Mimapsilopa Cresson

Mathis, Wayne N., Costa, Daniel N. R. & Marinoni, Luciane, 2015, A review of Mimapsilopa Cresson (Diptera: Ephydridae) from Brazil, Zootaxa 3926 (4), pp. 499-522 : 501-502

Genus Mimapsilopa Cresson

Mimapsilopa Cresson 1941: 36 . Type species: Clasiopella metatarsata Cresson 1939 , original designation.— Cresson 1946: 153 [synonymy with Helaeomyia Cresson ].—Lizarralde de Grosso 1982: 121–128 [revision].—Lizarralde de Grosso et al. 2011: 4 [catalog, Argentina].— Mathis and Zatwarnicki 1995: 27 –28 [world catalog]; 1998: 7–24 [review of West Indian species].

Diagnosis. Mimapsilopa is distinguished from other genera of Discomyzini by the following combination of characters: Small to medium-sized shore flies, body length 1.30–3.40 mm; generally black species, many surfaces subshiny to shiny. Head: Normally developed, not triangular or with bulging eyes; antenna inserted at dorsal 1/3 of head height; frons conspicuously wider than long, sparsely microtomentose to microgranulose, contrasted from subshiny to shiny face, vertex distinctly to somewhat angulate, not broadly rounded; interfrontal setae absent; welldeveloped fronto-orbital setae 2 (2nd proclinate seta greatly reduced, inserted posterior of larger proclinate seta), proclinate seta usually smaller than reclinate seta, inserted anterior of reclinate seta; ocellar setae well developed, inserted behind level of anterior ocellus, orientation usually proclinate and slightly divergent; pseudopostocellar setae weakly developed, divergent and slightly proclinate; both medial and lateral vertical setae well developed, lateral seta shorter than medial seta. Antennal shape quite variable; arista pectinate, bearing 5–11 dorsal rays or hairs. Eye irregularly elliptical, higher than wide, interfacetal setulae sparse, appearing bare. Face swollen medially, mostly to entirely bare, shiny, smooth to microsculptured, lacking pits; well-developed facial setae 2, level of insertion variable, inclinate and usually slightly dorsoclinate; proboscis normally developed, not elongate; palpus black. Thorax: Generally black, mesonotum, including postpronotum and notopleuron sparsely microtomentose, thereafter ventrally, including most of pleural area, mostly bare of microtomentum, shiny black; scutellum more or less triangular, posterior angle bluntly rounded. Chaetotaxy as follows: prescutellar acrostichal setae well developed, inserted far anteriad, slightly anteriad of level of single, large, dorsocentral seta, distance between dorsocentral setae more than that between apical scutellar setae; presutural supra-alar seta variable, well developed or greatly reduced; postsutural supra-alar seta lacking; postalar seta 1; scutellar disc moderately setulose; basal scutellar seta over 1/2 length of apical seta; notopleuron lacking setulae but bearing anterior and posterior setae, these equidistant from notopleural suture; anepisternum with 2 large setae at posterior margin, ventral seta only slightly longer to nearly twice length of dorsal seta; katepisternum with 1 large setae. Halter with knob white to yellowish. Wing variable, hyaline or with pattern of infuscation; vein R2+3 extended normally to costal margin, well separated from costa, lacking a stump vein, moderately long, making section II about 1.5 length of section III; vein M very shallowly curved anteriorly on apical portion; R stem vein bearing 2–4 setulae dorsally; crossvein dm-cu straight. Tarsi, at least basitarsomere, white to yellow, contrasted sharply from dark colored tibiae and femora, in some species the dorsum of the basitarsomere is somewhat darkened; forefemur with dorsal surface uneven, slightly emarginate. Abdomen: Mostly shiny, blackish, microtomentum generally sparse; tergite 5 of male shinier than preceding tergites, almost devoid of microtomentum, anterior margin with broad, shallow emargination dorsomedially, bearing longer setae along posterior margin. Male terminalia mostly symmetrical; epandrium as an inverted U in posterior view, arms projected ventrad, posterior surface generally setulose, generally thickly formed; cercus in posterior view broadly lunate, especially ventrally, dorsal apex more narrowly pointed; presurstylus large at ventral margin of epandrium, medial surface with a small emargination dorsally, thereafter ventrally on apical 2/3 shallowly concave and bearing numerous, short setulae, external surface arched; postsurstylus elongate, bearing numerous setulae, symmetrical or asymmetrical at apex, apex sometimes bilobed, mediobasal surface of some species bearing an internal, medially directed, usually rod-like postsurstylar process; subepandrial plate broadly U-shaped, base longer than length of arms; aedeagus longer than wide, variously shaped, often quadrate basally in lateral view; phallapodeme in lateral view more or less triangular, angle at attachment with hypandrium thicker; hypandrium in lateral view angulate, usually becoming much wider toward anterior margin, concavity moderately deep, pocket-like.

Discussion. Following the precedent of Mathis and Zatwarnicki (1998), we recognize two species groups within Mimapsilopa , and herein, we treat the included species in both species groups in alphabetical order.