Neuzina Marinoni & Knutson

Marinoni, Luciane, Zumbado, Manuel A. & Knutson, Lloyd, 2004, tropical Region, Zootaxa 540, pp. 1-7 : 2-5

Neuzina Marinoni & Knutson , new genus

Type species. Neuzina diminuta Marinoni & Zumbado , new species.

Genus description. Adult ( Fig. 1 ). General coloration: body dark brown, with gray pruinosity. Bases of most setulae and setae with rounded brown spots, including those on the head.

Head ( Figs. 2, 3 ). Mid frontal vitta absent. Fronto­orbital spot present. 1 upper orbital seta; 1 ocellar; 1 postocellar, slightly divergent; 1 inner and 1 outer vertical. Scape and pedicel equal in length; postpedicel about three times longer than pedicel; arista sub­basal. Face slightly concave in profile, yellowish pollinose, with median black spot; parafacialia with black spot at side of antenna; gena narrow and black pilose.

Thorax ( Fig. 4 ). Mesonotal suture incomplete. Setae: 1 proepisternal; 2 notopleurals; 1 presutural; 1 postpronotal; 1 postsutural supra­alar; 2 postalars; 2 prescutellars dorsocentrals; 2 pairs of scutellars. No setae on pleura, except 1 anepisternal. Wing infumate. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 not converging apically; crossvein dm­Cu straight; A1+CuA2 complete to margin. Hind coxa with a lateroventral seta. Mid and hind femur brown with irregular yellow maculae; mid and hind tibiae mainly light yellow apically brown; mid and hind tarsi mainly white.

Female ( Fig. 5 ). 6th, 7th and 8th sternites separated. Two spermathecae.

Male Abdomen ( Figs. 6–9 ). 6th sternite asymmetrical, normally extended from mid dorsum onto left side, where it is expanded and strongly sclerotized; 6th left spiracle mid laterally at beginning of expanded portion; 7th left spiracle in sternite; 6th and 7th right abdominal spiracles in membrane. Anterior and posterior surstyli visible and fused to epandrium. Aedeagus symmetric. Gonopod free from hypandrium.

Etymology. The generic name, Neuzina , honors L. Marinoni’s mother, Neuza Fonseca Marinoni, who along with her father, Renato Contin Marinoni, encouraged her career as a researcher. The name Neuzina is feminine.

Taxonomic discussion. Marinoni & Mathis (2000) in a cladistic analysis of the Sciomyzidae concluded that the family has two monophyletic subfamilies: Salticellinae and Sciomyzinae . Within the Sciomyzinae there are two monophyletic tribes, Sciomyzini and Tetanocerini .

The new genus Neuzina has the following synapomorphies of Sciomyzini :

1. The aedeagus is symmetric ( Fig. 9 ). The aedeagus is also symmetric in Antichaeta and in the group of Sepedoninus Verbeke , Sepedonella Ver b ek e, Sepedon Latreille , Sepedomerus Steyskal + Sepedonea Steyskal (Tetanocerini) ;

2. The gonopod is free from hypandrium ( Fig. 8 ). In Tetanoceroides Malloch (Tetanocerini) a free gonopod is apparently homoplastic.

Other characters indicative of the position of Neuzina in the Sciomyzini are:

3. In the antenna the length of the pedicel is approximately half of the length of the postpedicel. This character is plesiomorphic within the Sciomyzidae and in Tetanocerini it is present in the genera Eutrichomelina Steyskal , Ectinocera Zetterstedt , Renocera Hendel , Antichaeta Haliday , Chasmacryptum Becker , Shannonia Malloch and Perilimnia Becker ; 4. The proepisternal seta is present. This character was used by Steyskal (1965) to sepa­

rate the tribes Sciomyzini and Tetanocerini . All the genera placed in Sciomyzini by

Marinoni & Mathis (2000) have the proepisternal seta. Among the Tetanocerini there are

only two genera with the seta lacking ( Shannonia Malloch and Perilimnia Becker );

5. The male has the 6th, 7th and 8th sternites separated, the 6th and 7th asymmetrical ( Fig.

6);

6. 6th and 7th right abdominal spiracles of male in membrane;

7. Paramere elongate and well developed ( Fig. 8 );

8. The 6th, 7th and 8th sternites of the female abdomen are separated ( Fig. 5 ). This is not a

character exclusive of Sciomyzini but all the Sciomyzini have the three sternites separated. A more definitive assessment on the relationships of Neuzina with the other genera

within the Sciomyzini will require a cladistic evaluation of all known synapomorphies for

all genera in the tribe.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Neuzina diminuta. Male. (1) Habitus; (2). Head, fronto­dorsal view; (3) Head, frontal view; (4) Wing.

FIGURES 5 – 9. Neuzina diminuta. (5) Female terminalia, ventral view; (6) male terminalia, left lateral view; (7) hypandrium; (8) male terminalia, right lateral view; (9) male terminalia, frontal view. Aedeagus (aed.); aedeagal apodeme (aed. ap.); anterior surstylus (a. s.); epandrium (ep.); gonopod (gon.); paramere (par.); posterior surstylus (p. s.); spiracle 6 (sp. 6); spiracle 7 (sp. 7); sternite 6 (st. 6); sternite 7 (st. 7); sternite 8 (st. 8).