Parathalassiinae Chvála 1981
Creators: name: Brooks, Scott E.
name: Cumming, Jeffrey M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Dolichopodidae

description: Key to the Southern Hemisphere genera of Parathalassiinae and species of Microphorella
Parts of this key were adapted from the Afrotropical dolichopodid key in Grichanov & Brooks (2017), the Australasian parathalassiine key in Brooks & Cumming (2022) and the Southeast Asian and Australian key to Microphorella in Shamshev & Grootaert (2004). For the Microphorella species, the key may be used to identify both sexes of several species, but females of M. bungle Brooks & Cumming, M. satunensis Shamshev & Grootaert and M. viticula Brooks & Cumming are unknown.
1 Wing with vein M 2 present; cell dm usually present (Figs 8, 17), but sometimes cell dm and crossvein dm-m absent (Shamshev & Grootaert 2005, fig. 12).............................................................................. 3
- Wing with vein M 2, cell dm and crossvein dm-m absent (Fig. 23)............................................... 2
2 Head with parafacial and gena weakly developed, scarcely projected around lower eye margin (Fig. 25); mouthparts directed ventrally with fleshy labellum; palpus elongate and narrow or abruptly capitate and narrow basally (Fig. 25); fore coxa without spines (Fig. 25); male abdominal sternite 1 without medial projection on the anterior margin; female terminalia with acanthophorous setae on syntergite 9+10 (New Caledonia, New Zealand)...... Chimerothalassius Shamshev & Grootaert
- Head with well-developed parafacial and gena, distinctly projected around lower eye margin (Fig. 24); mouthparts directed posteriorly with narrow labellum (Fig. 24) and broad flat palpus; fore coxa with short spines (Fig. 24); male abdominal sternite 1 with medial projection on the anterior margin; female terminalia with acanthophorous spines on syntergite 9+10 (Chile, Peru).................................................................. Neothalassius Brooks & Cumming
3 Wing vein CuA straight, cell cua truncate apically, anal lobe partially developed (Fig. 28); setae of body and legs mainly pale (Fig. 27)............................................................................................ 4
- Wing vein CuA rounded, cell cua convex apically to entirely ovoid, anal lobe not developed (Figs 8, 17); setae of body and legs pale (Fig. 26) or dark (Figs 5, 6, 14, 15)................................................................... 5
4 Antennal postpedicel conical, or pear-shaped, tapering apically (Fig. 32); face wide in both sexes, not narrowing in middle (Fig. 31); postocular setae uni- to biseriate (Fig. 32); scutum with acrostichal setae uniserial at least behind, sometimes reduced; prothoracic precoxal bridge partly developed; female terminalia with tergite 8 not cleft (South Africa).................................................................................................. Amphithalassius Ulrich
- Antennal postpedicel globular, or oval, broadly rounded at apex (Figs 29, 30); face moderately wide in both sexes, more or less narrowing in middle (Fig. 29); postocular setae multiseriate (Fig. 30); scutum with acrostichal setae paired and flanked by accessory setae; prothorax without precoxal bridge; female terminalia tergite 8 deeply cleft (South Africa)................................................................................................ Plesiothalassius Ulrich
5 Antenna with arista-like stylus at least 5X longer than broadly ovoid postpedicel (Shamshev & Grootaert 2005, figs 1–4; Brooks & Cumming 2022, fig. 35); face narrow, about width of anterior ocellus; hypopygium with hypandrium and epandrium largely fused, cerci highly asymmetrical (Shamshev & Grootaert 2005, figs 17, 29); female terminalia with syntergite 9+10 bearing acanthophorous setae, cercus slender with long apical seta (Shamshev & Grootaert 2005, fig. 20) (Southeast Asia, New Guinea, New Caledonia).................................................. Eothalassius Shamshev & Grootaert
- Antenna with arista-like stylus shorter, 3X as long as variably-shaped postpedicel or shorter (Figs 6, 15); face width variable, with sides subparallel (Fig. 16), or narrowed ventrally (Fig. 7); hypopygium with variable fusion of hypandrium and epandrium, cerci nearly symmetrical to highly asymmetrical; female terminalia with syntergite 9+10 bearing acanthophorous spines (Fig. 13) or setae (Fig. 22), cercus relatively broad, with apex pointed or broadly rounded, with or without with long apical seta(e) (Chile, South Africa, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Australia)… Microphorella Becker. ............................ 6
6 Body and legs with pale setation; head and thorax pale grey pollinose (Fig. 26); male palpus broadly clavate, flattened and pale (Fig. 26); female terminalia with syntergite 9+10 bearing acanthophorous setae (female unknown in M. satunensis); coastal habitats and beaches.................................................................................. 7
- Body and legs with dark setation; head and thorax dark brownish or dark grey pollinose (Figs 5–7, 14–16); male palpus narrowly ovate or subtriangular, dark greyish brown to black (Figs 6, 7, 16); female terminalia with syntergite 9+10 bearing acanthophorous spines (Fig. 13) or setae (Fig. 22); inland riparian and meadow habitats............................ 10
7 Scutum with five or six pairs of dorsocentral setae; male abdominal sternites 5 and 6 with equal sized posteromarginal processes........................................................................................... 8
- Scutum with four pairs of dorsocentral setae; male abdominal sternites 5 and 6 with unequal sized posteromarginal processes, sternite 5 process smaller or absent....................................................................... 9
8 Scutum usually with six pairs of dorsocentral setae, rarely five pairs; male fore tarsus thickened, entirely dark brown (Fig. 26); male terminalia with right surstylus very large and leaf-like (Shamshev & Grootaert 2004, figs 13, 16) (Thailand, Malay Peninsula)........................................................... M. malaysiana Shamshev & Grootaert
- Scutum with five pairs of dorsocentral setae; male fore tarsus slender with tarsomeres 1–2 yellow, tarsomere 3 brownish yellow and tarsomeres 4–5 brown; male terminalia with right surstylus large and subtriangular (Shamshev & Grootaert 2004, figs 38, 40) (Malay Peninsula)................................................... M. satunensis Shamshev & Grootaert
9 Male abdominal sternite 5 with short slender posteromarginal process, sternite 6 with longer broad process (Shamshev & Grootaert 2004, figs 25, 26); male fore tarsus slightly thickened; male terminalia with right surstylus long, broad and crescent-shaped (Shamshev & Grootaert 2004, figs 27, 30) (New Guinea)................... M. papuana Shamshev & Grootaert
- Male abdominal sternite 5 without posteromarginal process, sternite 6 with large broad process (Shamshev & Grootaert 2004, figs 31, 32); male fore tarsus slender; male terminalia with right surstylus long and narrow (Shamshev & Grootaert 2004, figs 33, 35) (Sulawesi)............................................................ M. bira Shamshev & Grootaert
10 Face with lower margin projected anteriorly above frontoclypeal suture (Fig. 15); male foreleg with curled cluster of three long setae on trochanter (Fig. 16) and long posterior seta on tibia (Fig. 15); male midleg with long seta on trochanter (Fig. 16); male wing with larger costal seta posterior to apex (Figs 17, 18); female terminalia with syntergite 9+10 bearing acanthophorous setae (Fig. 22) (South Africa)............................................................. M. irwini sp. nov.
- Face barely projected anteriorly above obscure frontoclypeal suture (Fig. 7); male foreleg without long setae on trochanter and tibia; male midleg without long seta on trochanter; male wing without longer costal seta near apex (Fig. 8); female terminalia with syntergite 9+10 bearing acanthophorous spines (Fig. 13) (female unknown in M. bungle and M. viticula).......... 11
11 Scutum with acrostichal setae; antennal postpedicel with short tip (Fig. 6); face strongly narrowed ventrally in male (Fig. 7), weakly narrowed ventrally in female (Chile)............................................... M. amorimi sp. nov.
- Scutum without acrostichal setae; antennal postpedicel with tip longer and narrow (Brooks & Cumming 2022, figs 40, 51); face in male and female evenly wide, about width of combined antennal bases or wider (Australia)....................... 12
12 Hypopygium with phallus elongate, tightly curled (Brooks & Cumming 2022, figs 53–55).. M. viticula Brooks & Cumming
- Hypopygium with phallus relatively short, not tightly curled (Brooks & Cumming 2022, figs 43–45, 47, 48)........... 13
13 Hypopygium with phallus tip bent and brush-like (Brooks & Cumming 2022, figs 47, 48)............... M. iota Colless
- Hypopygium with phallus tip straight and tubular (Brooks & Cumming 2022, figs 44, 45).. M. bungle Brooks & Cumming
description: Published as part of Brooks, Scott E. & Cumming, Jeffrey M., 2023, The first Neotropical and Afrotropical species of Microphorella Becker, with a key to the genera of Parathalassiinae and species of Microphorella from the Southern Hemisphere (Diptera: Dolichopodidae sensu lato), pp. 581-593 in Zootaxa 5301 (5) on pages 591-592, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5301.5.5, http://zenodo.org/record/8036257