Polietes Rondani, 1866

Nihei, Silvio Shigueo & Carvalho, Claudio José Barros De, 2009, The Muscini flies of the world (Diptera, Muscidae): identification key and generic diagnoses, Zootaxa 1976, pp. 1-24 : 18

Polietes Rondani, 1866

Polietes Rondani, 1866: 71 . Type species: Musca lardaria Fabricius, 1781 .

Diagnosis. Colouration blackish with dense silver pruinosity; wing without maculae. Female with proclinate fronto-orbital seta; parafrons setulose along its entire length; interfrontal seta present; frontal vitta setulose on upper half. Presutural acrostichals developed; 3 postsutural pairs. Dorsocentrals 3 + 4. Postsutural intra-alars 2- 3; intrapostalar absent. Notopleurals 2 (there is an additional posterior seta in P. domitor (Harris) , as in some Mesembrina spp.). Prosternum setulose or bare. Katepisternals 1 + 1-3. Posterior spiracle usually bare on posterior margin. Vein R 4 + 5 setulose or not dorsally and usually bare ventrally; M straight forward, subparallel to R 4 + 5. Lower calypter glossiform. Subcostal sclerite bare. Calcar strong.

Comments. The monophyly of Polietes was not supported by Nihei and de Carvalho ( 2007 a). Except for Mesembrina , all Muscini genera were nested within Polietes . This genus is traditionally diagnosed and recognized as the only Holarctic genus with glossiform lower calypter and vein M running straight toward the apex of wing, but these are two plesiomorphic non-grouping characters (Nihei & de Carvalho 2007 a) that are present in other Muscini genera outside the Holartic Region. A revision and examination of all Polietes species is required before considering the break up of the genus into smaller monophyletic units.

Distribution ( 11 species). Nearctic, Oriental and Palaearctic.

References. Oriental species: Emden ( 1965), Xue and Chao ( 1998); Palaearctic: Hennig ( 1963 a, 1963 b), Peris and Llorente ( 1963), Xue and Chao ( 1998), Gregor et al. ( 2002), Shinonaga ( 2003).