Trichomyia (Brachiotrichomyia), Bravo & Araújo & Uefs, 2013

Bravo, Freddy, Araújo, Maíra X. & Uefs, Santana -, 2013, Trichomyia (Brachiotrichomyia subgen. nov.) plumata sp. nov. from the Neotropical Region (Diptera: Psychodidae: Trichomyiinae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 53 (1), pp. 329-338 : 330-331

Brachiotrichomyia subgen. nov.

Type species. Trichomyia quatei Bravo, 2001 , here designated.

Diagnosis. Palpus four-segmented, the first two segments partially fused; presence of sensilla in depressed pits on inner side of segments 1 and 2 or, in one species, with sensilla on segment 2 only. Gonocoxites projected dorsally, fused basally, each with a long posterior arm, 1.0–3.5 times the length of ejaculatory apodeme; presence of bristles along half or the entire inner margin of the arm of gonocoxite. Gonostylus unsclerotized, articulated ventrally to the gonocoxite, C-shaped, absent in some species. Aedeagal complex curved and joined at apex.

Description. Male. Head subcircular, eyes without ocular bridge. Antenna: scape similar in length to pedicel; flagellum with 13 flagellomeres with pair of simple ascoids, straight, longer than flagellomere; flagellomeres pyriform; terminal flagellomeres shorter than basal flagellomeres; apical flagellomere with apiculus separate for a suture. Palpus four-segmented, first two palpomeres partially fused, with sensilla in depressed pits on inner side of segments 1 and 2 or, in Trichomyia pseudodactylis Quate, 1996 , with sensilla in depressed pits only on segment 2. Radial fork distal to medial fork. Male terminalia: Gonocoxites projected dorsally, fused basally, each one with long posterior arm, 1.0–2.0 times the length of ejaculatory apodeme; presence of bristles, filiform or feathered, along half or the entire inner margin of the arm of gonocoxite. Gonostylus unsclerotized, articulated ventrally to gonocoxite, the same length as gonocoxite arm or longer, C-shaped, absent in two species ( Trichomyia armata Barretto, 1954 and Trichomyia brasiliensis Satchell, 1956 ). Cercus long, longer than arm of gonocoxite. Aedeagal complex curved and joined at apex.

Female. Only one female specimen of T. armata was described and, according to BAR- RETTO (1954), it was similar to the male. The characteristics of the female genitalia will not be discussed here because we only have one representative of one species.

Etymology. The name is composed of the Greek word brachion, meaning arm, and the genus name Trichomyia ; it refers to the presence of a long and wide posterior arm of gonocoxite.

Species included. Trichomyia armata Barretto, 1954 , T. brasiliensis Satchell, 1956 , T. inermis Barretto, 1954 , T. plumata sp. nov., T. pseudodactylis Quate, 1996 , T. quatei Bravo, 2001 , T. risaraldensis Bejarano, Pérez-Doria & Sierra, 2009 .

Remarks. BRAVO (2001c) proposed an unnamed group of three Neotropical species with gonocoxites with long posterior arms and long bristles on their inner margins including T. armata , T. brasiliensis , and T. quatei . BEJARANO et al. (2009a) added T. risaraldensis and T. pseudodactylis to this unnamed group. This taxon is here assigned the name Brachiotrichomyia subgen. nov. and classified as a subgenus.

Brachiotrichomyia subgen. nov. is a natural group with at least one exclusive character: ovoid aedeagal complex, fused apically. Two diagnostic characters of the new subgenus show variations: the first character refers to the presence of sensilla in depressed pits on palpal segments 1 and 2 that are observed in all species (except T. pseudodactylis , with sensilla only on segment 2, which is assumed to be a secondary modification in that species); the second character refers to the presence of an elongated, unsclerotized gonostylus, although this structure would be secondarily absent in T. armata and T. brasiliensis according to BRAVO (2001c).