A new species and synonymy of the Neotropical Eucelatoria Townsend and redescription of Myiodoriops Townsend.

ABSTRACT: The New World tropics represents the most diverse region for tachinid parasitoids (Diptera: Tachinidae), but it also contains the most narrowly defined, and possibly the most confusing, tachinid genera of any biogeographic region. This over-splitting of genera and taxonomic confusion has limited progress toward our understanding the family in this region and much work is needed to revise, redefine, and make sense of the profusion of finely split taxa. In a recent analysis of the Neotropical genus Erythromelana Townsend, two species previously assigned to this genus, Euptilodegeeriaobumbrata (Wulp) and Myiodoriopsmarginalis Townsend were reinstated as monotypic genera. In the present study, we demonstrate that Euptilodegeeriaobumbrata (Wulp), previously assigned to three different genera, represents in fact a species of the large New World genus Eucelatoria Townsend, in which females possess a sharp piercer for oviposition. We also show that the species Eucelatoriacarinata (Townsend) belongs to the same species group as Eucelatoriaobumbrata, which we here define and characterize as the Eucelatoriaobumbrata species group. Additionally, we describe Eucelatoriaflava sp. n. as a new species within the Eucelatoriaobumbrata species group. Finally, we redescribe the genus Myiodoriops Townsend and the single species Myiodoriopsmarginalis Townsend.

SUBMITTER: Inclan DJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4284636 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature