Katangaia Parent
Creators: name: SCOTT E. BROOKS
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2005
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Dolichopodidae
Katangaia

description: Genus Katangaia Parent
(Fig. 37 A–E)
Katangaia Parent, 1933c: 12. Type species: Katangaia longifacies Parent [Afrotropical], by monotypy
Remarks. Katangaia was erected by Parent for the single Afrotropical species, K. longifacies, known only from males. Parent (1933c) originally assigned the genus to the Rhaphiinae. Negrobov (1980) considered Katangaia to be a dolichopodine, and Ulrich (1981) formally transferred the genus to the Dolichopodinae. Recently, Grichanov (2004) synonymized Katangaia with Polymedon, and recognized the latter as a valid genus independant of Tachytrechus, but did not provide any phylogenetic evidence to support his classification. Grichanov (2004) also proposed the replacement name Polymedon octavianus Grichanov for Katangaia longifacies Parent 1933c because of the homonymy created by the transfer of the latter species into Polymedon with the older name Polymedon longifacies Becker, 1922a. The results of my cladistic analysis (Figs. 1 and 2) suggests that Katangaia should be excluded from the Dolichopodinae. As discussed above under “ Tachytrechus genus group”, my analysis also supports Robinson’s (1970) synonymy of Polymedon with Tachytrechus. As such, I reject the classification proposed by Grichanov (2004). The male genitalia of “ Polymedon ” ethiopiensis Grichanov and “ Polymedon ” mulanjensis Grichanov (cf. fig. 130 and 133) appear to be very close to that of K. longifacies (Fig. 37 A–E). These species should probably be transferred to Katangaia.
Katangaia is an enigmatic genus that possesses typical dolichopodine characters, such as a dorsally setose scape (character 1:1), in combination with several non­dolichopodine characters. As noted by Ulrich (1981) and Parent (1933c) this genus shows a resemblance to Tachytrechus, particularly in the structure of the clypeus, which is elongate and rounded below (characters 8:1 and 9:1). These characters, albeit synapomorphic for Tachytrechus, also occur in other dolichopodine genera (e.g., Dolichopus, Hercostomus) and outside the Dolichopodinae. Tachytrechus and Katangaia also share a strong basiventral seta on the hind basitarsus; however, this feature is homoplasious within the Dolichopodinae and attempts to score it across the range of taxa examined in this study failed due to the presence of numerous intermediates. Unlike Tachytrechus, in which the posterodorsal part of the postgonite is distinctively upturned and laterally flared (character 61:1, Fig. 33 D,E), the postgonite of Katangaia is simple (Fig. 37 E).
Unlike most dolichopodines Katangaia lacks a distinct pedicel condyle (character 3:0), has a partially setose male abdominal T6 (character 36: 0), and lacks anterior preapical setae on the mid and hind femora (characters 26:0 and 28:0). Probably the most striking autapomorphy of Katangaia is the large male cercus, which has claw­like medial projections (Fig. 37 B,C). Currently, the phylogenetic position of Katangaia is uncertain.
Material Examined. Katangaia longifacies Parent, [AF]: ɗ syntype (MRAC).
description: Published as part of SCOTT E. BROOKS, 2005, Systematics and phylogeny of Dolichopodinae (Diptera: Dolichopodidae), pp. 1-158 in Zootaxa 857 on page 133, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.170753