Paralimosina L. Papp, 1973

Papp, László, 2013, The first record of the genus Paralimosina L. Papp (Diptera: Sphaeroceridae) in the Afrotropical Region, with descriptions of six new species, African Invertebrates 54 (2), pp. 315-315 : 316-317

Genus Paralimosina L. Papp, 1973

Type species: Paralimosina kaszabi L. Papp, 1973: 376 , by monotypy.

Roháček and Papp (1988) described the genus correctly in respect of diagnostic features. However, below I will nevertheless stress the characteristics of the male and female postabdomen and genitalia.

Diagnosis: Body rather strongly sclerotised and in some species even granulose, variably with denser microtomentum or more shiny, despite presence of some microtomentum. Body length around 2.5 mm.

Head without inner orbitals, anterior fr-orb always clearly shorter than posterior pair. Frons with or without velvety black (or silvery) M-shaped mark (Roháček 1998: fig. 2). Facial plate normally convex, antennae not in deep hollow, or if in a shallow depression, edges are not sharp. Peristomals weaker, a genal seta present. Several (3–5) pairs of ifr, if one of them is very large, it emerges far from eye margin. First flagellomere not conical but if slightly so, never with rod-like projection. Eye normal or slightly reduced.

Mesonotum usually with only 1 or 2 dc pairs; when 3 dc present, then R 4+5 slightly recurved (Roháček 1998: fig. 93) or eye strongly reduced; no presutural dc pair. No setulae between apical scutellars; disc of scutellum usually bare. Scutellum never velvety black-marked, with only 2 pairs of long marginal setae, disc always bare.Anepisternum without setae.

Mid trochanter without or with a short seta. Mid tibia always without ventral preapical seta, but usually with one va (sometimes reduced only in males). Long mid ventral seta on mid tibia present only in species with distinct va on mid tibia (Roháček 1998: fig. 75). Mid tibia with or without mid av. Mid basitarsus without long av and without ventral seta. Hind tibia with a long dorso-preapical seta, at most. Pulvilli and claws weakly developed; ventroapical spur of hind tibia mostly reduced.

Wing unicolorous, with cross-veins at most clouded in the Afrotropical species (there are numerous Oriental species with a patterned wing (Hayashi 2008 a, b )). Wing without macrotrichia. First costal section basally with 2 shorter (paired) setae, one of them not longer than twice the length of the second, otherwise first costal section with short or medium-length setae only. Vein R 4+5 sinuate or upcurving.

Abdominal tergites not reduced, rather well sclerotised, marginal setae variable. Male postabdomen less downcurved; male cerci and S5 vary (but are usually simple). Male S4 normally without processes; S5 simple, without medio-caudal armature. Synsternite with basic structure characteristic of taxa in the subfamily Limosininae . Right side sclerites of the postabdomen (cf. Papp 2008) usually discernible but seldom with characteristic shape. Hypandrium with ventral single or bifurcate appendage (Roháček 1998: fig. 33). Epandrium with one connection on each side to hypandrium. Surstylus long but mostly not very high, in an anterior and a posterior lobe, the latter without robust ventral spines (Roháček 1998: fig. 108). Phallus in two parts: basiphallus short but usually high, well sclerotised without epiphallus, distiphallus varying, mostly with large ventral lobe(s), always shorter than phallapodeme, which is strong. Ejaculatory apodeme always discernible but its sclerotisation varies; and since it seems to be asymmetrical, its detectable shape is dependent on its positioning.

Female with seven normal preabdominal segments, although the length of the 7 th is variable. Postabdomen not telescoped. T 8 consists of 2 lateral sclerites that have a pair of medially directed, narrow ventral processes, and may bear longer setae, mostly on the caudal margin. Features concerning S8 mostly species-specific. Epiproct (= T 10, or T 9 auctorum) usually flat, with or without some setae that are of diagnostic value. Hypoproct (=S10, or S9 auctorum) larger in several species and with short setulae, which are sometimes very thick (peg-like). Cerci always short, not fused to T 10. Spermathecae 1+2, globular, vesiculate or subspherical, without acute projections. Sclerotised ducts usually short but the length (incl. length of individual ducts when they are paired) is species-specific.