Pachylopella, Winterton & Irwin, 2023

Winterton, Shaun L. & Irwin, Michael E., 2023, Revision of the South American stiletto fly genera Entesia Oldroyd and Melanothereva Malloch, with the description of a new genus (Therevidae: Agapophytinae), Zootaxa 5269 (1), pp. 1-82 : 69

Pachylopella gen. n.

Zoobank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:24F12875-805A-430B-812A-8423A890A28F

Type species. Pachylopella antennata sp. n.

Diagnosis. Slender, dark flies with elongate, bulbous antennae; parafacial setae absent; antennae longer than head; scape elongate and bulbous with erect macrosetae; male with additional macrosetae scattered on occiput; wing cell m 3 open; scutellum with two pairs of macrosetae; palpus thickened; hind femur with single subapical anteroventral macroseta; medial furrow of prosternum without setae.

Description. Head. Broad, dimensions in profile subequal; antenna longer than head; antennae positioned in middle of head, directed anteriorly, flagellum tapered cone-shaped, slightly shorter than combined scape and pedicel length, scape elongate and bulbous; head broadly projecting anteriorly around base of antennae; male frons width (at narrowest point) equal to width of anterior ocellus; parafacial without setae; face rounded; male occiput with additional macrosetae; gena rounded, palpus thickened, mouthparts short. Thorax. Medial furrow of prosternum without setae; cervical sclerite lacking macrosetae; pleuron sparsely pubescent; metanepisternum lacking setae; scutum covered with filiform setae, often of variable length, chaetotaxy: np: 3–4; sa, 1; pa, 1; dc, 4–5; sc, 1–2 (irregular); posterior surfaces of mid- and hind coxae without setae; hind coxal knob present; legs relatively elongate; femora with velutum patches absent, macrosetae absent except hind femur with subapical anteroventral seta; tibial macrosetae regular sized; wing cell m 3 open, wing smoky infuscate, vein R 1 with setae absent, membrane uniformly covered with microtrichia. Abdomen. Basal half relatively slender, slightly narrowed along length; tergite 2 with all setae uniform and regular in length. Terminalia. Gonocoxites with velutum patches absent, gonocoxite halves separate medially; outer gonocoxal process present; inner gonocoxal process present, articulated; ventral lobe small, rounded apically; dorsal apodeme of parameral sheath ‘T’-shaped, distiphallus short, straight, ventral apodeme forked. Female sternite 8 posterior margin emarginate posteromedially; tergite 8 elongate with broad anteromedial process; spermathecal sac as small single lobe; three spermathecae.

Distribution. South America: Chile.

Etymology. Greek, pachylos —thickish; pellos— dark coloured, dusky; referring to the thickened antennal scape and dark body colouration. Gender is feminine.

Comments. Pachylopella gen. n. is a distinctive genus close to the recently described genus Sigalopella . The two genera share features such as dark body colour, infuscate wings, elongate antennae, thickened palpi and a rounded to bulbous face. Pachylopella gen. n. is differentiated by the presence of two pairs of scutellar macrosetae, bulbous scape, lack of parafacial setae and the male with scattered macrosetae on the occiput.