Phthinia flagellata Freeman

Oliveira, Sarah Siqueira & Amorim, Dalton De Souza, 2010, The genus Phthinia Winnertz (Diptera, Mycetophilidae) in the Neotropical region, with the first records from Brazil, Zootaxa 2350, pp. 22-34 : 31

Phthinia flagellata Freeman

P. flagellata Freeman, 1951: 53 , figs. 107 (3 terminalia), 276 (wing). Type-locality: Argentina, Río Negro, Lago Nahuel Huapí, eastern end. Holotype 3, NHM.

Diagnosis. M1+2 about as long as r-m; CuA with a sigmoid curve close to apex. Gonostyle styliform, apically at the distal part of the gonocoxite.

Comments. Freeman (1951: 54) refers to the male terminalia as “with cerci longer than coxites, style simple, coxite bearing a long thin process with a bristle at the end of and a short process at its base”. It seems questionable whether the homology he proposed for these sclerites is correct. In all related species the gonocoxites extends beyond the distal margin of the syngonocoxite and the shape of the gonostyle is variable. It seems likely that the sclerite referred to as the “flagellum” distally ( Freeman, 1951, fig. 107) is an elongated, digitiform gonostyle, with an apical seta. For the purposes of identification, however, it can be very easily distinguished from all remaining Neotropical species, mainly for the flagellum-like gonostyle, not seen in the others neotropical species. Apparently the drawing is in ventral view, not dorsal, as originally stated.