Panava Dodge, 1968

Filho, Fernando Da Silva Carvalho & Esposito, Maria Cristina, 2011, Panava a senior synonym of Wulpisca, and description of new species of Panava and Dexosarcophaga (Bezzisca) from the Brazilian Amazon (Diptera, Sarcophagidae), Zootaxa 2808, pp. 49-56 : 50

Genus Panava Dodge, 1968

Panava Dodge, 1968: 444 . Type species: Panava inflata Dodge, 1968 , by original designation.

Wulpisca Lopes, 1978a: 223 . Type species: Sarcophaga imbecilla Wulp, 1896 , by original designation. Syn. n.

Diagnosis. Male with one or two proclinate frontorbital bristles; wing vein R1 setose; male phallus divided into basi- and distiphallus; male surstylus with short apical spines.

Species included. Panava arnaudi ( Lopes, 1988) comb. n.; Panava equatoriana Lopes, 1978 ; Panava imbecilla ( Wulp, 1896) comb. n.; Panava inflata Dodge, 1968 ; Panava peruana Lopes, 1978 ; Panava savanensis Lopes, 1990 .

Discussion. The genus Panava was described by Dodge (1968) based on the new species P. inflata from Panama. Lopes (1975) redescribed this species from the holotype and considered the large and not protected glans (a complex of lateral styli and median stylus) as a diagnostic character of Panava . Subsequently, three new species were described, P. equatoriana and P. peruana from Ecuador and Peru respectively ( Lopes 1978b), and P. s a v a n e n - sis from Venezuela ( Lopes 1990).

The genus Wulpisca was erected by Lopes (1978a) based on Sarcophaga imbecilla described by Wulp (1896) from Mexico. Additionally, Lopes (1988) described a second species from El Salvador, W. arnaudi .

The genus Wulpisca is similar to Panava in external morphology, and since species of both genera possess a surstylus with short spines apically, they may together be considered to form a monophyletic group. The main character given by Lopes (1978a) to distinguish Wulpisca from Panava is the length of distiphallus that is longer than the cercus in Panava and shorter than the cercus in Wulpisca .

Lopes (1978b) observed that the spermatheca of Panava shows an invagination of the distal part that is not present in the spermatheca of the only described female of Wulpisca (see Lopes 1988). The invagination of the distal part of spermatheca seems to be a variable feature, since it is absent in the spermathecae of Panava savanensis and other well-defined genera (e.g., Retrocitomyia Lopes and Peckiamyia Dodge ) and sub-genera (e.g., Sarconeiva Lopes ).

Lopes (1982) considered Panava to be related to Titanogrypa Townsend and Rafaelia Townsend , since their spermatheca share a terminal invagination. However, Titanogrypa and Rafaelia also are characterized by the presence of a dense patch of whitish hair-like setae on the lateral margins of the scutellum that is not found in species of Panava and Wulpisca . In addition, the males of Panava and Wulpisca possess proclinate frontorbital bristles that are absent in the males of Titanogrypa and Rafaelia .

Lopes (1990) later pointed out that the main difference between the two genera is the length of the glans of the males, which is reduced in Wulpisca and much developed and not covered by plates of the distiphallus in Panava . Lopes (1990) considered, in the diagnostic features of Panava , that the surstylus with terminal spines is the main feature of the genus, and he did not mention the invagination of spermatheca. Nevertheless, Lopes (1990) described a new species, P. savanensis that does not have apical spines on the surstylus. However, terminal spines are present on the surstylus in all described species of Wulpisca . Species of Wulpisca , like those of Panava also have a single phallotreme (lateral styli is absent), proclinate frontorbital bristles in the males, and wing vein R1 setose.

Females are not sufficiently known to assess the spermathecal character in a phylogenetic context, and the length of the distiphallus in relation to the cercus and the length of glans are quite variable characters and as such not satisfactory for a generic definition. Due to the overall similarity in adult habitus, and the lack of convincing synapomorphies for arranging the species in monophyletic groups, it is here proposed that Wulpisca be considered a junior subjective synonym of Panava , with the broadened genus being defined by the presence of the short apical spines on the surstylus, proclinate frontorbital bristles in the males, single phallotreme, and vein R1 setose.

Biology. Nothing is known of the biology of Panava ( Pape & Dahlem 2010) . The male of P. inflata was collected “from over swarm raid of Labidus praedator ” ( Formicidae : Ecitoninae ) in Panama ( Dodge 1968; Lopes 1975) and the species is attracted to carrion ( Pape & Dahlem 2010). The male of P. savanensis was collected on flowers of Capparis sp. ( Capparidaceae ) in Venezuela ( Lopes 1990).

Distribution. The genus Panava is exclusively Neotropical ranging from Mexico (Guerrero, Veracruz) to northern South America.