Porricondyla Rondani, 1840

Jaschhof, Mathias & Jaschhof, Catrin, 2020, The Porricondylini (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae: Porricondylinae) of Sweden revisited: descriptions of nineteen new species of ten genera, including a new genus, Zootaxa 4728 (2), pp. 151-182 : 166-167

Porricondyla Rondani, 1840

With previously 63 extant species in the World and 23 in Europe, Porricondyla is the largest genus of the tribe Porricondylini ( Gagné & Jaschhof 2017) . Almost all of the European species are known to occur in Sweden, and several were even described from there in recent years ( Jaschhof & Jaschhof 2013: 207 ff.). Meanwhile our research has revealed the presence of another five, previously unnamed Porricondyla in Sweden, all described below. One of these, P. gemina , is an offshoot from the widespread Holarctic P. nigripennis Meigen. We know of another two unnamed species of the nigripennis complex in the Czech Republic and South Korea, which will be described at a later time. Another species complex we discovered on the basis of Swedish material is P. colpodioides Mamaev as defined in our Porricondyla revision of 2013. Our re-examination of 51 colpodioides -like males revealed differences in genitalic structures, which however are too vague to use in establishing interspecific boundaries. To solve this issue requires, first of all, more specimen sampling within the vast geographic range of the colpodioides complex (basically all the western Palearctic). In our 2013 revision we subdivided the genus Porricondyla into three groups, according to the kind of structure found at the gonostylar apex: either a pectinate claw consisting of numerous fine spines; or a single, solid spine (variously referred to as a tooth); or a flattened, platelike spine ( Jaschhof & Jaschhof 2013: 210). This scheme is maintained here, with another group introduced to absorb P. armata Spungis and P. bidentula , the new species described next.

The genus Porricondyla gathers species with 14 male flagellomeres and without basitarsal spines (group Aa), which exhibit the following combination of characters: the parameres form strongly sclerotized tusks; gonocoxal processes are mostly well developed (i.e., at least partially sclerotized); and gonostyli are equipped either with a large pectinate claw or with a tooth (rarely two or more teeth) of varying shape. In a part of the species the scutum has bright, membranous windows (see Jaschhof & Jaschhof 2013: 209).