above description of Pt. cyaneiventris and correspond exactly to one of the specimens listed above from Magdalena, Colombia. The two specimens from Trinidad River, Panama differ slightly in that the anterior extension of the discal cell is slightly displaced forward from the posterior corner. The male from Barro Colorado Island was dissected and confirmed as identical to typically coloured Pt. cyaneiventris. The type of Pt. cyaneiventris was not located, but the description above is consistent with Hennig’s (1934) diagnosis of this species. Barcoding recovers Pt. cyaneiventris (including specimens with a reddish frontal vitta) as a close sister group to Pt. callichroma. Hennig (1934) lists “ Ptilosphen cyaneiventris Czerny ” as a junior synonym of Pt. viriolatus (a species here treated as a junior synonym of Pt. callichroma Bigot), based on Czerny’s (1932) identification of specimens from Costa Rica and Venezuela as Pt. cyaneiventris (Macquart). Czerny’s Costa Rican specimens are likely to be Pt. callichroma, but his Venezuelan specimen is probably Pt. cyaneiventris.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF886647FDC0FE74E43439D1.taxon	materials_examined	(Table 1).	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF8D6644FDEAFBBAE2773B9A.taxon	description	urn: lsid: zoobank. org: act: 7 B 148 F 14 - B 520 - 4 B 87 - 8577 - 39 F 4 C 4 FC 3481 Fig. 10	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF8D6644FDEAFBBAE2773B9A.taxon	etymology	Etymology The species name honours Evelyn and Rose Dell, who helped with this project as undergraduate students in 2004.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF8D6644FDEAFBBAE2773B9A.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Holotype COSTA RICA • ♀; Nectandra Cloud Forest Reserve; 10 ° 11 ′ 8.61 ″ N, 84 ° 30 ′ 32.91 ″ W; 1200 m a. s. l.; 19 Aug. 2022; S. A. Marshall leg.; MNCR Paratypes COSTA RICA • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; same data as for holotype; MNCR • 2 ♀♀; Prov. Puntarenas, Monteverde Biol. Stn, lower trail; 11 Jun. 2000; S. A. Marshall leg.; cloud forest; MNCR • 2 ♀♀; same data as for preceding; 11 – 13 Jun. 2000; S. A. Marshall and M. Buck leg.; DEBU • 2 ♀♀; Monteverde Biol. Stn, upper trail; 14 – 18 Aug. 2010; S. A. Marshall leg.; MNCR • 1 ♀; Monteverde Biol. Stn; 1500 m a. s. l.; 1 Jun. 2000; M. Buck leg.; white pans in kitchen compost; DEBU • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Monteverde; 25 – 28 May 1998; E. Fisher leg.; DEBU • 1 ♂; San Luis, Monteverde; 1000 – 1350 m a. s. l.; Apr. 1994; Z. Fuentes leg.; MNCR • 1 ♀; Est. La Casina, Monteverde; 1520 m a. s. l.; Feb. 1994; N. Obando leg.; MNCR • 5 ♀♀, 1 ♂; Prov. Alajuela, San Ramón Biol. Res.; 900 m a. s. l.; Apr. – May 2000; P. Hanson leg.; MNCR • 1 ♀; Volcán Tenorio, N. slope nr. Bijagua Biol. Stn; 700 m a. s. l.; 16 – 20 Jun. 2000; S. A. Marshall leg.; rainforest; DEBU • 1 ♂; Prov. Cartago, Tapantí Natl. Pk.; 8 Aug. 2013; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU • 2 ♀♀; Tapantí Natl. Pk., Ranger Stn; 1200 m a. s. l.; 8 – 11 Oct. 1999; M. Buck leg.; pans in kitchen refuse; DEBU • 1 ♂; Río San Lorenzo, Tierras Morenas; 1050 m a. s. l.; Mar. 1993; G. Rodríguez leg.; MNCR • 1 ♂; Prov. Heredia, Rara Avis Nat. Res., 12 km S of Las Horquetas; 10 ° 17 ′ 0 ″ N, 84 ° 2 ′ 50 ″ W; 700 m a. s. l.; 22 – 27 Feb. 2005; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU • 2 ♀♀; Prov. San José, Moravia, Zurquí de Moravia; 1600 m a. s. l.; 5 – 9 Aug. 2013; S. A. Marshall leg.; hand collected during ZADBI bioblitz; MNCR • 1 ♀; Moravia, Zurquí de Moravia; 1600 m a. s. l.; ZADBI project leg.; 21 Oct. 2012; bait trap with chicken; MNCR • 2 ♀♀, 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; 24 Sep. 2012; bait trap; MNCR • 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; 3 – 10 May 2012, Malaise trap; MNCR • 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; 3 – 10 Nov. 2013, Malaise trap; MNCR • 1 ♀; Prov. Alajuela, Quesada, Albergue Pozo Verde; 10 ° 15 ′ 15 ″ N, 84 ° 22 ′ 18 ″ W; 1800 m a. s. l.; 21 Apr. 2023; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF8D6644FDEAFBBAE2773B9A.taxon	description	Description LENGTH. 15 – 16 mm. COLOUR (Fig. 10 A – B, D – E, I). Thorax orange except for black pronotum, cervical sclerite and ventral margin of proepisternum; katepisternum silvery pruinose anteriorly and posteriorly. Head, including antenna and clypeus, mostly black; frontal vitta velvety black but head otherwise dull pruinose dorsally. Lunule brown, face pale. Parafacial silvery pruinose; palpus pale yellow to white except for brown basal quarter. Legs with all trochanters black; fore tarsomeres 4 and 5 completely dark, tarsomeres 1 – 2 white, tarsomere 3 black distally; fore coxa orange with heavy silvery pruinosity, fore femur and tibia black. Mid tarsus and tibia brown; mid and hind femora black with white base slightly longer than width of femur and distomedian white ring 1 – 2 × width of femur. Hind tarsomeres 1 and 2 white, tarsomeres 3 – 5 black. Wing with narrow and transverse discal band and a similarly dimensioned preapical band broken by clear areas over R 4 + 5 and M 1. Abdominal tergites brown, lightly pruinose. Male abdomen with P 1 dark on anterior half, white posteriorly, P 2 entirely black, P 3 with a ventrally tapered black band along posterior margin, distinctly separated from black part of P 2 but broadly fused with the black upper half of P 4 – 5. Female abdomen similar to male on P 1 – 2, otherwise dark on dorsal half and white ventrally. Oviscape dark brown except for orange apical half, bare dorsally, silvery pruinose laterally on basal half. HEAD. Outer vertical and fronto-orbital bristles normally absent but holotype (Nectandra) with an outer vertical on one side only. Anterior frontal vitta flat, almost straight-sided in front of ocelli and then gradually tapered to a point anteriorly, half of frontal width at maximum; postocellar frontal vitta gradually tapered to a rounded apex posteriorly. THORAX. Cervical sclerite of female deeply concave at middle and projecting at posterior margin (Fig. 10 C); cervical sclerite of male simple. Scapular (suprahumeral) setae forming a dense tuft of 5 – 6 stout bristles at anterolateral corner of female postpronotum; male with only small and inconspicuous scapular setae. Anterior notopleural and dorsocentral bristles absent. Katepisternum with one main posterior row of strong golden bristles, setae anterior to row fine and pale. FEMALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 10 E – F). Oviscape broad and bulbous on basal half, strongly narrowed distally. Three spermathecae on two ducts arising separately from a broad extension of the bursa copulatrix; surface of bursa extension densely covered with small processes. Paired spermathecae on a long, broad duct greatly inflated in distal third before dividing into two very short, narrow stems each leading to an elongate-cylindrical spermatheca. Single spermathecal duct very short and narrow, single spermatheca relatively large, broadly triangular and somewhat flattened, on a very short and narrow stem. MALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 10 G – H). Genital fork with two long, thin arms, incurved and almost touching apically and with long, fine hairs along entire ventral surface; inner face of each arm with short, stout spines scattered along inner margin and forming a cluster at apex; base of fork narrowly and shallowly cleft. Postgonite minute, subquadrate; upper apex minutely granulose, lower apex with cluster of seven small setulae. Basiphallus prominent, projecting posteriorly as a rounded lobe. Distiphallus twice as long as epandrium, distal distiphallus half as wide and 3 × as long as the broad basal distiphallus, with indistinct transverse striae and a slightly expanded apex. Phallic bulb short but broader than apex of basal distiphallus, proximal chamber forming a bubous expansion of the ejaculatory duct, distal chamber forming a hemispherical cap about half as large. Anterior bridge of hypandrium ribbon-like. Ejaculatory apodeme very small, much smaller than epandrium.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF8D6644FDEAFBBAE2773B9A.taxon	discussion	Remarks Several characters suggest that Pt. dellarum Marshall sp. nov. is closely related to Pt. conveniens, despite the superficially different appearances of the black Pt. conveniens and the mostly orange Pt. dellarum. Apparent synapomorphies shared by these species include the unusual spermathecal complex and the loss of dorsocentral and outer vertical bristles. The spermathecal complex of both species includes a strongly modified flattened-triangular single spermatheca and a strongly swollen paired spermathecal duct with smooth paired spermathecae (spherical in Pt. conveniens, elongate in Pt. dellarum) on short stems. Both species appear to be restricted to Central America. Ptilosphen elongatus Marshall sp. nov., another species known only from Costa Rica, has also lost the frontal, outer vertical, dorsocentral and anterior notopleural bristles and has a similar pattern of transverse wing bands. Females of Pt. elongatus remain unknown and no sequence data are available.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF8D6644FDEAFBBAE2773B9A.taxon	materials_examined	(Table 1).	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF8E6649FD85FE61E32F3BA6.taxon	description	Fig. 11	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF8E6649FD85FE61E32F3BA6.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Holotype BOLIVIA • ♀; Mapiri, Sarampioni; 700 m a. s. l.; 18 Feb. 1900; W. Schnuse leg.; SMTD. Paratypes BOLIVIA • 1 ♂; Mapiri, San Ernesto; 800 m a. s. l.; 28 Mar. 1903; SMTD • 1 ♀; Sarampioni; 13 Feb. 1903; SMTD • 1 ♂; San Antonio; 1000 m a. s. l.; 23 Feb. 1903; SMTD • 1 ♀; San Carlos; 800 m a. s. l.; 1903; SMTD. PERU • 1 ♀; Urubambatl; 12 Sep. 1903; SMTD. Other material examined BOLIVIA • 3 ♀♀, 1 ♂; Prov. La Paz, San Antonio, ca 8 km S of Mapiri; 15 ° 20 ′ 56 ″ S, 68 ° 13 ′ 31 ″ W; Apr. 2001; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU • 4 ♀♀, 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; CBFC • 9 ♀♀; Heath River Wildlife Centre, 21 km SSW of Puerto Heath; 12 ° 40 ′ S, 68 ° 42 ′ W; 29 Apr. – 12 May 2007; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU • 2 ♀♀, 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; S. Paiero, J. Kits and M. Jackson leg.; CO 1 specimen MYCRO- 0947 - 22; DEBU • 5 ♀♀; San Juanito, nr. Teoponte; 15 ° 29 ′ 42 ″ S, 67 ° 47 ′ 48 ″ W; 500 m a. s. l.; Apr. 2001; S. A. Marshall leg.; CO 1 specimens DEBU- 0549, MYCRO- 0948 - 22; DEBU • 1 ♀; Carasco National Park entrance, 2 km E, 12 km SW of Villa Tunari; 17 ° 4.28 ′ S, 65 ° 29.257 ′ W; 517 m a. s. l.; 16 Dec. 2016; A. Borkent leg.; USNM • 1 ♀; Prov. S. Inicua, Riv. Alto Beni; 1100 m a. s. l.; Jan. 1976; L. E. Peña leg.; CNCI. PERU • 4 ♀♀, 3 ♂♂; Prov. Cuzco, Quincemil; 700 m a. s. l.; Nov. 1962; L. Peña leg.; CNCI • 1 ♀; Prov. Cuzco, Villa Carmen Biological Station; May 2011; T. Forster, Bennet and Razuni leg.; blue pans, Malaise trap; USNM • 5 ♀♀, 2 ♂♂; Prov. Madre de Dios, Los Amigos Biological Station; 2 – 14 Jun. 2006; Paiero and Klymko leg.; DEBU • 4 ♀♀, 1 ♂; Prov. Madre de Dios, Avispas; 400 m a. s. l.; Dec. 1962; L. Peña leg.; CNCI • 1 ♀; Cock of the Rock Lodge; 13 ° 03 ′ 21 ″ S, 71 ° 32 ′ 46 ″ W; 1380 m a. s. l.; 6 Dec. 2011; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF8E6649FD85FE61E32F3BA6.taxon	description	Redescription LENGTH. 11 – 16 mm, usually 14 – 15 mm. COLOUR (Fig. 11 A, E, G). Head mostly dark reddish brown to black; lower face, parafacials and central postocciput orange; posterior frontal vitta and parafacials densely silvery microsetulose; gena, clypeus, palpus and postgena yellow. Thorax mostly orange, sparsely microsetulose; pronotum, cervical sclerite and ventral margin of proepimeron black. Katepisternal bristles orange. Fore tarsomeres 1 – 3 white, tarsomeres 4 – 5 white to yellowish brown with a few black setulae; fore tibia black; fore femur orange on basal half, black on distal half. Mid tarsus and tibia dark brown; mid femur and hind femur yellow-brown with medial white rings 1 – 2 × width of femur, mid femur with a short white basal ring, hind femur with a longer white subbasal ring. Hind tibia and hind tarsomeres brown. Abdominal tergites of male brown except for black posterior corners of T 2; abdominal pleuron of male boldly banded in brown and white, with separate bands on P 1, P 2, and P 3; the P 2 band complete and broad; P 4 – 5 dark on dorsal half. Abdomen of female with T 1 brown, other tergites black; oviscape mostly dark brown, silvery microsetulose laterally and basally, dorsally and distally bare and shining, apex yellow. Pleuron of female with P 2 mostly dark, P 3 with a weak dark band on posterior half and P 4 – 5 dark on dorsal half. Wing with a weak V-shaped discal band. HEAD. Two strong fronto-orbital bristles, inner and outer vertical bristles well developed. Anterior frontal vitta broad, 0.6 – 0.7 × frontal width, slightly elevated and sharply tapered to a point anteriorly, postocellar frontal vitta very broad, depressed, almost parallel sided until broadly rounded apex. Frontal plate with sharp longitudinal striae. Orbital plate smooth, shiny except for microsetulose strip between inner verticals and postocellar frontal vitta. THORAX. Cervical sclerite evenly swollen in male, female with central area flattened or concave, differentiated from sides, posterior part slightly elevated. Postpronotum microsetulose with a few pale, small and indistinct dorsal setulae. Female with a few minute scapular setae in a row of three or four; male without scapular setae. Katepisternum with one main vertical row of orange bristles. Dorsocentral bristle present. FEMALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 11 F). Three spermathecae, paired spermathecal duct slightly swollen in basal half, ending in a small swelling followed by a short threadlike constriction leading to a long, thick spermathecal stem swollen in basal half and distally narrowed to the small spherical spermathecae. Single spermathecal duct very short, ending in a long threadlike constriction leading to a small peanutshaped spermatheca (or stem plus spermatheca) that is 1.5 × as long as duct. MALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 11 B – D). Genital fork with bases of arms broad and tubular, divided by a deep V-shaped cleft, arms distally narrow, short and strongly incurved, inner surface with sparse short spines densely packed near base and evenly spaced distally; inner basal arms absent. S 5 centrally desclerotized, thus with a broad longitudinal pale area. Epandrium long and narrow, almost 3 × as long as wide. Basiphallus small but prominent, projecting posteriorly as a tapered, apically rounded lobe. Distiphallus 1.5 × length of epandrium, basal distiphallus broad and almost as long as epandrium, indistinctly swollen at apex to form proximal chamber of phallic bulb, distal chamber of phallic bulb very small; distal distiphallus with transverse striations, 0.8 × length of basal distiphallus, apex funnel-shaped. Hypandrium with narrow, tongue-like anterior bridge. Postgonite small but bulbous, with three minute setulae anteroventrally, posterior surface densely granulate. Ejaculatory apodeme narrower and shorter than epandrium.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF8E6649FD85FE61E32F3BA6.taxon	discussion	Remarks Ptilosphen dubius Hennig, 1934 differs consistently from the otherwise similar species Pt. insignis Wiedemann, 1830 by its mostly black pronotal collar and cervical sclerite, by its darker oviscape and by differences in the male and female genitalia. The strikingly modified male sternite 5 with a clear basal area and the basally tubular, distally narrowed incurved genital fork arms of Pt. dubius (Fig. 11 B) contrast with the broad, straight arms of the Pt. insignis genital fork (Fig. 18 G). The Pt. dubius paired spermathecal stems are simpler and the spermathecae are more elongate than in Pt. insignis. We have labelled a series of six specimens from Pucallpa, Peru collected in 1951 (USNM) as “ near Pt. dubius ” because they differ from Pt. dubius in having almost clear wings, with pigmentation absent or restricted to a small area below R 4 + 5. Male and female genitalia seem to match Pt. dubius. As noted below in the remarks under Pt. insignis, specimens of Pt. insignis collected with Pt. dubius at the Heath River Wildlife Centre in Bolivia were recovered in the same CO 1 BIN as Pt. dubius. Those specimens, however, match Pt. insignis, not Pt. dubius, in morphology. CO 1 data from other specimens suggest that Pt. dubius is more closely related to the dark-bodied species Pt. enderleini Cresson, 1930 and Pt. crassus Marshall sp. nov. than to Pt. insignis.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF8E6649FD85FE61E32F3BA6.taxon	materials_examined	(Table 1).	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF83664FFDEEFE44E41F394D.taxon	description	urn: lsid: zoobank. org: act: 2 D 4 E 7159 - 9902 - 4 D 2 B- 888 F-A 039233 BA 336 Fig. 12	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF83664FFDEEFE44E41F394D.taxon	etymology	Etymology The specific name refers to the elongate abdominal structures including the genital fork, epandrium and distiphallus.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF83664FFDEEFE44E41F394D.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Holotype COSTA RICA • ♂; San Jose, Est. Santa Elena, Viejo, Las Nubes; 1210 m a. s. l.; 4 – 15 Jan. 1996; E. Alfaro leg.; Amarilla L S 371750 - 507800 # 6864; MNCR. Paratype COSTA RICA • 1 ♂; San Jose, Est. Santa Elena, Sendero El Llano; 1500 m a. s. l.; 9 Jan. 1996; E. Alfaro leg.; Amarilla L S 371300 - 509200 # 6863; MNCR.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF83664FFDEEFE44E41F394D.taxon	description	Description LENGTH. 13 mm. COLOUR (Fig. 12 A – B). Dark brown to black except as follows: frontal vitta entirely dull orange and well defined, frontal plate shiny orange; ocellar triangle, epicephalon and paracephalon reddish brown with a microtrichose area between inner vertical bristles and on postocciput. Antenna with pedicel and distal part of first flagellomere reddish brown, basal part of first flagellomere orange, subantennal depression black and microsetulose. Palpus yellow, lunule and lower face pale; clypeus brown, entirely pale setulose. Fore tarsomeres 3 – 5 and apex of tarsomere 2 light brown with black setulae, tarsomeres 1 and 2 otherwise white with white setulae. Mid and hind femora with white ring in distal third and a reddish apex; mid femur with a white base 3 × width of femur, hind femur with white ring 4 × width of femur; hind tibia brown; hind tarsomeres 2 – 5 brown, tarsomere 1 with dense short white setulae ventrally. Wing with indistinct transverse basal and preapical bands, the latter continuous with weak apical infuscation, and a broad, parallel sided discal band. Abdominal tergites mostly black with a metallic blue tinge. Pleuron with a distinct pattern of black microsetulose bands: P 1 white, P 2 entirely black, P 3 black on posterior half, P 4 – 6 black on dorsal third. HEAD. Fronto-orbital bristles apparently absent (no sockets visible). Frontal vitta broad anteriorly, 0.6 × frontal width at maximum, abruptly tapered to a point at anterior margin of frons, narrow posteriorly and gradually tapered to a rounded point between the inner verticals. Outer vertical bristle absent. THORAX. Prosternum microsetulose, anteriorly with a few marginal setulae. Posterior cervical sclerite densely microtrichose except on anterior quarter, weakly convex. Postpronotum entirely microsetulose, dorsal surface flat or somewhat depressed. Five stout but small and inconspicuous scapular setae in a more or less transverse row. One posterior notopleural bristle, anterior notopleural bristle absent. Pleuron almost entirely microsetulose except for a small bare area on the anteroventral corner of the anepisternum. Katepisternum with one vertical row of strong setae preceded by a vertical row in which only the lower 6 setae are long and dark and the upper setae are small, fine and pale. Dorsocentral bristles absent. FEMALE TERMINALIA. Female unknown. MALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 12 C – E). Genital fork strikingly elongate, with a long base and two long very slightly incurved arms with long setae along the inner ventral surfaces and a few short, stout cone-like spinules along the ventral surface. Basiphallus small, barely distinguishable from base of distiphallus, slightly projecting posteriorly (Fig. 12 H). Distiphallus very long, basal distiphallus as long as epandrium; phallic bulb elongate, with a weakly differentiated basal chamber and a relatively large distal chamber apparently overlapping the base of a long, thin, curved distal distiphallus ringed by weak striae. Subepandrial sclerite uniformly sclerotized, postgonite very small but narrow and finger-like, with a patch of distal spinules and a few small apical setulae.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF83664FFDEEFE44E41F394D.taxon	discussion	Remarks Although it is known from only two male specimens, Pt. elongatus is a distinctive species, distinguished from congeners on the basis of several characters in addition to its uniquely elongated abdominal structures. Like the similar and probably closely related Pt. conveniens, also known from Costa Rica, Pt. elongatus lacks outer vertical and dorsocentral bristles. Unlike Pt. conveniens, Pt. elongatus lacks an anterior notopleural bristle and apparently lacks frontal bristles as well. The distinctive transverse discal wing band of Pt. elongatus is markedly different from the triangular discal band of Pt. conveniens.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF85664CFD9DFC2FE3D239D2.taxon	description	Fig. 13	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF85664CFD9DFC2FE3D239D2.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Holotype PERU • ♂; Puerto Bermudez, Rio Pichis; 12 – 19 Jul. 1920; Cornell Univ. Exped., Lot 569; CUIC (examined at CUIC, 2012). Paratypes PERU • 3 ♀♀; same data as for holotype; CUIC. Other material examined COLOMBIA • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; Prov. Putumayo, Parque Nacional Naturale La Paya Cabana La Paya; 330 m a. s. l.; 5 – 25 Dec. 2001; E. Lozano leg.; Malaise trap; DEBU • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; 20 Nov. – 5 Dec. 2001; IAVH. ECUADOR • 3 ♀♀, 6 ♂♂; Prov. Napo, Jatun Sacha, Res., 6 km E of Misahualli; 1 ° 4 ′ S, 77 ° 37 ′ W; 450 m a. s. l.; May 2002; Marshall and Buck leg.; CO 1 specimen DEBUA 291 - 17; DEBU • 4 ♀♀, 6 ♂♂; same data as for preceeing; QCAZ • 2 ♀♀, 3 ♂♂; Yasuni Natl. Pk, Yasuni Research Station; 28 Apr. – 8 May 2009; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀, 2 ♂♂; Tiputini Biodiv. Stn, vic. Yasuni Ntl. Pk.; 14 – 18 Feb. 1999; D. C. Darling leg.; ROME • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; Tiputini Biodiv. Stn; May 2011; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀; Coca; 250 m a. s. l.; May 1965; L. Peña leg.; CNCI • 1 ♂; Prov. Zamora, Jumboe Riv.; 1200 m a. s. l.; Apr. 1965; L. Peña leg.; CNCI • 2 ♀♀; Napo, Narupa Yacu Reserve; 0 ° 40 ′ 50 ″ S, 76 ° 24 ′ 2 ″ W; 250 m a. s. l.; May 2019; K. Lindsay leg.; DEBU.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF85664CFD9DFC2FE3D239D2.taxon	description	Redescription LENGTH. 11 – 13 mm. COLOUR (Fig. 13 A, D – E, J – K). Frons black, frontal vitta pruinose and dull, sometimes reddish at anterior apex only; paracephalon, lower epicephalon and frontal plate shiny, upper epicephalon and posterior frontal vitta silvery microsetulose. Lunule reddish and setulose; scape, pedicel and base of first flagellomere reddish brown, antenna otherwise black; upper face brown, lower face yellow, parafacial white to silvery pruinose, subantennal depression shiny black. Clypeus yellow to orange, entirely microsetulose. Palpus orange in distal quarter, otherwise brown. Notum black, indistinctly vittate with incomplete golden-brown microsetulose central vitta separating broader silvery microsetulose vittae, pleuron with extensive pruinosity forming vertical bands. Fore coxa reddish brown, densely microsetulose; fore tarsus white; fore tibia dark brown; fore femur orange basally, dark brown distally. Mid coxa reddish brown, heavily silvery microsetulose. Mid tarsus and tibia brown; mid femur with basal and medial white rings 1 – 2 × width of femur, otherwise dark brown to black proximal to distomedian white band, brown to reddish brown distal to distomedian white band. Hind coxa reddish brown, silvery microsetulose on posterior half. Hind femur brown with basal or subbasal and medial white rings 1 – 2 × width of femur, base of femur with a narrow or obsolete dark area; hind tibia and tarsus brown. Wing with a small, relatively indistinct dot-like discal wing band mostly contained in cell r 4 + 5. Abdominal tergites blue-black, lightly silvery pruinose on central part of T 1 – 2 and almost all of T 3, otherwise heavily pruinose, oviscape silvery pruinose basally and laterally, leaving a bare dorsal strip. Pleuron boldly banded in black and white, with separate bands on P 1, P 2, and P 3 and dorsal pigmentation on P 4 – 6, P 3 largely pale, with dark band complete and narrow in males, broader, incomplete and continuous with the P 4 – 6 pigmentation in females. HEAD. Two large fronto-orbital bristles, upper inserted at level of upper ocelli. Frontal vitta broad, 0.5 × frontal width at maximum, sharply tapered anteriorly and mostly parallel sided posteriorly, rounded at posterior apex. Outer vertical bristle present. THORAX. Prosternum entirely microsetulose, with a deep central pit. Cervical sclerite broad, slightly depressed medially in male, deeply depressed medially and thus distinctly bilobate in female. Postpronotum uniformly microsetulose with a few scattered small setulae. Scapular setae absent. Notopleuron with two bristles, anterior small. Dorsocentral bristle present. FEMALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 13 B – C). Bursa copulatrix narrow, terminating in a bulbous, bottle-like common duct about half as long as the paired spermathecal duct; paired (primary) spermathecal duct and single spermathecal duct arising separately at apex of common duct. Primary duct with a distal swelling followed by narrow constriction basal to broad, tuberculate stems similar in width to the elongate oval paired spermathecae. Secondary (single) spermathecal duct shorter but similar in diameter to primary duct, with a smaller distal swelling and a very narrow constriction between duct and simple, round spermatheca covered with small circular indents. MALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 13 F – I). Genital fork with a long base and two long, thin, arched arms with fine hairs along entire outer surface; inner face of arms with dense, short spines extending entire length of arm; two compact clusters of stout, medial spines at base where arms converge; base of fork between arms with shallow groove. Epandrium long and narrow, 2.5 × as long as wide. Basiphallus well sclerotized and distinct from distiphallus, short and broadly rounded. Basal distiphallus equal in length to epandrium, slightly longer than the narrower distal distiphallus; distal distiphallus with transverse striae and a broadened and funnel-shaped apex. Phallic bulb small, with a small proximal chamber and a slightly smaller distal chamber. Postgonite bulbous and densely covered with small teeth posteriorly, with three minute setulae anteroventrally. Ejaculatory apodeme slightly smaller than epandrium. Margin of subepandrial sclerite heavily sclerotized to form distinct bacilliform sclerite. Hypandrium with a long, tongue-like anterior bridge and a narrow, sinuate dorsal bridge, phallic plate with transverse rows of minute microtrichiae.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF85664CFD9DFC2FE3D239D2.taxon	discussion	Remarks Cresson’s (1930) original description of this species is brief and fits both Pt. enderleini and Pt. manu, while Hennig’s (1934) concept of the species explicitly encompassed material corresponding to both species, writing that a topotypic specimen in Dresden had “ the wing spot only faintly indicated ” (typical of Pt. enderleini) whereas in a specimen from elsewhere in Peru (Pichis-Weg) “ the wing spot is sharply defined and brightly colored (typical of Pt. manu) ”. Hennig also determined three specimens in the BMNH, collected by H. W. Bates in Brazil (“ Amazonas ”), as Pt. enderleini although they also have a sharply defined discal band (“ wing spot ”) with a diffuse extension to R 2 + 3 as is typical for Pt. manu. The other two Brazilian specimens identified as Pt. enderleini by Hennig, both in MLUH, have not been reexamined and we have seen no other Pt. enderleini from Brazil. The two species cluster together in both CO 1 analyses (Fig. 30). In the ML analysis (Fig. 30 B), Pt. enderleini is recovered, with weak support, between the two sequences of Pt. manu Marshall sp. nov., but there are morphological characters that support the treatment of them as distinct species, and the distance between the two Pt. manu sequences is shorter than to Pt. enderleini (as in Fig. 30 A). Despite the close external similarity between Pt. enderleini and Pt. manu, their female spermathecal complex and male distiphallus differ widely (in Pt. manu the basal distiphallus is very short and the primary spermathecal duct has a long and gently tapered swollen part). Ptilosphen xanthicoxa Marshall sp. nov., from Brazil and Colombia (no available sequence data), is also closely related to Pt. enderleini, from which it differs in details of the spermathecal complex (the basally inserted single spermathecal duct and constricted paired spermathecal stems).	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF85664CFD9DFC2FE3D239D2.taxon	materials_examined	(Table 1).	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF866652FD95FBBAE0753DA6.taxon	description	Fig. 14	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF866652FD95FBBAE0753DA6.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Holotype ECUADOR • ♂; Balzapamba; R. Haensch leg.; MNBG. Other material examined COLOMBIA • 2 ♀♀; Prov. B’ventura, Anchicaya; 400 m a. s. l.; Feb. 1970; D. M. Wood leg.; CNCI. ECUADOR • 2 ♀♀, 3 ♂♂; Prov. Pichincha, Maquipucuna Bio. Res; 1200 m a. s. l.; 27 Oct. 1999; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU • 8 ♀♀, 4 ♂♂; same data as for preceding; 28 Apr. 2002; S. A. Marshall and M. Buck leg.; QCAZ • 3 ♀♀, 3 ♂♂; same data as for preceding; CO 1 specimens MYCRO 943 - 22, DEBU 290 - 17; DEBU • 1 ♀; Sto. Domingo; 600 m a. s. l.; June 1965; L. Peña leg.; CNCI.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF866652FD95FBBAE0753DA6.taxon	description	Redescription LENGTH. 13 – 16 mm. COLOUR (Fig. 14 A – B, E – H). Dark shiny blue-black except as follows: frontal vitta entirely dull orange and well defined, frontal plate shiny reddish brown; ocellar triangle, epicephalon and paracephalon reddish brown with a microtrichose area between inner vertical bristles and on postocciput. Palpus yellow in apical third, otherwise brown; antenna and lunule orange, face brown, clypeus black and entirely setulose. Notum mostly silvery pruinose dorsally but with a narrow and anteriorly tapered incomplete brown medial vitta; black dorsolaterally. Fore tarsomeres 3 – 5 and apex of tarsomere 2 brown, tarsomeres 1 and 2 otherwise white; foreleg otherwise dark brown. Mid tarsus and tibia brown; mid and hind femora brown with white rings at distal third; mid femur with a white base 1 – 3 × width of femur, hind femur with white basal ring 2 – 4 × width of femur; hind tibia and tarsus brown. Wing with transverse basal and preapical bands and broadly triangular discal band, preapical band staggered with part in cell r 4 + 5 more basal. Abdominal T 1 – 2 blue-black except for dull black anterior margin of T 1 and dull black middle of T 2, other tergites blue-black along anterior third, T 5 with a narrow blue-black longitudinal line and a narrow blue-black posterior margin, tergites otherwise dull black. Abdominal P 1 of female black on anterior half, P 2 entirely black, P 3 with a broad vertical band, P 4 with a broad band on upper half only, P 5 – 6 entirely black; oviscape brown, mostly silvery pruinose except for a narrow bare dorsal strip and a bare, shiny apical fifth. Male abdomen with pleural pigmentation similar to female on segments 1 – 3, P 4 – 5 with dense white microsetulosity covering ventral ⅔ of pleuron; epandrium brown and entirely microsetulose. HEAD. Two pairs of fronto-orbital bristles, upper pair large. Frontal vitta convex, gradually tapered to a point both anteriorly and posteriorly, 0.7 × width of frons at maximum. Outer vertical bristle present. THORAX. Prosternum bare except for minute scattered setulae. Cervical sclerite finely microtrichose except at anterior margin, female with centre part depressed, strongly differentiated and divided from anterior part, posterior part strongly convex; male cervical sclerite with centre and posterior parts almost uniformly convex. Scapular setae not differentiated from anterior dorsocentral setulae. Postpronotum microsetulose dorsally, bare laterally, with a few scattered setulae. Two notopleural bristles, anterior 0.5 × as long as posterior. Katepisternum with one vertical row of strong setae preceded by a vertical row of about six fine lower setae and scattered small, fine and pale upper setae. Dorsocentral bristle present. FEMALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 14 I). Three spermathecae, paired spermathecae on a long, uniform-width primary duct arising from the apex of an elongate common duct, apex of primary duct slightly swollen where it divides into two long, sinuate stems each ending in a broadly cup-shaped spermatheca. Single spermathecal duct arising from side of common duct, smaller and shorter than primary duct, ending in a very small acorn-shaped spermatheca. MALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 14 C – D). Genital fork with two strongly incurved arched arms with fine hairs distally on outer surface and short, small spines scattered along length of inner surface and in a loose basal cluster and on a slightly raised inner basal process; base with shallow groove. Basiphallus prominent, much wider than basal distiphallus and projecting posteriorly as a subquadrate lobe. Basal distiphallus broad, slightly shorter than epandrium, distal distiphallus narrower and slightly shorter, ringed by fine striae, weakly sinuate and not expanded at apex. Phallic bulb broad, proximal chamber about twice the size of the inconspicuous distal chamber. Hypandrium with a scoop-like anterior bridge. Subepandrial sclerite uniformly sclerotized. Postgonite very small and short, with a tapered and weakly spinulose apex and a few small setulae on anterior surface.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF866652FD95FBBAE0753DA6.taxon	discussion	Remarks Ptilosphen facetus is externally similar to and apparently closely related to Pt. gentilis (Central America) and Pt. boroboro Marshall sp. nov. (Colombia), both of which differ from Pt. facetus in having a fourbranched male genital fork. CO 1 data supports a close relationship between Pt. facetus and Pt. gentilis (Fig. 30).	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF866652FD95FBBAE0753DA6.taxon	materials_examined	(Table 1).	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF9B6650FD89FE84E2C33997.taxon	description	Fig. 15	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF9B6650FD89FE84E2C33997.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Holotype of Ptilosphen fulvus BRAZIL • ♀; “ Amaz // round green-ringed label // type // Calobata fulva Walk. ”; NHMUK, NHMUK 010579826 (labelled as holotype by D. Whitmore in 2016). Paratype of Ptilosphen fulvus BRAZIL • 1 ♀; Para; (labels read “ Amaz. // one of Walker’s series so named, E. A. W. // Calolbata fulva Walk. ”); NHMUK. Syntypes of Ptilosphen ochraceus BRAZIL • 2 ♀♀; Para, Sieber; MNBG. Other material examined BRAZIL • 1 ♀; Prov. Amazon, S. Pedru da Agua Branca, F. Sta Rosa; 5 ° 07 ′ 07 ″ S, 48 ° 15 ′ 19 ″ W; Dec. 2001; Rafael, Oliviera and Vidal leg.; INPA • 2 ♀♀ (one dissected); Upper Rocana, N. Para; Jul. 1918; S. M. Klages leg.; CMNH. FRENCH GUIANA • 1 ♀; Mitaraka, on trail between inserberg and swamp; M. Pollett leg.; dissected and illustrated, sequenced for CO 1 MYCRO 952 - 22; MNHN. LOCALITY UNKNOWN • 1 ♀; labelled “ Calobata testacea ” (no locality or collector; C. testacea is a Poecilotylus, as confirmed by examination of the type in ZMUC, but this specimen is certainly a Ptilosphen and probably Pt. fulvus); OXUM.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF9B6650FD89FE84E2C33997.taxon	description	Redescription LENGTH. 16 – 18 mm. COLOUR (Fig. 15 A – C). Orange except as follows: parafacial and posterior genal margin silvery pruinose. Anterior margin of pronotum narrowly dark brown. Fore tarsomeres 4 – 5 reddish brown, tarsomeres 1 and 2 and base of tarsomere 3 white; fore tibia and apex of fore femur dark brown to black. Mid tarsomeres and mid tibia brown; mid and hind femora uniformly orange (hind tibia with indistinct yellowish area at distal third on some specimens, including holotype); hind tibia and hind tarsomeres dark brown. Wing with discal pigmentation diffuse, elongate, surrounding most of vein M between r-m and dm-cu. Abdominal tergites mostly shiny brown with a blue tinge on some specimens, posterolateral corners of T 2 darkened, base of T 1 + 2 pale; pleural pigmentation indistinct on all available specimens, upper part of P 3 – 5 apparently darkened. HEAD. Frontal vitta tapered anteriorly to a point above lower margin of frons, half as wide as frons; one small frontal bristle at widest point of vitta; postocellar part of frontal vitta gradually tapered. Outer vertical bristle present. THORAX. Prosternum bare except for microsetulose anterior margin. Cervical sclerite quadrate, depressed and differentiated at middle and thus slightly bilobed. Postpronotal lobe microsetulose but without setae. Scapular setae absent. Katepisternal bristles golden. Notopleuron with two equal bristles. Dorsocentral bristle present. FEMALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 15 D). Paired spermathecae suboval with a deeply inverted (everted in some preparations) apex and an elongate, thick stem with small concial protuberances, stem separated from apex of primary duct by a very narrow and elongate constriction; duct long, thin with tight transverse striations. Single spermatheca similar but smaller and without the elongate stem, single duct ¾ as long as, and of equal width to, primary spermathecal duct; both ducts arising at apex of a very narrow common duct or bursa extension. MALE TERMINALIA. Male unknown.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF9B6650FD89FE84E2C33997.taxon	discussion	Remarks This species is characterized by an almost entirely orange body, an unmarked abdominal pleuron and a relatively large size. With such limited material, and without male specimens, it is difficult to fully characterize the species, and there are no obvious close relatives. The only available CO 1 sequence is too short to provide strong support for relationships. Walker’s description of Pt. fulvus suggests that it is “ nearly allied to C. testacea ”, but C. testacea is a Poecilotylus.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF9B6650FD89FE84E2C33997.taxon	materials_examined	(Table 1).	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF9D6655FD8EFE84E3D53D43.taxon	description	Fig. 16	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF9D6655FD8EFE84E3D53D43.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Holotype COSTA RICA • ♂; San Carlos; Schild and Burgdorf leg.; USNM. Paratypes COSTA RICA • 4 ♀♀, 2 ♂♂; same data as for holotype; USNM (not examined). Other material examined COSTA RICA • 10 ♂♂; Prov. Limon, Siquerres, Pacuarito, Los Brisas; 200 – 500 m a. s. l.; 1996; B. Viklund leg.; DEBU • 5 ♀♀, 8 ♂♂; Prov. Heredia, Rara Avis Nat. Res., 12 km S of Las Horquitas; 10 ° 17 ′ 0 ″ N, 84 ° 2 ′ 50 ″ W; 700 m a. s. l.; Feb. 2005; S. A. Marshall leg.; CO 1 specimen DEBU 293 - 17; DEBU • 1 ♀, 2 ♂♂; La Selva; 2000; E. M. and C. F. Fischer leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; La Selva, Biol. Res.; Feb. 2003; M. Pollet leg.; DEBU • 4 ♀♀, 4 ♂♂; Prov. Alajuela, Volcan Tenorio; Mar. 2000; Buck and Marshall leg.; DEBU • 5 ♀♀, 5 ♂♂; San Juan de Peñas Blancas, San Ramón, Soltis Research Centre; 17 Aug. 2013, Apr. – May 2018, Apr. – May 2022; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀; Prov. Guanacaste, Estacion Pitilla, 9 km S of Santa Cecilla; Feb. 1996; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU • 1 ♂; Prov. Puntarenas, Punta Leona; Feb. 2001; P. D. Careless leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀, 3 ♂♂; Area Conservation Central Parque Nacional Braulio Carillo, Quebrada Gonzalez; 13 Aug. 2013; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU (alcohol) • 1 ♀, 3 ♂♂; Area Conservation Central Parque Nacional Braulio Carillo Sector El Ceibo; 600 m a. s. l.; 29 Jul. – 5 Aug. 2019; D. Janzen et al.; CO 1 specimen BIOUG 77721 - F 01; BIOUG • 1 ♀; Area Conservation La Amistad; 306 m a. s. l.; 7 – 14 Feb. 2021; D. Janzen et al. leg.; CO 1 specimen BIOUG 80754 - C 04; BIOUG • 1 ♂; Alajuela, Arenal National Park; 25 Aug. 2022; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU. NICARAGUA • 1 ♀; Rio San Juan Prov., Refugia Bartola Res., 5 mi. E of El Castillo; 3 – 8 May 2008; J. Wilson and K. Williams leg.; DEBU.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF9D6655FD8EFE84E3D53D43.taxon	description	Redescription LENGTH. 13 – 16 mm. COLOUR (Fig. 16 A – B, G – J). Dark brown to black except as follows: frontal vitta entirely dull velvety orange and well defined, darker anteriorly, posterior apex within a densely silvery microsetulose area extending between inner vertical bristles; frontal plate bare, reddish; ocellar triangle, epicephalon and paracephalon black and bare except for microsetulose area between inner vertical bristles. Palpus yellow in apical third, otherwise brown; lunule orange, face brown with dark lower margin, densely microsetulose except for bare subantennal depression; clypeus black and entirely silvery microsetulose with setulosity densest laterally; parafacial densely silver microsetulose. Antenna mostly orange but first flagellomere black distally and on dorsal third. Notum blue-black, mostly silvery pruinose dorsally but with a narrow and anteriorly tapered incomplete black medial vitta; black dorsolaterally. Fore tarsomeres 1 – 3 white, tarsomeres 4 – 5 brown; foreleg otherwise dark brown. Mid tarsomeres and mid tibia brown; mid and hind femora brown with white rings at distal third; mid femur with a white base 1 – 3 × width of femur, hind femur with white ring 2 – 4 × width of femur; hind tibia and tarsus brown. Wing with transverse basal and preapical bands and broadly triangular discal band; preapical band straight, not conspicuously staggered at middle as in related species. Abdominal T 1 – 2 blue-black pruinose except for dull black anterior margin of T 1 and dull black middle of T 2, T 3 – 5 blue-black along anterior quarter, T 6 entirely blue-black pruinose, female ovipositor pruinose basally, bare distally. Abdominal P 1 of female black on anterior half, P 2 entirely black, P 3 with a broad vertical band, P 4 with a broad band on upper half only, P 5 – 6 entirely black; oviscape brown, mostly silvery pruinose except for a narrow bare dorsal strip and a bare, shiny apical fifth. Male pleural pigmentation similar to female on segments 1 – 3, P 4 – 5 with dense white microsetulosity covering ventral ⅔ of pleuron; epandrium brown and entirely microsetulose. HEAD. Two pairs of large fronto-orbital bristles. Frontal vitta gradually tapered to a point both anteriorly and posteriorly, about half as wide as frons at widest point. Outer vertical bristle present. THORAX. Prosternum bare except for minute scattered setulae. Cervical sclerite finely microtrichose except at anterior margin, female with centre part depressed, strongly differentiated and divided from anterior part, posterior part strongly convex; male cervical sclerite with centre and posterior parts almost uniformly convex. Scapular setae not differentiated from anterior dorsocentral setulae. Postpronotum microsetulose dorsally, bare laterally, with a few scattered setulae. Two notopleural bristles, anterior 0.8 × as long as posterior. Katepisternum with one vertical row of strong setae preceded by a vertical row of about six fine lower setae and scattered small, fine and pale upper setae. Dorsocentral bristle present. FEMALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 16 C – D). Three spermathecae; paired spermathecae on an extremely long, uniformly narrow primary duct arising from the apex of an elongate common duct; apex of primary duct distinctly swollen where it divides into two very long, narrow, sinuate stems, each ending in an elongate, basally bent cone-shaped spermatheca. Single spermathecal duct arising from side of common duct, smaller and shorter than primary duct, ending in a very small elongate spermatheca. MALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 16 E – F, I). Genital fork elongate with a short basal arm and a long, strongly incurved arched arm with fine hairs distally on outer surface and short, small spines scattered along length of inner surface and in a loose basal cluster and on a slightly raised inner basal process; base with shallow groove between arms. Basiphallus small but prominent, narrower than basal distiphallus and slightly projecting posteriorly as a tapered lobe. Basal distiphallus broad, shorter than epandrium, distal distiphallus narrower, long and whip-like, reaching or exceeding anterior margin of the long hypandrium. Phallic bulb small, proximal chamber distinct and about double the size of the small distal chamber. Hypandrium with narrow, tongue-like anterior bridge. Subepandrial sclerite uniformly sclerotized. Postgonite very small and short, with a tapered and weakly spinulose apex and a few small setulae on anterior surface.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF9D6655FD8EFE84E3D53D43.taxon	discussion	Remarks Ptilosphen gentilis is a Central American species currently known mostly from Costa Rica, where it is commonly encountered. Records of Pt. gentilis from South America (Albuquerque 1991) cited in catalogues (Steyskal 1967; Marshall et al. 2016) are probably all misidentified Pt. facetus or Pt. boroboro Marshall sp. nov. Ptilosphen gentilis is closely related to Pt. boroboro, which also has a four-armed genital fork, but the lower arms of the Pt. gentilis genital fork are shorter (much less than half as long as the upper arms) and the basal distiphallus is much shorter. There were no CO 1 sequences of Pt. boroboro available, but the analysis supports a close relationship between Pt. facetus and Pt. gentilis. Females of these species are similar. Costa Rican specimens of Pt. gentilis fell into two CO 1 BINs, but morphology suggests that they are the same species.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF9D6655FD8EFE84E3D53D43.taxon	materials_examined	(Table 1) • (Table 1).	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF9E665BFDC1FE84E58A3C06.taxon	description	urn: lsid: zoobank. org: act: 5 B 422 F 77 - DF 28 - 4295 - B 113 - 3 B 2 D 8 AF 246 C 6 Fig. 17	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF9E665BFDC1FE84E58A3C06.taxon	etymology	Etymology The species name is a modification of the name of the misleadingly similar Pt. conveniens and reflects the inconvenience of dealing with such an interesting species on the basis of only a single female specimen.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF9E665BFDC1FE84E58A3C06.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Holotype COLOMBIA • ♀; Nariño R. N, La Planada Via Hondón; 1 ° 15 ′ N, 78 ° 15 ′ W; 1930 m a. s. l.; 2 – 16 Nov. 2000; G. Oliva leg., 1411; Malaise; IAVH.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF9E665BFDC1FE84E58A3C06.taxon	description	Description (female only) LENGTH. 15 mm. COLOUR (Fig. 17 A – E). Dark shiny blue-black except as follows: frontal vitta velvety black, frontal plate shining brown, reddish along eye; antenna brown, parafacial silvery pruinose, vertex entirely microsetulose. Palpus brown, orange apically; clypeus pruinose blue-black, face mostly pale. Fore tarsomeres 2 – 5 dark, tarsomere 1 white except for dark apex; fore tibia and fore femur entirely dark brown. Mid tibia brown; mid femur brown with basal white ring as long as width of femur, a midventral white ring half as long as femoral width and a preapical orange ring twice as long as femoral width; hind femur similar but with a longer basal white part; hind tibia brown; hind tarsus brown. Wing with an unusually extensive elongate triangular discal band extending from near wing base to dm-cu and extending anteriorly to wing margin; apex of wing also heavily pigmented from M to anterior wing margin. Abdomen with tergites shining blue-black except for pale brown posterior half of T 2, white and unsclerotized T 3 (wrinkled and not totally visible on unique holotype) and brown anterior third of T 4; pleuron with a large white inflated area on P 2 – 4 and flanked by black P 2, a black upper quarter of P 4, a black P 5, and a slightly darkened ventral area. HEAD. Two fronto-orbital bristles. Outer vertical bristle present. Frontal vitta about half as wide as frons at widest point, very slightly elevated, parallel sided except for the gradually tapered anterior quarter; posterior part of vitta only slightly tapered to a broad apex. THORAX. Prosternum inconspicuously setulose. Cervical sclerite subquadrate and almost flat. Scapular setae absent. Postpronotum with a few scattered inconspicuous setulae. Notopleuron with two bristles, anterior thinner and shorter than posterior. Katepisternum with one posterior vertical row of black bristles preceded by a similar row along ventral fifth of row and below, upper setae of anterior row fine and hairlike. Dorsocentral bristle present. FEMALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 17 F). Paired spermathecal duct very small and arising distally on bursa extension, leading to a small swelling before dividing into narrow stems each ending in a balloon-like spermatheca. Secondary spermathecal duct much longer and thicker, arising laterally from common duct (or bursa extension), narrow basally and terminating in a very short, coiled constriction leading to a very large bulbous swelling that branches into two fat arms with a bulbous apex. MALE TERMINALIA. Male unknown.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF9E665BFDC1FE84E58A3C06.taxon	discussion	Remarks Ptilosphen inconveniens Marshall sp. nov. and Pt. mimicus are apparently closely related and differ widely from other Ptilosphen species in having the paired (primary) spermathecal duct greatly reduced and arising apically from the bursa, while the much larger single (presumably secondary) spermathecal duct arises low on the bursa and leads to a large bifurcate single spermatheca. Both species are also characterized by black fore tarsomeres 2 – 5, unlike other Ptilosphen species, but Pt. inconveniens is distinguished from Pt. mimicus by its large and elongate discal wing band (extending into the basal quarter of the wing), the distinctive desclerotization of female T 3 and the retention of prescutellar dorsocentrals and two fronto-orbital bristles. Males of Pt. inconveniens remain unknown.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF91665FFDF2F9E5E5BC39B7.taxon	description	Fig. 18	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF91665FFDF2F9E5E5BC39B7.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Type material of Ptilosphen insignis BRAZIL • ♀ (HT?); MNGB.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF91665FFDF2F9E5E5BC39B7.taxon	discussion	Note: the only putative type material of Ptilosphen insignis examined is a male specimen in MNBG labelled as a type by Enderlein, but according to Wiedemann (1830), the description is based on a female. Enderlein also lists specimens from Colombia and Guyana as follows:	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF91665FFDF2F9E5E5BC39B7.taxon	materials_examined	COLOMBIA • ♀♀; Cordillieren, Terra Caliente; Prof. Dr Thieme. GUYANA • ♀♀; Schomburg. Type material of Calobata nigrifrons was not examined (deposition unknown, not in the Bigot collection at Oxford). Other material examined BOLIVIA • 12 ♀♀, 6 ♂♂; Heath River Wildlife Centre, 21 km SSW of Puerto Heath; 12 ° 40 ′ S, 68 ° 42 ′ W; 29 Apr. – 12 May 2007; S. A. Marshall and S. Paiero leg.; CO 1 specimens MYCRO 949 - 22, MYCRO 950 - 22 (see Remarks); DEBU. BRAZIL • 1 ♀; Prov. Amazonas, Amazonas, 50 km N of Manaus, km 934 BR 174, km 14 ZF- 2; 13 Jan. 2020; Rafael and Marshall leg.; INPA • 2 ♀♀; Presidente Figueiredo, Cachoeira Iracema, nr parking lot; 29 Jan. 2020; Rafael and Marshall leg.; INPA • 1 ♀, 5 ♂♂; Prov. Amazonas; A. Roman leg.; FMNH • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; Campus Universitario, Manaus; 1988; Castilho and Binda leg.; INPA • 2 ♀♀; Embrapa; 1992; Albuquerque and Binda; INPA • 1 ♀; S. Izabel. R. Negro Maturaca; 1990; J. A. Rafael leg.; arm, Malaise; INPA • 1 ♀; Rio Jau, Meriti Mun. Novo Airao; 1994; J. A. Rafael leg.; INPA • 1 ♂; Manaus, 174 km 41 Res. 1501; 2 ° 27 ′ 26 ″ S, 59 ° 45 ′ 00 ″ W; 1995; Roche and Silva leg.; INPA • 1 ♀; Coari, Rio Urucu, Petrobras, RUC; 1994; Roche and Silva leg.; INPA • 1 ♀; Vegetacao; 1983; R. Y. Harada leg.; INPA • 1 ♀; Prov. Rondonia, Ouro Preto do Oeste, Igarapé; Jul. 1995; Mandi leg.; INPA • 1 ♂; Guajara-Mirim, Rio Ouro Preto; 1995; Rafael and Henriques leg.; Malaise; INPA • 1 ♀, 2 ♂♂; Prov. Rio Negro; A. Roman leg.; FMNH • 4 ♀♀; Parna do Jau, Lago do Miratuca; 1993; L. S. Aquino leg.; INPA • 3 ♀♀; Pacaraima; 1988; J. A. Rafael leg.; INPA • 1 ♀; S. Pedro da Agua Branch, F. Sta Rosa; 2001; J. A. Rafael, F. L. Oliveira and J. Vidal leg.; INPA • 1 ♀; Prov. Para Tucurui, R. Tocantins; 1981; INPA • 1 ♀; 5 mi. SE of Manaus; Mar. 1973; B. V. Peterson leg.; CNCI • 2 ♂♂; Umarituba, Rio Negro; Expedition Roman; ZMUH • 1 ♀; Rio Negro, San Gabriel; ZMUH • 1 ♀, 2 damaged specimens without abdomens; Rio Uraupes, Tararacua and Manaus; ZMUH • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; Rio Autaz; ZMUH. FRENCH GUIANA • 5 ♀♀, 4 ♂♂; Mitaraka; 283 – 306 m a. s. l.; 26 Jan. – 10 Mar. 2015; M. Pollett, J. Touroult and E. Poirier leg., PROJECT MITARAKA; tropical moist rainforest, yellow pan traps and flight intercept traps; MNHN • 15 ♀♀, 7 ♂♂; Mana River; May 1917; CMNH • 2 ♀♀, 5 ♂♂; Roura, road D 6 m; 17 – 23 Nov. 2018; G. Ferro leg.; rainforest trail, human dung; DEBU • 1 ♀; Monsinery, “ Emerald Jungle ”, Carrefour de Gallion; 1 Jan. 2003; M. Kotrba leg.; DEBU • 2 ♀♀; Cayenne, Kaw Mtn, Relais de Patawa; Jan. 2006; J-A. Cerda leg.; Malaise; CO 1 specimen MYCRO 0885 - 21; DEBU. GUYANA • 17 ♀♀, 7 ♂♂; Potaro-Siparuni, Mount Wokomung; 21 – 26 Oct. 2004; B. Hubley leg.; dung trap in primary forest; DEBU • 18 ♀♀, 7 ♂♂; same data as for preceding; ROME • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; Kabocalli, Iwokrama Forest Reserve; 60 m a. s. l.; 3 – 5 Jun. 2001; Brooks and Falin leg.; flight intercept trap; DEBU • 1 ♀; Mazaruni-Potari District, Takutu Mtns; 13 Dec. 1983; Earthwatch Research Expeditions, Warner and Steiner leg.; USNM. TRINIDAD & TOBAGO • 3 ♀♀, 2 ♂♂; Trinidad, Prov. Tabaquite; 1902; H. D. Chipman leg.; CMNH.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF91665FFDF2F9E5E5BC39B7.taxon	description	Redescription LENGTH. 13 – 15 mm. COLOUR (Fig. 18 A – D). Head mostly dark reddish brown except darker frontal vitta and yellow lower face, parafacials, gena, clypeus, palpus and postgena and central postocciput; postocellar frontal vitta and parafacials densely silvery microsetulose. Subantennal depression black, pedicel, scape and extreme base of first flagellomere reddish, first flagellomere otherwise dark brown. Vitta entirely dark. Thorax mostly orange, sparsely microsetulose; at most anterior margin of pronotum black to brown. Katepisternal bristles orange. Fore tarsomeres mostly white although distal one or two tarsomeres sometimes yellowish; fore tibia dark brown; fore femur distally dark brown, yellow to orange on basal half. Mid tarsus and tibia brown; mid femur and hind femur yellow-brown with medial white rings 1 – 2 × width of femur (pale rings on mid tibia obsolete on some specimens, basal half of mid tibia often pale on posterior half), mid femur and hind femur with a pale basal ring (often indistinct). Hind tibia and tarsus brown. Wing with a small subquadrate to triangular discal band extending from middle of cell dm to beyond R 4 + 5, often with an indistinct anterodistal extension to or beyond R 2 + 3. Abdominal tergites of male brown except for black posterior corners and anterior margin of T 2; abdominal pleuron of male boldly banded in black and white, with separate bands on P 1, P 2, and P 3; the P 3 band complete and broad; P 2 usually with a distinct pleural sac in upper half; P 4 – 5 white and sometimes delineated as an apparent inflatable sac. Abdomen of female with T 1 orange, other tergites dark brown to black, pruinose; oviscape orange and heavily silvery microsetulose laterally, dorsally and distally brown, bare and shining, apex yellow. Pleuron of female with P 2 and P 3 with ventrally tapered dark bands, P 4 – 5 dark on dorsal half. HEAD. Frontal vitta entirely black to dark brown and well defined, slightly elevated and teardrop-shaped, strongly tapered to anterior point and about 0.7 × frontal width at maximum. Two strong fronto-orbital bristles. Palpus 5 × as long as wide with long, thin, light hairs extending length of one side. Outer vertical bristles present. THORAX. Prosternum microsetulose. Cervical sclerite evenly swollen in male, female with central area slightly depressed. Postpronotum microsetulose but without differentiated setulae. Scapular setae absent in both sexes. Katepisternum with one main vertical row of orange bristles. Dorsocentral bristle present. FEMALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 18 F). Oviscape reaching almost to anterior margin of P 2. Three spermathecae, primary spermathecal duct slightly broader in basal half, terminating in a distinct swelling before splitting into two long ducts with a greatly swollen basal half and a coiled distal half, spermatheca expanded to a cup-like apex. Secondary spermathecal duct much smaller and less than half as long, ending in an indistinct swelling, a very small stem and a single spermatheca. MALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 18 E, G – H). Genital fork with thick, straight arms, inner surface concave near base with sparse short spines evenly spaced; inner basal arms absent, base deeply cleft by a very narrow, almost linear cut. Epandrium long and narrow, almost 3 × as long as wide. Basiphallus smaller than base of distiphallus, barely projecting posteriorly as a subquadrate lobe. Distiphallus 1.5 × length of epandrium, basal distiphallus broad and almost as long as epandrium; phallic bulb short, with proximal and distal chambers equally distinct and similar in size; distal distiphallus with transverse striations, 0.8 × length of basal distiphallus, apex funnel shaped. Hypandrium with narrow, tongue-like anterior bridge. Postgonite small but bulbous, with 3 minute setulae anteroventrally, posterior surface evenly covered with minute bumps. Ejaculatory apodeme broad, slightly shorter than epandrium.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF91665FFDF2F9E5E5BC39B7.taxon	discussion	Remarks Ptilosphen insignis can be distinguished from the similar Pt. dubius by the broad and straight arms of the male genital fork and, to a lesser extent, pronotal colour, oviscape colour and the characteristically shaped female spermathecae and spermathecal stems. Some specimens of Pt. insignis vary in discal wing band pigmentation (distinct to faint) and size and could easily be misidentified as Pt. yasuni Marshall sp. nov. (the probable sister species to Pt. insignis) without examination of abdominal characters. One female specimen from Brazil (Presidente Figueiredo, Cachoeira Iracema, nr parking lot, 29 Jan. 2020; Rafael and Marshall; INPA) has the discal band divided into two separate oblong oval spots, one over M and one over R 4 + 5. This specimen might represent a separate species, but male specimens are required to confirm its status. The five specimens listed above from Trinidad are also atypical in having almost no wing pigmentation, however both male and female terminalia suggest that they are Pt. insignis. Two of the specimens identified as Pt. insignis from Heath River, Bolivia, barcoded into the same BIN as Pt. dubius, widely separated from other specimens of Pt. insignis from Guyana and French Guyana. Collections from Heath River included 18 specimens identified as Pt. insignis and 12 identified as Pt. dubius. All specimens, including the two Pt. insignis that sequence with Pt. dubius, were re-checked and are correctly identified according to the multiple diagnostic features mentioned above.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF91665FFDF2F9E5E5BC39B7.taxon	materials_examined	(Table 1).	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF95665CFD96FC57E334396A.taxon	description	urn: lsid: zoobank. org: act: 54259 A 7 C-AEA 2 - 45 FB- 88 E 6 - FFA 731 D 55 FD 1 Fig. 19	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF95665CFD96FC57E334396A.taxon	etymology	Etymology The species name reflects the type locality, Manu National Park, and is treated as a noun in apposition.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF95665CFD96FC57E334396A.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Holotype PERU • ♀; Cuzco, Paucartambo, Kosnipata, Estacion Biologica Manu, Platanal; 12.900481 ° S, 71.4045 ° W; 519 m a. s. l.; 24 Feb. – 4 Mar. 2023; MANU ICFC leg.; Malaise trap; MUSM, CBG A 48535 - A 07. Paratypes COLOMBIA • 1 ♂; Putumayo, Orito, RN La Isla Escondida; 0.65547 ° N, 77.07302 ° W; 850 m a. s. l.; 5 Aug. 2024; Pollet and De Braekeleer leg.; sweep net; IAVH, Life on Trees: LOT 00 - 40007 / S 20. PERU • 1 ♀; Cuzco, Paucartambo, Kosnipata, Estacion Biologica Manu, Mandala 2; 12.895102 ° S, 71.40271 ° W; 513 m a. s. l.; 9 – 16 Nov. 2022; MANU ICFC leg.; Malaise trap; CO 1 specimen PERMQ 48399 - 24; DEBU • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; MUSM • 1 ♂; Cuzco, Paucartambo, Kosnipata, Estacion Biologica Manu, Mandala 2; 12.895102 ° S, 71.40271 ° W; 513 m a. s. l.; 4 – 11 Mar. 2023; MANU ICFC leg.; Malaise trap; CO 1 specimen PERMS 13883 - 24; MUSM • 8 ♀♀, 2 ♂♂; Prov. Cuzco, Quincemil; 700 m a. s. l.; Sep. 1962; L. Peña leg.; CNCI (det. as Pt. enderleini by L. Albuquerque, dissected and confirmed as Pt. manu) • 6 ♀♀; Prov. Madre de Dios, Avispas; 400 m a. s. l.; Oct. 1962; L. Peña leg.; CNCI (det. as Pt. enderleini by L. Albuquerque, dissected and confirmed as Pt. manu). Note: Estacion Biologica Manu is the same locality referred to on older labels (thus elsewhere in this paper) as Villa Carmen. Other material examined BRAZIL • 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀; Amazon, H. W. Bates leg.; NHMUK. These specimens were determined as Pt. enderleini by Hennig and listed as Pt. enderleini in Hennig (1934). One is an intact female, one has no abdomen or legs, and the third (illustrated here; Fig. 19 E) lacks terminalia. Although not examined by the authors, the specimen of “ Pt. enderleini ” mentioned in Hennig (1934) from Pichis-Weg (Peru) is presumably also this species.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF95665CFD96FC57E334396A.taxon	description	Description LENGTH. 12 – 13 mm. COLOUR (Fig. 19 E – G). Frons black with anterior margin reddish, frontal vitta pruinose and dull; paracephalon, lower epicephalon and frontal plate shiny, upper epicephalon and posterior frontal vitta silvery microsetulose. Lunule, scape, pedicel and base of first flagellomere orange, antenna otherwise black; lower face yellow, parafacial white to silvery pruinose, subantennal depression shiny black. Clypeus reddish brown and almost bare at middle, otherwise black, densely microsetulose. Palpus yellow-orange distally, brown basally. Notum black, indistinctly vittate with incomplete golden-brown microsetulose central vitta separating broader silvery microsetulose vittae, pleuron with extensive pruinosity forming broad, weakly differentiated vertical bands. Fore coxa reddish brown, densely microsetulose on inner surface; fore femur yellow basally, dark brown distally. Mid coxa reddish brown, heavily silvery microsetulose. Mid tarsus and tibia brown; mid femur with basal and medial white rings 1 – 2 × width of femur, otherwise dark brown proximal to distomedian white band, brown to reddish brown distal to distomedian white band. Hind coxa reddish brown, silvery microsetulose on posterior half. Hind femur brown with subbasal and medial white rings 1 – 3 × width of femur, base of femur brown at least on external surface with length of brown basal area exceeding femur width; hind tibia and tarsus brown. Wing with a distinct subquadrate discal wing band crossing cell r 4 + 5 and extending as a weaker band almost to costa. Abdominal tergites blue-black, golden pruinose on central part of T 2 and anterior margin of T 3, remainder of T 3 bare, tergites and most of oviscape otherwise silvery pruinose, oviscape with a bare distal dorsal and distal area. Pleuron of female boldly banded in black and white, P 1 dark on anterior ¾, P 2 pale anteriorly but otherwise dark, P 3 entirely dark but with white setulosity, P 5 almost entirely dark and P 4 yellow at least on ventral half (male paratype with pleuron obscured but apparently as in female). HEAD. Two large fronto-orbital bristles, upper inserted at level of upper ocelli. Frontal vitta broad, 0.5 × frontal width at maximum, sharply tapered anteriorly and mostly parallel sided posteriorly, rounded at posterior apex. Outer vertical bristle present. THORAX. Prosternum entirely microsetulose, with a deep central pit. Cervical sclerite broad, slightly depressed medially in male, deeply depressed medially and distinctly bilobate in female. Postpronotum uniformly microsetulose with a few scattered small setulae. Scapular setae absent. Notopleuron with two bristles, anterior small. Dorsocentral bristle present. FEMALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 19 D). Paired and single spermathecal ducts arising independently from bursa, paired duct swollen, much broader than single duct and parallel sided until tapered in distal fifth. Primary duct with a distal swelling followed by a narrow constriction basal to broad, tuberculate stems slightly narrower than the elongate oval paired spermathecae. Secondary (single) spermathecal duct shorter and half the diameter of the primary duct, with a smaller distal swelling and a very narrow constriction between duct and an irregular tuberculate spermatheca. MALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 19 A – C). Genital fork with a long base and two long, thin, arched arms with fine hairs along entire outer surface; inner face of arms with dense, short spines extending entire length of arm; base of fork between arms with a narrow V-shaped cleft. Epandrium about twice as long as wide. Basiphallus well sclerotized and distinct from distiphallus, broadly rounded; basal distiphallus half as long as distal distiphallus, distal distiphallus with transverse striae and a broadened and funnel-shaped apex. Phallic bulb small, distinctly divided into two chambers, with ejaculatory duct expanding into the larger of the two chambers. Postgonite bulbous and densely covered with small teeth posteriorly, with three minute setulae anteroventrally. Ejaculatory apodeme slightly smaller than epandrium. Margin of subepandrial sclerite heavily sclerotized to form distinct bacilliform sclerite. Hypandrium with a long, tongue-like anterior bridge and an incomplete dorsal bridge, phallic plate with transverse rows of minute microtrichiae.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF95665CFD96FC57E334396A.taxon	discussion	Remarks Ptilosphen manu is externally similar to Pt. enderleini, from which it can be distinguished by the very faint discal wing banding extending almost to the costa. The male and female terminalia of these species are distinctly different, with the primary spermathecal duct of Pt. manu mostly broad and parallel-sided and the basal distiphallus very short.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF95665CFD96FC57E334396A.taxon	materials_examined	(Table 1) • (Table 1).	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF966622FD97FCF0E3303D6C.taxon	description	Fig. 20	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF966622FD97FCF0E3303D6C.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Holotype PERU • ♀; Piches and Perene Valleys; 200 – 300 ft. a. s. l.; Soc. Geog. De Lima leg.; USNM. Paratypes PERU • 2 ♀♀; same data as for holotype; USNM. Other material examined BOLIVIA • 3 ♀♀, 5 ♂♂; Prov. La Paz, Cumbre Alto Beni; 15 ° 40 ′ 31 ″ S, 67 ° 29 ′ 21 ″ W; 1400 m a. s. l.; Apr. 2001; S. A. Marshall leg.; CBFC • 2 ♀♀, 4 ♂♂; same data as for preceding; DEBU • 10 ♀♀, 1 ♂; Caranavi; 15 ° 46 ′ 35 ″ S, 67 ° 35 ′ 48 ″ W; 1400 m a. s. l.; Apr. 2001; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀; Prov. Cochabamba, Cochabamba; 1400 m a. s. l.; Feb. 1999; F. Génier leg.; DEBU. COLOMBIA • 1 ♀; Prov. Huila, Parque Nacional Natural Cueva del los Guacharos Cueva del Indio; 1 ° 37 ′ N, 76 ° 6 ′ W; 1990 m a. s. l.; 28 Nov. – 1 Dec. 2001; D. Campos leg.; CO 1 specimen DEBUA 292 - 17; DEBU • 1 ♀; Prov. Huila, Parque Nacional Natural Cueva del los Guacharos Mirador; 1980 m a. s. l.; 7 – 21 Dec. 2001; Malaise trap; J. Fonseca leg.; IAVH • 1 ♀; same data as preceding; 22 Dec. 2001; C. Cortes leg.; IAVH. ECUADOR • 3 ♀♀; El Chaco; 1750 m a. s. l.; Nov. 1999; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU • 1 ♂; Prov. Napo, Parque Nacional Sumaco; 1500 m a. s. l.; 21 Jan. 2024; S. A. Marshall leg.; MECN • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; Pastaza, Mera, Centro de Investigación Sumac Kawsay; 1 ° 24 ′ 6.24 ″ S, 78 ° 3 ′ 57.80 ″ W; 23 – 26 Jan. 2024; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU • 2 ♀♀; same data as for preceding; MECN. PERU • 4 ♀♀; Cock of the Rock Lodge; 13 ° 3 ′ 21 ″ S, 71 ° 32 ′ 46 ″ W; ~ 1380 m a. s. l.; 6 Dec. 2011; S. A. Marshall leg.; DEBU.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF966622FD97FCF0E3303D6C.taxon	description	Redescription LENGTH. 14 – 16 mm. COLOUR (Fig. 20 A – B, D – E). Black to dark brown except as follows: frontal vitta velvety brown to black, frontal plate shiny brown, antennae brown with ventrobasal part of first flagellomere orange, lunule orange brown, parafacial and subantennal depression silvery pruinose, vertex microsetulose between inner verticals. Palpus orange; clypeus brown, microsetulose, face mostly pale. Fore tarsomeres 2 – 5 dark, tarsomere 1 white except for black apex; fore tibia and fore femur entirely dark brown to black. Mid tibia brown; mid femur brown with basal white ring as long as width of femur, a middle white ring less than half as long as femoral width and an indistinct or incomplete preapical orange ring; hind femur similar but with a longer basal white part and a longer middle ring; hind tibia brown; hind tarsus mostly brown but tarsomere 1 pale ventrally with white setae. Scutum black, postpronotal lobe and pleuron reddish brown; pleuron with central broad silvery pruinose vertical band. Wing with a V-shaped discal band extending from cell dm to anterior margin and a narrow transverse preapical band extending from vein M to anterior margin. Abdominal tergites brown with a pattern of silvery pruinosity crossing junctions between T 1 – 2 and T 2 – 3; T 4 bare, T 5, T 6 and sides of female oviscape densely silvery pruinose, oviscape dorsally with a broad shiny dorsal strip. Pleuron of female abdomen with P 1 dark and much of P 2 forming a belt-like black vertical band apparently surrounding abdomen; upper part of P 3 – 5 dark. Male abdomen with a large pale brown pleural sac on P 2 and with a black vertical band on P 3, dark area on P 4 – 5 restricted to dorsal half. HEAD. Frontal vitta slightly expanded to half of frontal width anterior to ocelli, then tapered to a point at anterior margin; posterior frontal vitta gently tapered to a broad apex. One pair of fronto-orbital bristles, upper pair (orbital bristles) absent. Outer vertical bristle present. THORAX. Prosternum bare centrally, microsetulose and with fine setulae anteriorly and anterolaterally. Cervical sclerite of female pale ventrally and greatly expanded on anterior half; male cervical sclerite evenly swollen. Postpronotal lobe bare. Notopleuron with two subequal bristles. Katepisternum with a vertical row of about eight bristles anteroventral to main vertical row. Dorsocentral bristle absent. FEMALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 20 C). Three spermathecae, larger and single (presumably secondary) spermatheca on a long, slightly distally expanded duct arising from side of bursa, stem short and narrow, main body large and divided into two tapered arms. Paired (presumably primary) spermathecal duct much smaller, very short and narrow, arising from apex of a long extension of the bursa, branching into short ducts leading to two small spherical spermathecae. MALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 20 F – G). Genital fork with two long, thin, incurved arms with fine hairs along entire outer surface and widely spaced short spines on mesal surface; 3 – 4 spines concentrated into a cluster at base; base of fork between arms with a deep groove dividing broad bases of arms. Basiphallus smaller than base of distiphallus, barely projecting posteriorly as a subquadrate lobe. Distiphallus elongate, twice as long as epandrium; distal distiphallus long and thin, slightly longer than and less than half as wide as basal distiphallus at base, distally tapered to a narrow apex. Phallic bulb small and simple, with proximal chamber weakly developed and distal chamber very small and short. Hypandrium elongate, forming a long anterior bridge approximately corresponding to the distal distiphallus, anterior margin narrowed with a short anterior tongue. Ejaculatory apodeme small, about ⅓ of epandrium size.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF966622FD97FCF0E3303D6C.taxon	discussion	Remarks The similar spermathecal complex of Pt. mimicus and Pt. inconveniens Marshall sp. nov. differ widely from other Ptilosphen and strongly suggest a close relationship between these species. In contrast to almost all other micropezids, the secondary spermathecae of these species seem to be fused with a thick stem to form a single bifurcate mass.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FF966622FD97FCF0E3303D6C.taxon	materials_examined	(Table 1) • (Table 1).	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFEB6627FDACFE84E5213F3E.taxon	description	urn: lsid: zoobank. org: act: D 2071641 - 9 F 1 F- 43 AD-BCFC-B 24 DFDFDF 92 A Fig. 21	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFEB6627FDACFE84E5213F3E.taxon	etymology	Etymology This species is named for the characteristically marked frontal vitta.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFEB6627FDACFE84E5213F3E.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Holotype FRENCH GUIANA • ♀; Mitaraka; 2 ° 14 ′ 17.8 ″ N, 54 ° 27 ′ 8.2 ″ W; 352 m a. s. l.; 3 – 8 Mar. 2015; M. Pollett leg.; MITARAKA / 154; tropical moist rainforest, yellow pans traps; MNHN. Paratypes BRAZIL • 1 ♀; Amazonas, 50 km N of Manaus, km 934 BR 174, km 14 ZF- 2; 13 Jan. 2020; Rafael and Marshall leg.; INPA. FRENCH GUIANA • • 1 ♀; same locality as for holotype; 352 m a. s. l.; 25 Feb. – 3 Mar. 2015; M. Pollet leg.; white pan trap; MNHN • 1 ♂; same locality as for holotype; 433 m a. s. l.; 2 – 8 Mar. 2015; M. Pollet leg; white pan trap; DEBU • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; same locality as for holotype; 352 m a. s. l.; 3 – 8 Mar. 2015; M. Pollet leg.; tropical moist forest, yellow pan trap; MNHN • 1 ♂; same locality as for holotype; 445 m a. s. l.; 7 Mar. 2015; M. Pollet leg.; vegetation along small swamp; DEBU • 1 ♂; same locality as for holotype; 352 m a. s. l.; 25 Feb. – 3 Mar. 2015; M. Pollet leg.; tropical moist forest, yellow pan trap; MNHN • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; 373 m a. s. l.; 2 – 8 Mar. 2015; M. Pollet leg.; tropical moist forest, white pan trap; MNHN.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFEB6627FDACFE84E5213F3E.taxon	description	Description LENGTH. 14 – 15 mm. COLOUR (Fig. 21 A – B, E – F). Head mostly reddish brown; lower face and clypeus yellow, parafacial and gena silvery microsetulose. Pedicel and inner scape surface orange, first flagellomere black. Subantennal depressions and frontal vitta mostly black; anterior and postocellar frontal vitta separated by a broad orange band crossing the ocelli, postocellar frontal vitta parallel sided until vertex, anterior frontal vitta tapered to a broad apex widely separated from anterior margin of frons by a pale anterior area. Fore femur yellow anteriorly, brown posteriorly; fore tarsus white but distal two tarsomeres with dark setulae. Mid and hind femora reddish brown with pale base and indistinct pale band at or just beyond middle. Hind tarsus dark brown, concolorous with tibia. Thorax yellow-brown, without a distinct pattern. Wing with a narrow discal band, indistinctly U-shaped. Abdominal pleuron of female with distinct pigmentation on dorsal half, pigmented areas of P 2 – 3 tapered anteriorly and with a vertical posterior margin; P 4 with an almost straight ventral margin; male pleuron similar but with a lightly brown pigmented pleural sac along ventral margin of pigmented area of P 2. Female abdomen with T 1 brown, T 2 – 5 pruinose dark brown with blue-black highlights, T 6 pruinose basally and laterally only; oviscape yellow with black tip, pruinose laterally and shiny dorsally. Male with tergites entirely pruinose, terminalia yellow to pale brown. HEAD. Frontal vitta strongly convex, half as wide as frons at maximum, broadly tapered anteriorly and parallel sided posteriorly. Two fronto-orbital bristles, a large upper (orbital) at level of upper ocelli and a small lower (frontal). Frontal plate indistinctly striate, orbital plate smooth and mostly shiny but upper epicephalon microsetulose from inner vertical to posterior vitta. Outer vertical bristle present. THORAX. Prosternum microsetulose with a few scattered fine setulae. Cervical sclerite simple. Postpronotum microsetulose but without setulae or setae. Scapular setae absent. Notopleural bristles strong, anterior about half the size of posterior. Katepisternum with one main vertical row of orange bristles and a short row of about 12 weaker bristles anteroventral to main row. Dorsocentral bristle present. FEMALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 21 D – E). Both spermathecal ducts arising together at the apex of a short apical extension of the bursa. Single and paired spermathecae similar in size, paired spermathecae goblet-shaped with a broad invaginated apex, all spermathecae with small surface tubercles; primary duct parallel-sided, twice as wide and 1.5 × as long as single duct, ending in a small bulb just before paired spermathecal stems with a simple basal half and a densely tuberculate distal half. Single spermathecal duct with an apical bulb, apically separated from the short-stemmed spermatheca by a very short threadlike constriction. MALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 21 C). Epandrium with a densely long setose posteroventral corner. Cerci prominent. Genital fork arm mostly cylindrical but incurved with short, stout spines on inner surface; spines most densely packed at base and apex; base of fork between arms about twice as long as arms, with a median groove and a deep narrow cleft. Postgonite broad and rounded, almost hemispherical, but very short and inconspicuous. Basiphallus larger than base of distiphallus, projecting posteriorly as a rounded lobe. Distiphallus longer than epandrium, distal distiphallus almost straight, with distinct transverse striations or rings, 0.25 × as wide and 1.5 × as long as long as basal distiphallus, apex forming a narrow funnel. Phallic bulb short and weakly differentiated, proximal chamber elongate and distal chamber very small and barely distinguishable from base of distal distiphallus. Hypandrium with a ribbon-like anterior bridge. Ejaculatory apodeme greatly reduced, narrower and about twice as long as sperm pump.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFEB6627FDACFE84E5213F3E.taxon	discussion	Remarks Ptilosphen notatus Marshall sp. nov. is one of several orange species with a superficial similarity to Pt. insignis. It most resembles Pt. yasuni Marshall sp. nov. in male genitalic characters, especially the long distal distiphallus. The only available CO 1 sequence for Pt. notatus is short, and preliminary analyses recovered this species, with poor support, closer to the facetus-gentilis clade than to either Pt. yasuni or Pt. insignis. Ptilosphen notatus can be recognized by the distinct division of the frontal vitta into upper and lower black parts separated by a broad orange band over the ocelli and by the separation of the black lower frontal vitta from the anterior frontal margin by a broad pale area. Males of Pt. notatus differ markedly from the common sympatric species Pt. insignis by the genital fork with narrow incurved arms (Fig. 21 C), in contrast with the thick straight arms of Pt. insignis (Fig. 18 G).	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFEB6627FDACFE84E5213F3E.taxon	materials_examined	(Table 1).	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFED6625FD99FADDE2CD3C36.taxon	description	urn: lsid: zoobank. org: act: 7 E 0 F 6 AF 1 - 21 D 6 - 42 C 9 - 8 CA 3 - 1 BF 141 FB 4274 Fig. 22	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFED6625FD99FADDE2CD3C36.taxon	etymology	Etymology This species name is a patronym honouring esteemed colleague Jose Albertino Rafael, the co-collector of the type specimen.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFED6625FD99FADDE2CD3C36.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Holotype BRAZIL • ♀; Amazonas, Novo Airão, AM 352 km 10; 2 ° 42 ′ 45 ″ S, 60 ° 57 ′ 12 ″ W; Jan. 2020; Rafael and Marshall leg.; INPA, debu 00402571. Paratype BRAZIL • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; barcode specimen MYCRO 955 - 22; INPA.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFED6625FD99FADDE2CD3C36.taxon	description	Description (females only) LENGTH. 13 mm. COLOUR (Fig. 22 A, C – F). Frons, antenna and subantennal depression black: frontal vitta velvety black except for pruinose ocellar triangle, epicephalon brassy pruinose, paracephalon shiny blue-black. Clypeus, palpus and lower face margin bright yellow-orange. Parafacial silvery pruinose. Thorax and abdomen black to dark brown, notum indistinctly vittate with narrow central black strip separating broader silvery vittae, pleuron white pruinose except for a vertical black band at centre of katepisternum. Coxa, trochanter and basal part of fore femur orange, fore tarsus mostly white and white setulose but distal three tarsomeres slightly darkened. Mid femur brown with a narrow basal white band and an irregular white band at middle; hind femur similar but with a subbasal white band beyond a narrow brown base; mid and hind trochanters, tibiae and tarsus black. Wing generally infuscate with small subquadrate discal patch, without apical or preapical band. Abdominal P 1 and P 2 with broad vertical black bands separated by a white area, P 3 white on anterior half, and P 4 – 6 dark on dorsal half and slightly darkened ventrally. Abdominal T 1 - 2 broadly pruinose at junction and laterally, dorsal part of T 2 bare; T 3 pruinose on anterior margin and laterally; T 4 pruinose anteriorly, laterally and posteromedially; T 5 – 7 entirely pruinose. Oviscape black except orange apex, silvery pruinose laterally on basal ¾; dorsal strip and preapical area shiny black. HEAD. Frontal vitta broad and convex, 0.75 × width of frons at maximum width, strongly tapered anteriorly, broad and gradually tapered to a rounded apex posteriorly. Two fronto-orbital bristles, upper strong. Outer vertical bristle present. THORAX. Prosternum microsetulose with scattered weak setulae. Pronotum with a prominent transverse groove on lateral parts. Cervical sclerite broad and convex posteriorly, distinctly microsetulose. Postpronotum microsetulose, with several small erect setae. Two notopleural bristles, anterior small. Dorsocentral bristle present. FEMALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 22 B). Oviscape elongate triangular, length 2.7 × maximum width. Paired spermathecal stems elongate and strongly tuberculate, gradually expanded apically to spermathecae that are little differentiated from the stems, with a short and thin constriction separating the duct from a swollen apex of the primary (paired) duct; single spermatheca similar but much smaller and less elongate. Spermathecal ducts long, thin, parallel-sided, single duct ½ as long as and slightly narrower than primary spermathecal duct; ducts arising separately on broad bursa apex. MALE TERMINALIA. Male unknown.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFED6625FD99FADDE2CD3C36.taxon	discussion	Remarks Although this black-bodied species is known only from females, it seems to be distinctive and easily recognized by the orange clypeus, palpus and fore coxa. The apparent lack of preapical and apical pigmentation in the wing is also unusual in the genus. The spermathecae and associated structures resemble those of the similar black-bodied species Pt. ramosus and the orange-bodied species Pt. insignis and Pt. dubius; CO 1 data place Pt. rafaeli next to Pt. insignis.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFED6625FD99FADDE2CD3C36.taxon	materials_examined	(Table 1).	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFEF662AFDE6F9DBE3DA39CD.taxon	description	urn: lsid: zoobank. org: act: 11422180 - D 24 B- 4 C 35 - BB 08 - 302 D 2004 CC 2 D Fig. 23	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFEF662AFDE6F9DBE3DA39CD.taxon	etymology	Etymology The species name is from the Latin for ‘ branched’, referring to the branched arms of the genital fork.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFEF662AFDE6F9DBE3DA39CD.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Holotype COLOMBIA • ♂; Prov. Amazonas, Parque Nacionales Naturales Amacayacu, San Martin; 3 ° 23 ′ S, 70 ° 6 ′ W; 150 m a. s. l.; 5 – 19 Dec. 2001; D. Chota leg.; Malaise trap; IAVH. Paratypes COLOMBIA • • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; 2 – 16 Apr. 2001; CO 1 specimen MYCRO 959 - 22; DEBU • 1 ♀; 12 – 26 Feb. 2001; DEBU • 1 ♀; 26 Feb. – 12 Mar. 2001; DEBU • 1 ♀; 24 Aug. – 1 Sep. 2001; B. Amado leg.; DEBU • • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; 14 – 22 Jan. 2001; B. Amado leg.; IAVH • 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; 15 – 23 Feb. 2001; IAVH • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; 22 – 30 Apr. 2000; IAVH • 2 ♀♀; Amazonas, Parque Nacionales Naturales Amacayacu Matamata; 3 ° 23 ′ S, 70 ° 6 ′ W; 9 – 30 Jul. 2000; D. Chota leg.; IAVH • 1 ♀; Parque Nacionales Naturales Amacayacu Matamata; 3 ° 23 ′ 1 ″ S, 70 ° 6 ′ 1 ″ W; 300 m a. s. l.; 14 – 21 Aug. 2000; A. Parente leg.; IAVH • 1 ♀; Parque Nacionales Naturales Amacayacu Matamata; 3 ° 23 ′ S, 70 ° 6 ′ W; 150 m a. s. l.; 19 Nov. 2001; D. Chota leg.; IAVH • 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; 17 SEP. 2001; IAVH • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; 17 Sep. – 1 Oct. 2001; Malaise trap; DEBU • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; IAVH • 1 ♀; Amazonas, Amacayau National Park, Sector Matamata; 150 m a. s. l.; 11 – 24 Apr. 2000; A. Felix leg.; Malaise trap; DEBU • 1 ♂ (damaged); PNN Amacayacu Matamata; 17 Sep. 2001; D. Chota leg.; CO 1 specimen MYCRO 276 - 16; DEBU • 1 ♂ (badly damaged, one leg remaining); Prov. Leticia, Amazonas; 185 m a. s. l.; 19 – 26 Feb. 1972; D. Ward and A. Forsyth leg.; CNCI.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFEF662AFDE6F9DBE3DA39CD.taxon	description	Description LENGTH. 12 – 13 mm. COLOUR (Fig. 23 A – C, E – F). Body mostly black. Frontal vitta velvety black, frontal plate and face reddish brown, top of head heavily golden microtrichose behind, between and just beside and in front of inner verticals, epicephalon and paracephalon otherwise shiny black or dark brown; clypeus dull orange and entirely microsetulose, palpus yellow distally. Notum silvery microsetulose with narrow dark central and dorsolateral vittae, postpronotum and notopleuron silvery. Fore tarsus white; fore tibia and femur dark brown; mid tarsus and tibia brown; mid femur brown with medial and basal white rings subequal to width of femur (ring near midpoint sometimes weak or incomplete). Hind femur brown with basal and medial white rings 2 × width of femur; hind tibia and hind tarsus brown. Wing with faint brown V-shaped discal band, indistinct apical infuscation and an indistinct infuscated spot in basal third. Abdominal T 1 – 2 silvery microsetulose except for a narrow dark median strip on T 1 and posterior half of T 2; anterolateral margins of T 3 silvery microsetulose. Pleuron with a broad dark band on anterior half of P 1 and most of P 2, a narrow band on the posterior part of P 3 and increasingly extensive dorsal dark portions of P 4 – 5 with P 4 dark on dorsal half and P 5 entirely dark. HEAD. Frontal vitta strongly convex anterior to ocelli, 0.6 × frontal width at maximum, abruptly tapered to a point anteriorly; postocellar frontal vitta almost level, broad and almost parallel sided until an abrupt taper to a rounded point between postocellars. Two strong fronto-orbital bristles, outer vertical bristle present. THORAX. Prosternum bare centrally, microsetulose anteriorly. Cervical sclerite simple, posterior part almost flat, slightly depressed at middle. Postpronotum entirely microsetulose, with a few scattered fine setulae. Scapular setae absent. Two notopleural bristles, anterior weakest. Katepisternum with one main row of dark bristles. Dorsocentral bristle present. FEMALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 23 D, G). Oviscape broad and short, expanded basally and half as wide as long, bare distally and along dorsal strip. Three spermathecae on two ducts with smaller single duct arising from side of primary duct at its origin at the apex of a narrow extension of the bursa, primary duct twice as long and thick as single duct and ending in a distinct swelling followed by a short constriction at base of the two thick, prominently tuberculate spermathecal stems that are very little differentiated from the spermathecae. Single spermatheca much smaller, on a short stem separated from single duct apex by a distinct threadlike constriction. MALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 23 A, H – I). Genital fork with four arms: one pair long and thin, one pair short and thick; inner face of arms with dense, short spines extending entire length of arm; base of fork between arms deeply grooved. Basiphallus small but prominent, similar in width to basal distiphallus, projecting posteriorly as a narrow rounded lobe. Distiphallus relatively short, with basal distiphallus slightly shorter than epandrium and twice as long and thick as distal distiphallus, distal distiphallus ringed by weak striae and with a slightly expanded and funnel-like apex. Postgonite small, distal part broadly rounded, mitt-like and entirely spinulose, anterodistal surface finely spinulose. Phallic bulb distinct and similar in width to the basal distiphallus, with proximal chamber elongate and distal chamber short and cap like. Hypandrium with a long, broadly tongue-like anterior bridge.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFEF662AFDE6F9DBE3DA39CD.taxon	discussion	Remarks Males of this species have a highly distinctive, prominently branched male genital fork, each arm with an elongate, curved distal part arising at an acute angle to a short, blunt inner basal part. Females have a relatively short, basally expanded oviscape. Ptilosphen gentilis has a similarly elaborate genital fork but with a long, tapered and toothed inner basal arm; these species are otherwise dissimilar and not likely to be confused with one another. Ptilosphen crassus Marshall sp. nov. resembles Pt. ramosus Marshall sp. nov. in most external characters, but males of Pt. crassus have a different genital fork with a single pair of short, broad, scooped arms and females have a relatively long, slender oviscape. Most specimens of Pt. ramosus have at least a partial white band near the middle of the mid femur, and most specimens of Pt. crassus have the middle part of the femur uniformly brown, but there are a few exceptions so the species cannot be reliably separated on femoral pigmentation alone. The internal female genitalia of Pt. crassus and Pt. ramosus appear to be identical and pleural banding patterns are also the same. Both sequenced specimens of Pt. ramosus yielded only short sequences which were not included in the CO 1 analyses here but, unsurprisingly, they do come out as closest to Pt. crassus in CO 1 neighbour-joining trees in queries to the BOLD database.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFEF662AFDE6F9DBE3DA39CD.taxon	materials_examined	(Table 1).	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFE0662FFDE8FBADE4293BD9.taxon	description	Fig. 24	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFE0662FFDE8FBADE4293BD9.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Probable syntypes VENEZUELA • 5 ♀♀, 3 ♂♂; 1864; Alexander Lindig leg.; NHMW (see Remarks below). Other material examined BRAZIL • 3 ♀♀, 7 ♂♂; Rio de Janeiro; 1938; R. C. Shannon leg.; USNM • 2 ♀♀, 1 ♂; São Sebastião; 12 – 13 Oct. 1976; J. Kugler leg.; TAUI. A photo of a female Pt. tetrastigma from Tapiraí, State of São Paulo, 18180 - 000, Brazil, appears on INaturalist https: // www. inaturalist. ca / observations / 104770382. COLOMBIA • 1 ♀; Prov. Meta, 23 km NW of Villaviencio Qbda., Susamuco; 1000 m a. s. l.; Mar. 1972; S. and J. Peck leg.; CNCI • 1 ♂; Carteguatatuba; J. W. Boyes leg.; CNCI. PERU • 1 ♀; Junin. Pampa Hermosa Lodge; 1220 m a. s. l.; 24 – 27 Dec. 2007; D. Brzoska leg.; flight intercept trap; DEBU. VENEZUELA • 1 ♀; Lara, Sabana Grande; 1282 m a. s. l.; 4 Sep. 2008; M. D. Jackson leg.; CO 1 specimen MYCRO 956 - 22; DEBU.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFE0662FFDE8FBADE4293BD9.taxon	description	Redescription LENGTH. 10 – 15 mm, usually 14 – 15 mm. COLOUR (Fig. 24 A – B, F). Frons orange except reddish brown upper half of frontal vitta; upper part of head mostly shiny brown, microtrichose area between inner vertical bristles tapering forward almost to ocelli. Lunule pale orange, face and parafacial white to silvery pruinose. Clypeus yellow, entirely setulose. Palpus yellow, paler at apex. Thorax blue-black, densely silvery microtrichose with an indistinct vittate pattern in some lights. Fore tarsus white, 4 th and 5 th tarsomeres with thick dark bristles; fore tibia dark brown; fore femur distally dark brown and basally yellow. Mid tarsus and tibia brown; mid femur and hind femur yellow-brown with medial white rings 1 – 2 × and basal white rings 2 – 3 × width of femur. Hind tibia and tarsus brown. Wing with two separate and staggered discal dots, two faint and almost contiguous preapical dots and a weakly pigmented area over crossvein dm-cu. Abdominal tergites of male brown except for black posterior corners of T 2; abdominal pleuron of male boldly banded in black and white, with separate bands on P 1, P 2, and P 3; the P 3 band complete and broad; P 4 – 5 white. Abdomen of female with T 3 – 4 white to yellow, other tergites dull brown. T 3 with long golden setae on posterior half. Oviscape with apex yellow, otherwise brown with apical quarter and dorsal strip shining, base and sides pruinose. Pleuron of female abdomen dark on dorsal half. HEAD. Frontal vitta flat or depressed, narrow, about a third of frontal width at maximum. Frontal setae absent. Outer vertical bristle present. THORAX. Prosternum centrally bare with a deep central pit, with long, fine setae anteriorly and anterolaterally. Cervical sclerite evenly swollen in male, female with central area flattened or concave, differentiated from sides. Postpronotum with a few weak dorsal setulae. Female with scapular setae strong, in a distinct row of 7 – 9; male without scapular setae. Katepisternum with one main vertical row of dark bristles, additional row anterior to main row fine and pale. Dorsocentral bristle present. FEMALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 24 C). Oviscape slightly shorter than T 4 – 6. Four spermathecae, one pair elongate funnel-shaped and one pair subspherical; both on long, thin ducts, one duct (presumably the secondary duct) arising laterally low on a broadly swollen common duct (or a broad base of the primary duct); the other (primary duct) arising at the tapered apex of the swollen common duct or duct base. Each spermatheca on a narrow stem, stems of secondary spermathecae longer and thinner. MALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 24 D – E, G). Genital fork with thin, strongly incurved arms with long fine hairs along entire surface; inner face of arms with clusters of short, stout spines at base and apex and a few scattered spines in between; inner basal arms absent, base deeply cleft. Distiphallus slightly longer than epandrium, basal distiphallus broad and almost as long as epandrium, phallic bulb with proximal chamber apparently weakly developed; distal chamber darker, transverse. Distal distiphallus short, stout, tapered to a simple apex and with strong transverse striations. Postgonite small but bulbous, with three minute setulae anteroventrally, posterior surface evenly covered with minute bumps. Hypandrium with narrow, tongue-like anterior bridge. Ejaculatory apodeme broad but shorter than epandrium.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFE0662FFDE8FBADE4293BD9.taxon	discussion	Remarks Ptilosphen tetrastigma is easily recognized by the four wing marks referred to in the species name, but its striking sexual dimorphism apparently led Enderlein (1922) to describe the females as a different species (Pt. cinctiventris). The Central American species Pt. conveniens and Pt. inconveniens Marshall sp. nov. show similar dimorphism, with females having depigmented or desclerotized middle abdominal tergites. Ptilosphen tetrastigma is the only species in the genus with four large and distinct spermathecae (two pairs), although the secondary spermatheca is bifurcate and could be interpreted as divided in Pt. mimicus and Pt. inconveniens. Similar duplication of the secondary (normally single) spermatheca crops up independently in small lineages of several other genera. Schiner (1868) described this species on the basis of nine cotypes from “ South America ”, in a paper dealing mostly with material collected during the voyage of the Austrian frigate “ Novara ” (1857 – 1859), but the specimen labels on the probable type series (eight specimens) in NHMW indicate that they were collected in Venezuela by Alexander Lindig in 1864. No specimen in the series is labelled as a cotype or type and the female illustrated in Fig. 24 was determined by F. Hendel as Ptilosphen cinctiventris (below the label reading “ tetrastigma Alte Sammlung ”). Males and females in the series, however, are clearly the same species and correspond to Schiner’s description of Pt. tetrastigma as well as the description above.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFE0662FFDE8FBADE4293BD9.taxon	materials_examined	(Table 1).	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFE5662DFDF5FDBCE0A43E60.taxon	description	urn: lsid: zoobank. org: act: A 3150 D 25 - BE 7 A- 44 E 7 - 80 E 4 - B 30 D 4 E 1 F 3 F 46 Fig. 25	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFE5662DFDF5FDBCE0A43E60.taxon	etymology	Etymology The species name is a noun in apposition referring to the diagnostic bright yellow fore coxa of this species.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFE5662DFDF5FDBCE0A43E60.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Holotype COLOMBIA • ♀; Prov. Putumayo, La Paya Fca. Charapa; 0 ° 8 ′ S, 74 ° 57 ′ W; 330 m a. s. l.; 1 – 15 Oct. 2001; R. Cobete leg.; M 2442; IAVH. Paratypes BRAZIL • 1 ♀; Prov. Amazonas, Parnajau Rio Papagaio; Jun. 2001; Henriques, Vidal and Silva leg.; INPA. COLOMBIA 1 ♂; Prov. Amazonas, Amacayacu, Matamata; 3 ° 23 ′ S, 70 ° 6 ′ W; 150 m a. s. l.; July 2001; D. Chota leg.; Malaise; IAVH • 2 ♀♀; Prov. Amazonas, Amacayacu, San Martin; 3 ° 23 ′ S, 70 ° 6 ′ W; 150 m a. s. l.; 2 – 16. Apr. 2001; D. Chota leg.; IAVH • 1 ♀; same locality as for preceding; 24 Aug. – 1 Sep. 2000; B. Amado leg.; DEBU 00402360.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFE5662DFDF5FDBCE0A43E60.taxon	description	Description LENGTH. 12 – 13 mm. COLOUR (Fig. 25 C – F). Frons black with anterior margin reddish, frontal vitta pruinose and dull; paracephalon, lower epicephalon and frontal plate shiny, upper epicephalon and posterior frontal vitta silvery microsetulose. Lunule, scape, pedicel and base of first flagellomere dark reddish brown; antenna otherwise black; lower face yellow, parafacial white to silvery pruinose, subantennal depression shiny black. Clypeus yellow and almost bare at middle, otherwise black, densely microsetulose. Palpus yellow-orange distally, brown basally. Notum black, indistinctly vittate with incomplete dark central vitta separating broader silvery microsetulose vittae; pleuron with extensive reddish areas and with extensive pruinosity forming broad, weakly differentiated vertical bands. Fore coxa yellow, densely microsetulose on inner surface; fore femur yellow basally, dark brown distally. Mid coxa reddish brown, heavily silvery microsetulose. Mid tarsus and tibia brown; mid femur with basal and medial white rings subequal to width of femur, otherwise orange-brown. Hind coxa reddish brown, silvery microsetulose on posterior half. Hind femur orange-brown with basal or subbasal and medial white rings 1 – 3 × width of femur, base of femur brown on anterior surface only; hind tibia and tarsus brown. Wing with indistinct discal band in base of cell r 4 + 5. Abdomen with T 1 – 2 mostly reddish brown with a golden pruinosity except for central part of T 2, remaining tergites mostly brown, golden pruinose laterally, oviscape black with a bare dorsal and distal area, apex orange. Pleuron with P 1 brown at base and with brown vertical bands on posterior halves of P 2 and P 3, P 4 – 5 entirely dark on dorsal half. HEAD. Two large fronto-orbital bristles, upper inserted at level of upper ocelli. Frontal vitta broad, 0.6 × frontal width at maximum, sharply tapered anteriorly and mostly parallel sided posteriorly, tapered to posterior apex. Outer vertical bristle present. THORAX. Prosternum entirely microsetulose, with a deep central pit. Cervical sclerite broad, slightly depressed medially in male, deeply depressed medially and distinctly bilobate in female. Postpronotum uniformly microsetulose with a few scattered small setulae. Scapular setae absent. Notopleuron with two large bristles. Dorsocentral bristle large, exceeding scutellum apex. FEMALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 25 A – B). Paired spermathecal duct with basal third conspicuously swollen but parallel sided, gradually tapering to a mostly parallel-sided and transverse striate distal ⅔ and ending in a broadened but flat-topped apex before splitting into two long spermathecal stems, each with a large, oval, conspicuously tuberculate swelling at midpoint; paired spermathecae spherical with a smooth surface. Single spermathecal duct arising laterally near base of swollen part of paired duct, apparently at the end of a short common duct continuous with base of paired duct; similar in width to most of paired duct and about half as long; single spermatheca club-shaped on a narrow stem and ornamented with circular tubercles similar to those on the stems of the paired spermathecae. MALE TERMINALIA. As described for Pt. enderleini.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFE5662DFDF5FDBCE0A43E60.taxon	discussion	Remarks Ptilosphen xanthicoxa Marshall sp. nov. is very similar to the sympatric Pt. enderleini, although it differs in having a yellow fore coxa, more extensive reddish thoracic pigmentation, and an almost clear wing. Male terminalia of these species are apparently identical, however the species can be distinguished by body colour and wing pigmentation. The spermathecal configuration of Pt. xanthicoxa is clearly homologous with, but consistently different from, that of Pt. enderleini, most obviously in the basal insertion point of the single spermathecal duct but also in details of the primary duct and the constricted paired spermathecal stems.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFE76632FD94FB0BE3BB380E.taxon	description	urn: lsid: zoobank. org: act: FA 18524 D- 355 E- 4 C 4 D- 966 B-F 649 B 7171 AF 4 Fig. 26	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFE76632FD94FB0BE3BB380E.taxon	etymology	Etymology The name, in apposition from the Greek for stripped, refers to the absence of dorsocentral bristles.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFE76632FD94FB0BE3BB380E.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Holotype PERU • ♀; Prov. Madre de Dios, Tambopata, Laberinto, EBLA-B 1 BJ; 12.555 ° S, 70.093 ° W; 9 Jul. 2021; EBLA ICFC leg.; yellow pan traps; COI specimen PERPT 3736 - 23; MUSM. Paratype PERU • 1 ♂; Madre de Dios, Tambopata, Laberinto, EBLA-B 2 CP; 12.556 ° S, 70.081 ° W; 16 Aug. 2021; EBLA ICFC leg.; yellow pan traps; COI specimen PERPT 7661 - 23; MUSM.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFE76632FD94FB0BE3BB380E.taxon	description	Description LENGTH. 13 – 14 mm. COLOUR (Fig. 26 A, F – G). Frons black to dark brown except for reddish brown anterior margin and posterior margin of frontal vitta; frontal vitta pruinose and dull; paracephalon, lower epicephalon and frontal plate shiny, upper epicephalon and posterior frontal vitta silvery microsetulose. Postocular area sharply divided into a black shiny upper part and a white pruinose lower part. Lunule reddish and setulose; face orange, lower face pale with dark margin, parafacial white to silvery pruinose, subantennal depression shiny black with yellow ventral border. Clypeus orange, bare centrally, microsetulose laterally. Palpus yellow. Notum black with broad silvery pruinose vittae, an incomplete dark central vitta separating broader silvery microsetulose vittae, pleuron with extensive pruinosity forming vertical bands, cervical sclerite of female holotype orange except for dark, setulose dorsal margin (male cervical sclerite entirely black). Posterior katepisternum slightly reddish, with vertical row of bristles yellow. Fore coxa reddish brown; fore tarsus white; fore tibia dark brown; fore femur (missing from holotype) pale yellow on basal third, dark brown distally. Mid coxa heavily silver pruinose. Mid tarsus and tibia brown; mid femur with basal and medial white rings 1 – 2 × width of femur, otherwise pale brown; brown area between white rings twice as long as basal white area. Hind coxa reddish brown with a darker strip, silvery microsetulose on posterior half. Hind femur brown with a narrow brown base preceding subbasal and medial white rings 1 – 2 × width of femur, brown area separating white rings slightly longer than white area; hind tibia and tarsus brown. Wing almost evenly and lightly infuscate, with only an indistinct small cloud just beyond crossvein r-m. Abdominal tergites blue-black, lightly silvery pruinose on central part of T 1 – 2 and almost bare on all of T 3 except anterolateral margin, otherwise heavily pruinose, oviscape dark but silvery pruinose basally and laterally, leaving a bare dorsal strip and a bare area basal to orange apex. Pleuron boldly banded in black and white, with separate bands on P 1, P 2, and P 3 and dorsal pigmentation on P 4 – 6, males with a large dark pleural sac on P 2 and with P 3 band complete and narrow, females with P 2 band broad dorsally but incomplete ventrally, P 3 band narrow ventrally but continuous with the P 4 – 6 pigmentation dorsally. HEAD. Lower fronto-orbital bristles well developed, paratype with a single upper fronto-orbital on one side, other side apparently without bristle or socket; holotype without trace of upper fronto-orbital bristle or socket. Frontal vitta broad, 0.5 × frontal width at maximum, sharply tapered anteriorly, broad and almost parallel sided posteriorly, rounded at posterior apex. Outer vertical bristle present. THORAX. Prosternum entirely microsetulose, with a deep central pit. Cervical sclerite of male broad anteriorly and narrow posteriorly with a flat outer face; female cervical subquadrate, shallowly depressed medially and indistinctly bilobate. Postpronotum uniformly microsetulose with a few scattered small setulae. Scapular setae absent. Notopleuron with two bristles, anterior small. Dorsocentral bristle absent. FEMALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 26 H). Paired and single spermathecal ducts arising together at apex of narrow bursa, single duct short and narrow, ending in a club-shaped spermatheca on a narrow stem. Paired duct broad, transverse striate and almost parallel sided until abruptly tapering to a narrow distal fifth; paired spermathecae separated from duct by long, thread-like constrictions, spermathecae club-shaped with strongly tuberculate stems. MALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 26 B – E). Genital fork with a long base and two long, thin, arched arms with fine hairs along entire outer surface; inner face of arms with dense, short spines extending entire length of arm; two compact clusters of stout, medial spines at base where arms converge; base of fork between arms with shallow groove. Epandrium long and narrow, 2.5 × as long as wide. Basiphallus well sclerotized and distinct from distiphallus, projecting posterior to base of distiphallus. Basal distiphallus half as long as epandrium, 0.7 x as long as the narrower distal distiphallus; distal distiphallus with transverse striae and a slightly broadened and funnel-shaped apex. Phallic bulb small, with a small proximal chamber and a smaller distal chamber. Postgonite bulbous and densely covered with small teeth posteriorly and ventrally. Ejaculatory apodeme much smaller than epandrium. Margin of subepandrial sclerite heavily sclerotized to form distinct bacilliform sclerite. Hypandrium with a long, tongue-like anterior bridge and a narrow, incomplete dorsal bridge, phallic plate with transverse rows of minute microtrichiae.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFE76632FD94FB0BE3BB380E.taxon	discussion	Remarks The bicolored fore femur in combination with the limited wing pigmentation and relatively small body size gives this species a superficial similarity to Pt. enderleini, from which it is easily distinguished by the absence of dorsocentral bristles and strikingly different spermathecal complex. The epandrium is longer and the flare at the end of the distal distiphallus is narrower than in the superficially similar Pt. enderleini, but otherwise the male genitalia are similar. The CO 1 analysis (Fig. 30) strongly supports the placement of Pt. xestos Marshall sp. nov. on a branch with Pt. yauae Marshall sp. nov., an orange species superficially dissimilar from Pt. xestos.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFE76632FD94FB0BE3BB380E.taxon	materials_examined	(Table 1).	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFF86637FD99FDEEE52F3BF2.taxon	description	urn: lsid: zoobank. org: act: 9 A 0 A 3494 - FDEE- 445 E-AF 5 F-CF 686 F 133 C 0 F Fig. 27	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFF86637FD99FDEEE52F3BF2.taxon	etymology	Etymology The name is a noun in apposition taken from the type locality.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFF86637FD99FDEEE52F3BF2.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Holotype ECUADOR • ♂; Prov. Orellano, Yasuni Natl. Pk., Yasuni Research Station; 0 ° 40 ′ S, 76 ° 24 ′ W; 250 m a. s. l.; 25 Apr. – 8 May 2009; S. A. Marshall leg.; CO 1 specimen MYCRO 945 - 22; QCAZ. Paratypes COLOMBIA • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; Putumayo, Parque Nacionales Naturales La Paya Caban Viviano Varzea; 320 m a. s. l.; 15 – 20 Oct. 2011; R. Cobete leg.; Malaise; IAVH. ECUADOR • 1 ♀, 4 ♂♂; same data as for holotype; CO 1 specimen MYCRO 945 - 22; QCAZ • 4 ♂♂; same data as for holotype; DEBU • 3 ♀♀, 4 ♂♂; same data as for holotype; V. Belluz and C. McCreary leg.; DEBU • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; 14 – 19 Feb. 1998; D. C. Darling leg.; DEBU • 3 ♀♀; Prov. Orellano, Tiputini Biodiversity Station; Aug. 1999; M. Kotrba leg.; USNM • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; W. N. Mathis, A. Baptista and M. Kotrba leg.; USNM • 1 ♀; Yasuni Ntl. Pk, Yasuni Research Station; 0 ° 38 ′ S, 76 ° 36 ′ W; Nov. 1998; T. Pape and B. Viklund leg.; Malaise trap, rain forest; DEBU .. Other material examined COLOMBIA • 1 ♀; Prov. Putumayo, La Paya Fca, Charapa; 0 ° 8 ′ S, 74 ° 57 ′ W; 330 m a. s. l.; Oct. 2001; R. Cobete leg.; IAVH • 1 ♀; Prov. Caqueta, Serrania de Chiribiquete Rio Cunaré, bos. Tierra; 0 ° 32 ′ N, 72 ° 38 ′ W; 330 m a. s. l.; Nov. 2000; Gonzalez and Ospina leg.; IAVH. ECUADOR • 4 ♂♂; same data as for holotype, excluded from paratype series because they have an apparently atypical pale pleural sac; DEBU. VENEZUELA • 1 ♀; Bolivar. Rio Grande Research Station, 26 km E of Palmar; 700 m a. s. l.; 24 – 25 Mar. 1978; J. B. Heppner leg.; rainforest; USNM.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFF86637FD99FDEEE52F3BF2.taxon	description	Description LENGTH. 13 – 15 mm. COLOUR (Fig. 27 A, D – E, G). Pale orange except as follows: preocellar frontal vitta mostly velvety black to dark reddish brown but orange at anterior margin; postocellar frontal vitta and adjacent epicephalon densely silvery pruinose but sometimes with a narrow bare and shiny area immediately behind ocelli; frontal plate shiny brown with distinct longitudinal striae; paracephalon shiny brown. Lunule orange; face sometimes with a black patch anteromedially; clypeus densely pale microtrichose, yellow. Antenna and subantennal depression black; subantennal depression bare, shiny. Palpus yellow to pale orange. Thorax orange, posterior margin of anepisternum with a silvery pruinose patch. Fore tarsus white; fore femur orange on basal half, dark brown distally, fore tibia brown. Mid tarsus and tibia dark brown; mid femur with a pale base, otherwise uniformly orange or with an indistinct medial pale ring; hind femur with a pale subbasal area 2 – 3 × femoral width and a weak medial pale ring subequal to femoral width; margins of rings not distinct or darkened; hind tibia and tarsus dark brown. Wing with discal band small and subquadrate, extending from R 4 + 5 to CuA 1; apex of wing indistinctly pigmented. Male abdomen with T 1 orange; T 2 – 6 black to brown sometimes with weak central orange strip, T 7 orange-brown; T 5 entirely microsetulose, T 3 silvery microsetulose laterally but almost bare centrally from anterior to posterior margin, T 4 microsetulose but weakly so dorsally and epandrium dark. Pleural pigmentation distinct: female with P 1 pale reddish brown, P 2 with a broad diagonal dark brown strip slightly tapering ventrally, P 3 with a brown dorsal third, and upper part of P 4 – 5 with dark area increasing in extent towards posterior margin. Abdominal pleuron of male with a densely microsetulose elongate oval pleural sac occupying most of P 2 and dark band of P 3 encircling posterior margin of segment; pleural sac usually dark and longer than high (as in type specimen) but pale and higher than long in some specimens (two such specimens were dissected and matched the type in other features). Oviscape with a broad preapical black ring and an orange apex, heavily silvery pollinose dorsally and basally, orange laterally. HEAD. Frontal vitta convex, 0.6 × as wide as frons at maximum, sharply tapered to anterior margin and gently tapered to a broadly rounded posterior margin. Two fronto-orbital bristles, a large upper (orbital) at level of upper ocelli and a small lower (frontal). Frontal plate with about six distinct striae, orbital plate smooth and mostly shiny but upper epicephalon microsetulose from inner vertical to posterior vitta. Outer vertical bristle present. THORAX. Prosternum microsetulose and with scattered fine setulae anteriorly. Cervical sclerite of female with a slightly concave middle part and a strongly lobate posterior quarter; male cervical sclerite only slightly convex on posterior half. Scapular setae absent. Katepisternum with one main posterior row of strong yellow bristles, setae anterior to row fine and pale. FEMALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 27 H). Single and paired spermathecae similar in size and shape, elongate oval with an evaginated apex in available dissections; primary (paired) duct parallel-sided, twice as wide and 1.5 × as long as single duct, ending in a small bulb separated from the long, sinuate paired spermathecal stems by a thin, threadlike constriction about as long as duct width. Single spermathecal duct without an apical bulb, apically separated from the very short-stemmed spermatheca by a remarkably long threadlike constriction as long as the spermatheca and its short stem. Spermathecal ducts arising together at apex of narrow bursa extension. MALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 27 B – C, F). Genital fork arm mostly cylindrical but incurved to a slightly swollen apex, with short, stout spines on inner surface most densely packed at base and apex; base of fork between arms about twice as long as arms, with a median groove and a deep narrow cleft. Postgonite broad, larger than basiphallus and distinctly longer than in congeners, with strongly spinulose posterodistal surface. Basiphallus smaller than base of distiphallus, barely projecting posteriorly as a rounded lobe (Fig. 27 F). Distiphallus longer than epandrium, distal distiphallus almost straight, with distinct transverse striations or rings, 0.3 × as wide and 1.3 × as long as basal distiphallus, apex forming a broad funnel. Phallic bulb elongate, appearing mostly as a simple swelling between basal and distal distiphallus, distal chamber small and cap like. Hypandrium with tongue-like anterior bridge. Ejaculatory apodeme slightly smaller than epandrium.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFF86637FD99FDEEE52F3BF2.taxon	discussion	Remarks Ptilosphen yasuni Marshall sp. nov. belongs to the Pt. insignis species group, members of which can be difficult to distinguish on the basis of external morphology. It resembles Pt. notatus Marshall sp. nov. in having a long distal distiphallus and strongly incurved genital fork arms, but the spermathecal complex differs conspicuously between these species. The maximum likelihood analysis (Fig. 30) shows Pt. yasuni next to a clade including Pt. insignis and Pt. crassus Marshall sp. nov.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFF86637FD99FDEEE52F3BF2.taxon	materials_examined	(Table 1).	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFFD6634FD95FD98E33F3BF4.taxon	description	urn: lsid: zoobank. org: act: 504 A 2713 - 3806 - 49 D 3 - 8 EA 5 - FEDCA 7892 C 35 Fig. 28	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFFD6634FD95FD98E33F3BF4.taxon	etymology	Etymology This species is named after our colleague and nerioid expert Tiffany Yau.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFFD6634FD95FD98E33F3BF4.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Holotype PERU • ♂; Cuzco, Paucartambo, Kosnipata, Estacion Biologica Manu, Bambu; 12.892715 ° S, 71.41099 ° W; 522 m a. s. l.; 18 – 25 Mar. 2023; MANU ICFC leg.; Malaise trap; MUSM, CBG-A 25882 C 02. Paratypes PERU • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; Cuzco, Paucartambo, Kosnipata, Estacion Biologica Manu, Bambu; 12.892715 ° S, 71.41099 ° W; 522 m a. s. l.; 18 – 25 Mar. 2023; MANU ICFC leg.; Malaise trap; MUSM • 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; 29 Apr. – 6 May 2023; CO 1 specimen PERMU 26539 - 24; DEBU • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; 14 – 21 Jun. 2023; MUSM • 1 ♀; Cuzco, Paucartambo, Kosnipata, Estacion Biologica Manu, Cana brava; 12.893167 ° S, 71.399376 ° W; 513 m a. s. l.; 9 – 16 Nov. 2022; MANU ICFC leg.; Malaise trap; MUSM • 1 ♂; Cuzco, Paucartambo, Kosnipata, Estacion Biologica Manu, Copoazu; 12.899883 ° S, 71.40479 ° W; 521 m a. s. l.; 23 Nov. – 2 Dec. 2022; MANU ICFC leg.; Malaise trap; DEBU • 1 ♀; Cuzco, Paucartambo, Kosnipata, Estacion Biologica Manu, Mandala 2; 12.895102 ° S, 71.40271 ° W; 513 m a. s. l.; 6 – 12 Jul. 2023; MANU ICFC leg.; Malaise trap; MUSM • 1 ♂; Cuzco, Paucartambo, Kosnipata, Estacion Biologica Manu, Pastizal; 12.892787 ° S, 71.404144 ° W; 518 m a. s. l.; 23 Nov. – 2 Dec. 2022; MANU ICFC leg.; Malaise trap; MUSM • 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; 27 Oct. – 3 Nov. 2022; DEBU • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; Cuzco, Villa Carmen; 534 m a. s. l.; Jan. 2015; E. Rodriguez leg.; Malaise; USNM. Other material examined PERU • 1 ♀; Madre de Dios, Manu, Estacion Biologica Manu, Trocha 12 (700 m); 12.873081 ° S, 71.40999 ° W; 690 m a. s. l.; 10 Nov. 2022; MANU ICFC leg.; Malaise Trap; MUSM • 1 ♂; Cuzco, Paucartambo, Kosnipata, Estacion Biologica Manu, Mandala 2; 12.895102 ° S, 71.40271 ° W; 513 m a. s. l.; 29 May 2023; MANU ICFC leg.; Malaise trap; MUSM • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; 24 Feb. 2023; MUSM • 2 ♀♀; Cuzco, Paucartambo, Kosnipata, Estacion Biologica Manu, Bambu; 12.892792 ° S, 71.41099 ° W; 523 m a. s. l.; 25 Mar. 2023; MANU ICFC leg.; Malaise trap; MUSM • 1 ♀; Cuzco, Paucartambo, Kosnipata, Estacion Biologica Manu, Cana brava; 12.893167 ° S, 71.399376 ° W; 513 m a. s. l.; 14 May 2023; MANU ICFC leg.; Malaise trap; MUSM • 1 ♀; Cuzco, Paucartambo, Kosnipata, Estacion Biologica Manu, Platanal; 12.900481 ° S, 71.4045 ° W; 519 m a. s. l.; 16 Nov. 2022; MANU ICFC leg.; Malaise trap; MUSM • 1 ♂; Cuzco, Paucartambo, Kosnipata, Estacion Biologica Manu, Bambu; 12.892715 ° S, 71.41099 ° W; 523 m a. s. l.; 16 Nov. 2022; MANU ICFC leg.; Malaise trap; MUSM • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; 2 Dec. 2022; MUSM • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; 29 Apr. 2023; MUSM • 2 ♀♀; same data as for preceding; 29 May 2023; MUSM • 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; 21 Jun. 2023; MUSM • 5 ♀♀, 6 ♂♂; same data as for preceding; (no date given); MUSM.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFFD6634FD95FD98E33F3BF4.taxon	description	Description LENGTH. 13 – 15 mm. COLOUR (Fig. 28 B – C, G). Pale orange except as follows: preocellar frontal vitta black; postocellar frontal vitta dark, ocellar triangle dark but in an indistinct orange band crossing vitta. Epicephalon mostly shiny black; frontal plate shiny black. Lunule brown; clypeus densely pale microtrichose, yellow. Antenna and subantennal depression black; subantennal depression bare, shiny. Palpus yellow. Thorax orange, posterior margin of anepisternum with a narrow silvery pruinose strip, katepisternum silvery pruinose except for an anterior bare strip. Fore tarsus white; fore femur orange on basal third, black distally, fore tibia black. Mid tarsus and tibia dark brown; mid femur brown with a white subbasal area 2 – 3 × femoral width and a white medial ring subequal to femoral width (sometimes incomplete); hind femur brown with a narrowly dark brown base, a broad subbasal white band and a complete white medial band. margins of rings not distinct or darkened; hind tibia and tarsus dark brown. Wing with discal band greatly reduced, forming a spot over M 1; apex of wing indistinctly pigmented. Male abdomen with T 1 orange; remaining tergites shiny blue black. Pleural pigmentation of female partially obscured on type material but with P 1 apparently partly pale reddish brown, P 2 entirely black on dorsal half, P 3 with a strong black vertical strip near middle and and upper part of P 4 – 5 dark. Abdominal pleuron of male with a densely microsetulose elongate oval pleural sac occupying most of P 2 and dark band of P 3 in posterior quarter of segment. Oviscape black with orange apex, mostly microsetulose but a distal bare dorsal strip and small distal lateral bare areas. HEAD (Fig. 28 C). Frontal vitta convex, 0.6 × as wide as frons at maximum, sharply tapered to a point before anterior margin of frons and gently tapered to a broadly rounded posterior margin. Two strong fronto-orbital bristles, an upper (orbital) at level of upper ocelli and a lower (frontal). Frontal plate with indistinct striae, orbital plate smooth and mostly shiny but posterior margin microsetulose. Outer vertical bristle present. THORAX. Prosternum densely setulose. Cervical sclerite of female with a slightly concave middle part and a strongly lobate posterior quarter; male cervical sclerite only slightly convex on posterior half. Scapular setae absent. Katepisternum with one main posterior row of strong yellow bristles, setae anterior to row fine and pale. Dorsocentral bristles absent. FEMALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 28 E – F). Paired spermathecae larger than single spermatheca, elongate oval with an invaginated apex in available dissections, stem with a short narrow base and a long, thick conspicuously tuberculate part almost as thick as the spermatheca; primary (paired) duct very broad on basal ⅔ and tapered to a narrow distal third ending in a bulb-like swelling from which the spermathecal stems arise; single duct arising from base of primary duct at apex of bursa, very short but thickened in middle section and tapered to a very short stem leading to a small oval single spermatheca. MALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 28 A, D). Genital fork arm mostly cylindrical but incurved to a slightly swollen apex, with short, stout spines on inner surface most densely packed on the subquadrate apex of a prominent basal lobe at the base of each arm; base of fork between arms about twice as long as arms, with a median groove and a deep narrow cleft. Postgonite broad and rounded with strongly spinulose posterodistal surface. Basiphallus strongly projecting posteriorly with an upturned apex (Fig. 28 D). Distiphallus longer than epandrium, distal distiphallus almost straight, with distinct transverse striations or rings, as wide as but shorter than basal distiphallus, apex forming a broad funnel. Phallic bulb elongate and only slightly swollen, appearing as an overlap between the apex of the basal distiphallus and the base of the distal distiphallus. Hypandrium with a broad tongue-like anterior bridge, incomplete dorsal bridge apparently connected to phallapodeme. Ejaculatory apodeme slightly smaller than epandrium.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFFD6634FD95FD98E33F3BF4.taxon	discussion	Remarks Ptilosphen yauae Marshall sp. nov. belongs to the Pt. insignis species group, members of which can be difficult to distinguish on the basis of external morphology. It resembles Pt. notatus Marshall sp. nov. and Pt. yasuni Marshall sp. nov. in having a long distal distiphallus and strongly incurved genital fork arms but is readily distinguished from these species by its distinct spermathecal complex and prominent basal lobes of the male genital fork.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFFD6634FD95FD98E33F3BF4.taxon	materials_examined	(Table 1).	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFFE663AFD9FFD97E40239FD.taxon	description	urn: lsid: zoobank. org: act: 9 D 529 D 5 F- 13 C 5 - 4882 - 8 CF 7 - 5 A 4 B 708 D 7 CDA Fig. 29	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFFE663AFD9FFD97E40239FD.taxon	etymology	Etymology The name is from the Latin for ‘ belted’ and refers to the dark bands of pigment entirely encircling the male abdomen.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFFE663AFD9FFD97E40239FD.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Holotype BRAZIL (?) • ♂; “ S. Gabriel, Sv. Amaz. Exp., 28 Dec ” (presumably São Gabriel da Cachoeirais, on the Rio Negro River, in the Cabeça do Cachorro region, Amazonas state, Brazil); ZMUH.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFFE663AFD9FFD97E40239FD.taxon	description	Description LENGTH. 12 mm. COLOUR (Fig. 29 A – C, F). Head and thorax orange except as follows: preocellar (anterior) frontal vitta velvety reddish brown except for a yellowish orange area at anterior margin and a straight-sided silvery pollinose strip filling the central third of the vitta. Lunule yellow-orange; face reddish brown with a lower yellow area; clypeus densely pale microtrichose, yellow. Antenna and subantennal depression black; subantennal depression bare, shiny. Palpus pale, almost white, with dense white setulosity. Thorax orange with two vertical silvery microsetulose areas separated by bare vertical strips. Fore tarsus yellowish white; fore femur orange on basal half, dark brown distally, fore tibia brown. Mid and hind femora uniformly orange; mid tibia and tarsus brown (hind tibia and tarsus missing on type). Wing with discal band small and very indistinct, extending from R 4 + 5 to CuA 1; apex of wing clear. Abdominal tergites black to blue-black except for T 2, which is dark reddish brown; T 3 with silvery-bluish pruinosity anteriorly and laterally. Pleural pigmentation very dark with P 1 mostly dark but separated from P 2 by a white strip, dark band of P 2 encircling segment and surrounding a large, circular, yellowish, densely microsetulose pleural sac. Segment 3 entirely circled by a broad, parallel-sided black band on anterior half, band partially crossed by an angled orange band on upper third of P 3. Posterior part of P 3 and all of P 4 mostly white, with black dorsal area. Segment 4 ventrally with a narrow central black strip continuous with black strip on posterior quarter of segment 3. Anteroventral margin of segment 5 black, P 5 and S 5 otherwise orange, including genital fork; T 8 and epandrium orange. HEAD. Frontal vitta convex, 0.7 × as wide as frons at maximum, gradually tapered to anterior margin and gently tapered to a broadly rounded posterior margin. Two fronto-orbital bristles, a large upper (orbital) above level of upper ocelli and a small lower (frontal). Frontal plate indistinctly striate, orbital plate smooth and mostly shiny but upper epicephalon microsetulose from inner vertical to posterior vitta. Outer vertical bristle present. THORAX. Prosternum inconspicuously microsetulose, with a few fine setulae anterolaterally. Cervical sclerite with posterior section broad, microsetulose and centrally depressed. Postpronotum microsetulose on dorsal surface only, otherwise bare except for a few small setulae. Scapular setae absent. Notopleuron with two bristles, anterior smaller. Katepisternum with one main posterior row of strong bristles; setae anterior to row fine and pale. Dorsocentral bristle present. FEMALE TERMINALIA. Female unknown. MALE TERMINALIA (Fig. 29 D – E). Genital fork arm mostly cylindrical but incurved to a slightly swollen apex, with short, stout spines on inner surface most densely packed at base and apex; base of fork about twice as long as arms, with a median groove and a deep narrow cleft. Internal genitalia not observed.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFFE663AFD9FFD97E40239FD.taxon	discussion	Remarks The distinctive abdominal pigmentation of the holotype of Ptilosphen zonalis Marshall sp. nov., with a broad dark belt of pigmentation circling the third abdominal segment, differs markedly from other named species of Ptilosphen. Based on external characters, Ptilosphen zonalis belongs to the difficult group of Pt. insignis- like species and is most similar to Pt. yasuni Marshall sp. nov. It differs most obviously from that species in the pigmentation of the abdominal pleuron and the uniformly pigmented mid and hind femora, although the unique pruinosity pattern of the frontal vitta is also likely to be a reliable character for this species. The abdominal pigmentation, although striking, is not entirely unique. A male specimen from Peru (CNCI) has similar extensive dark abdominal pigmentation but it lacks the unusual frontal vitta pruinosity, it has banded femora as in most congeners and the white pleural sac is smaller and perfectly circular. That specimen, which is mouldy and damaged, is labelled as “ Ptilosphen n. sp. near zonalis ”.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFF06639FDF2FBC5E37F396C.taxon	materials_examined	Type material Holotype of Calobata varipes (no abdomen, two remaining legs) SOUTH AMERICA • “ A. R. Wallace // Dvir 68.4 ”; NHMUK (round green label “ Type ”). Another two specimens in NHMUK are labelled “ Ptilosphen varipes determined by Willi Hennig 1938 ”. Holotype ♂ of Calobata leucomelas SOUTH AMERICA • ♂; NHMUK (round green label “ Type ”). Another 8 specimens in NHMUK are labelled “ Ptilosphen leucomelas, Walk. determined by Willi Hennig 1938 ”. Other material examined BRAZIL • 1 ♀, 2 ♂♂; Nova Teutonia; CNCI.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFF06639FDF2FBC5E37F396C.taxon	discussion	Remarks Hennig (1934) treated this species as a Ptilosphen and confirmed this opinion in determinations of NHMUK specimens compared to the type in 1938, presumably because of the short-plumose basal third of the arista and the single frontal bristle, but Steyskal (1967) synonymized Calobata leucomelas and Calobata varipes, transferring them to the genus Poecilotylus (as Poecilotylus leucomelas). Poecilotylus leucomelas differs from species of Ptilosphen in its unmarked wings, well-developed postocellar bristles (clearly visible on the type material in NHMUK and on the Halle (MLUH) specimen of Pt. varipes determined by Hennig) and its mostly bare arista. It is therefore retained in the large, probably paraphyletic genus Poecilotylus, as in Jackson et al. 2015 and Ferro & Marshall 2020. Hennig keyed out varipes and leucomelas (now synonyms) as the only “ Ptilosphen ” with postvertical (postocellar) bristles and a largely bare arista although he indicated that the postverticals were absent in his description of Pt. varipes (they are clearly present on the type). In his generic key (1934), Ptilosphen and Poecilotylus (as Poecilomyia) are separated on the basis of the arista (bare in Poecilotylus, haired in Ptilosphen) and the frontal bristles (one in Ptilosphen, two in Poecilotylus). The number of fronto-orbitals varies from 0 – 2 in Ptilosphen (almost always 2: one orbital and one frontal) and 2 – 3 in Poecilotylus (normally three: one orbital and two frontal); Po. leucomelas has a single frontal bristle as in Ptilosphen. The arista is mostly bare but there are hairs in the basal third of the arista unlike most other Poecilotylus. There is another, undescribed, species of Poecilotylus with a similar character combination but with the arista short-haired throughout.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFF36639FDC6FA71E5D63D9B.taxon	discussion	Remarks Calobata ichneumoneus Brauer and related undescribed species belong in an undescribed genus; however, they are here provisionally treated as Poecilotylus because they run to Poecilotylus using current keys. Enderlein was clearly in error treating ichneumoneus as a Ptilosphen.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
03C08792FFF36639FE12FC0EE2873FEA.taxon	discussion	Remarks Steyskal (1968) expressed the opinion that the specimens Hennig (1934) referred to as varipes, including Pt. varipes variety aequifemur, “ are probably 1 or 2 species of Ptilosphen, for which the name aequifemur is available ”. As noted above, the NHMUK specimens housed with the type of Pt. varipes and determined by Hennig as Pt. varipes belong in Poecilotylus, not Ptilosphen. Hennig used the name aequifemur for two female specimens from Venezuela in MLUH that he considered to differ from typical varipes only in that the middle femora have the same white distomedian rings as the hind limbs. According to Karla Schneider (email to S. A. M., May 2005), the only specimen of Pt. varipes in MLUH is determined as Pt. varipes by Hennig, but not as “ variety aequifemur ”. Her photos of that specimen do not show distomedian rings on the mid femur, so it cannot be a type of Pt. varipes aequifemur. The two syntypes appear to be lost. There is no reason to consider aequifemur to be a Ptilosphen (as defined here) and it is here treated as a Poecilotylus and a probable synonym of Poecilotylus varipes. Colour of the mid and hind femora seems to be highly variable in this species.	en	Marshall, Stephen A., Paiero, Steven M. (2026): The Neotropical genera Parasphen Enderlein, 1922 and Ptilosphen Enderlein, 1922 (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae). European Journal of Taxonomy 1059: 1-96, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1059.3283, URL: https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/3283/14483
