Afroscatopse, Szadziewski & Bojarski & Sontag & Szwedo, 2022

Szadziewski, Ryszard, Bojarski, Błażej, Sontag, Elżbieta & Szwedo, Jacek, 2022, A new giant dung midge from Miocene Ethiopian amber (Diptera: Scatopsidae), Zootaxa 5099 (5), pp. 549-562 : 550-551

Genus Afroscatopse gen. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:9843D8DF-B118-4D68-A0AD-345F15CB90FA

Type species Afroscatopse haennii sp. nov., present designation and monotypy.

Diagnosis. The genus is distinct in having very broad wings with thick veins, enlarged thick basal ⅓ of costal vein, base of M 1 reduced, eyes dichoptic, long antennae with flagellum composed of 9 flagellomeres, wing membrane without macrotrichia, and tergite 7 in male genitalia divided into two long and broad lobes. The strongly thickened costa is unique apomorhic character within the family. Female unknown.

Etymology. The generic name is combination of two words: Africa and generic name Scatopse . Gender: feminine.

Discussion. According to Dalton de Souza Amorim (personal comm.) the new species described below does not need new genus and should be placed in the worldwide distributed genus Colobostema Enderlein, 1926 including 65 extant species ( Haenni & Amorim 2017). In our opinion supported by Jean-Paul Haenni (personal comm.) this new genus with unique costal vein is the most distinct within the tribe Colobostematini including 6 extant and 1 fossil genera ( Amorim 1998).

Afroscatopse gen. nov. has long antennae and broad thorax not compressed laterally, rounded head with dichoptic eyes and wing membrane without macrotrichia; this places the genus within the tribe Colobostematini ( Amorim 1998, Haenni 2013). The tribe includes the following genera ( Amorim 1998): Colobostema Enderlein, 1926 (65 species, worldwide), Holoplagia Enderlein, 1912 (10 species, Afrotropical, Australasian, Neotropical, Oriental and Palaearctic regions), Ferneiella Cook in Freeman, 1985 (3 extant species, Australasian, Palaearctic regions; 1 extinct from Eocene French amber), Efcookella Haenni, 1998 (= Cookella Freeman, 1985 (1 extant, Palaearctic Region, 2 fossil from Eocene of France (Oise amber) and USA (Florissant)), Procolobostema Cook, 1971 (extinct, 4 species, Miocene, Mexican and Dominican ambers), Borneoscatopse Freeman, 1990 (1 species, Oriental Region), and Lumpuria Edwards, 1928 (5 extant species, Oriental Region).

Holoplagia and Efcookella differ in having crossvein connecting M 1 and R 4+5. The latter genus has slender thorax. Lumpuria has hollowed occiput. Colobostema has CuA with double smooth curve, veins M 1 and M 2 vanishing before wing margin, flagellum with 8 flagellomeres, wide thorax, medium sized with body length 1.5-2.5 mm. Fossil Procolobostema has CuA and M 4 gradually C-curved, M 1 and M 2 reaching wing margin, base of M 1 complete, 8 flagellomeres, wide thorax. Ferneiella has elongated scutum and 8 flagellomeres. Borneoscatopse has wide thorax, 8 flagellomeres, stem of haltere lacking setae, radial cell broad and long, M 1 complete without spur.