Porphyrochroa Melander

Mendonça, Mirian Nascimento, 2010, New species of Porphyrochroa Melander (Diptera: Empididae) from Paraná, Brazil and key to Brazilian species from southern and south-eastern Brazil, Journal of Natural History 44 (9 - 10), pp. 615-624 : 616-617

Genus Porphyrochroa Melander

Porphyrochroa Melander, 1928: 137 . Type species: Sciodromia palliata Coquillett by original designation. Smith 1967: 29 (catalogue: synonym of Macrostomus ). Rafael 2001: 130. Rafael and Ale-Rocha 2002: 241. Rafael and Cumming 2004: 439. Mendonça et al. 2007: 352; 2008: 1 .

The genus Porphyrochroa has been overlooked by most authors since it was described by Melander (1928). Smith (1967) considered it as a junior synonym of Macrostomus , being reinstated by Rafael (2001) based on the following hypothesized synapomorphies: (1) male tergite 8 with few setae confined posterolaterally; (2) male tergite 7 with posteroventral protuberance; (3) abdomen metallic blue or blue-green in colour (this faint metallic lustre is characteristic of species of Porphyrochroa ); described in detail in Mendonça et al. (2008). Rafael (2001) also transferred Axelempis fasciventris Curran to the genus. A redescription of the group can also be found in Rafael and Cumming (2004).

Key to species of Porphyrochroa from southern and south-eastern Brazil, based on males

1. Apex of vein R 2+3 discretely curved, as in fig. 18e in Mendonça et al. (2008)... 2 Apex of vein R 2+3 distinctly curved, as in fig. 18h in Mendonça et al. (2008)... 9

2. Acrostichal setae absent......................................... 3 Acrostichal setae reduced (one or two pairs)........................ 4

3. Ejaculatory apodeme with four projections; hind femur with ventral spine; hind tibia with long and slender antero- and posterodorsal setae........................................................ P. carrerai Ejaculatory apodeme with three projections; hind femur without ventral spine and with a stout posteroventral bristle (sometimes two) at middle; hind tibia without long and slender setae; wing lightly infuscated; prescutellar

depression and scutellum with dense grey pruinescence................................................................ P.variseta

4. Mid basal tarsomere with long and slender dorsal setae; ejaculatory apodeme with three projections........................... P. catarinae Mid basal tarsomere without long and slender dorsal setae; ejaculatory apodeme variable.............................................. 5

5. Wings broad and rounded, dark brownish distally........ P. distinctipennis Wings narrower and otherwise coloured............................ 6

6. Females with median and hind femora and hind tibiae pennate.... P. mura Females with legs not pennate; wings more or less brownish, or marked, or greyish, but not hyaline......................................... 7

7. Hind femora with an outstanding slender ventral bristle at middle........................................................ P. wiedemannia Hind femora without this bristle.................................. 8

8. Hind tibiae and tarsi with long hairs dorsally; wings only brown at extreme apex between end of stigma and end of cubital vein............ P. digitata Hind tibiae and tarsi without long hairs; distal region of the mid tibia and anterior region of the mid basal tarsomere gradually wider; sternite 6 projected posteriorly over sternite 7 ( Figure 2B )................... P. sierra

9. Acrostichal setae absent; wing hyaline; all legs with short, distinct setae; females with all femora, tibiae and front tarsi pennate (front femora only pennate dorsally at extreme base); larger species (4 mm)........... P. juri Acrostichal setae reduced (one or two pair)........................ 10

10. Hind femur with ventral spines; hind tibiae and tarsi with short hairs; wings greyish except for stigma................................. P. barueri Hind femur lacking ventral spines................................ 11

11. Tergite 7 in arrow format posteriorlly ( Figure 4A ); epandrium digitiform ( Figure 4F ); ejaculatory apodeme with four projections ( Figure 4D )........................................................... P.atlantica Tergite 7 not shaped as an arrow; epandrium not digitiform; ejaculatory apodeme with three projections.................................. 12

12. Wing hyaline except for stigma brown; pleura yellow below, shining black above, the two colours sharply separated along an almost straight line....... P. divisa Wing more or less brownish and narrower; females with front femora and tibiae not pennate; smaller species (3 mm.)................. P mundurucu

Figures

Figure 2. Wings of Porphyrochroa (Diptera, Empididae), holotype male; (A) Porphyrochroa atlantica sp. nov. 40 ×; (B) Porphyrochroa sierra sp. nov. 32 ×.

Figure 4. Porphyrochroa sierra sp. nov., holotype male: (A) tergites 6–8, dorsal view; (B) sternites 6–8, dorsal view; (C) terminalia, lateral view; (D) hypandrium, posterior view; (E) hypandrium and phallus, lateral view; (F) epandrium, lateral view; (G) ejaculatory apodeme, anterior view; (H) cercus, dorsal view; (I) subepandrial sclerite, ventral view. Abbreviations: a cerc, anterior cercus; ej apod, ejaculatory apodeme; goncx apod, gonocoxal apodeme; hypd, hypandrium; p cerc, posterior cercus; ph, phallus; ST, sternite; T, tergite.