Mythicomyia Coquillett 1893
Creators: name: Sánchez, Pável
name: Evenhuis, Neal
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Mythicomyiidae
Mythicomyia

description: Key to the South American species of Mythicomyia (Modified from Ramos-Pastrana et al. (2024))
MALES
1 Knob of halter black, usually white below and at apex........................................................ 2
- Halter knob white or yellowish above and below............................................................ 8
2 Proboscis short, less than height of eye.................................................................... 3
- Proboscis longer, either equal to or greater than height of eye.................................................. 7
3 Postpronotal lobe entirely black, posterior margin in some specimens brownish............... M. collina (Philippi, 1866)
- Postpronotal lobe white or yellow........................................................................ 4
4 Scutellum with proximal half dark brown and distal half whitish; legs predominantly whitish, with light brown to brown spots in some of its structures............................... M. bilobata Ramos-Pastrana, Rojas-Portilla & Evenhuis, 2024
- Scutellum entirely dark brown to black; legs predominantly dark brown to black................................... 5
5 First flagellomere ovoid, not much longer than wide; m -m cross vein shorter than r -m cross vein; pseudo-surstylus elongate and narrow, rod-like in lateral view................................................ M. hyalinipennis (Brèthes, 1919)
- First flagellomere rod-like, much longer than wide; m -m cross vein longer than r -m cross vein; pseudo-surstylus relatively broad in lateral view, with apex somewhat pointed........................................................... 6
6 Distal third of coxae and femora yellowish; extreme base of dm cell anterior to R 2+3 bifurcation; anterior arms of parameral sheath somewhat clavate................................................................... M. huk sp. nov.
- Coxae and femora almost entirely brown; extreme base dm cell at level of R 2+3 bifurcation; anterior arms of parameral sheath characteristically spatulate with straight border.......................................... M. iskay sp. nov. (in part)
7 Proboscis not longer than height of eye, usually less........................................ M. brachytis Hall, 1976
- Proboscis long, projecting at least twice eye height beyond oral margin........................... M. problis Hall, 1976
8 Middle tibia straight................................................................................... 9
- Middle tibia deformed (Fig. 38) or somewhat arcuate basally (Fig. 76), best seen in lateral view...................... 14
9 Length of proboscis from oral margin equal to or greater than height of eye...................................... 12
- Length of proboscis from oral margin less than height of eye.................................................. 10
10 Scutellum whitish yellow........................................................ M. pusillima Edwards, 1930
- Scutellum dull black................................................................................. 11
11 Epandrium somewhat rectangular-shaped and wide in lateral view; anterior arms of parameral sheath narrow with acute apex (Hall 1976: fig. 22 right)................................................................ M. orthis Hall, 1976
- Epandrium somewhat triangular-shaped; anterior arms of parameral sheath characteristically spatulate with straight border (Figs 26–27)..................................................................... M. iskay sp. nov. (in part)
12 Scape subequal to pedicel; face black, except along oral margin, narrowly yellow; diadem present..... M. macra Hall, 1976
- Scape much shorter than pedicel; face yellowish on the upper half, black bellow; diadem absent...................... 13
13. m-m crossvein absent, if present much shorter than r-m crossvein (i.e. dm cell usually five sided); first abdominal segment narrowly yellow medially; ejaculatory apodeme squarish paddle-like (Hall 1976: fig. 21 right) ........ M. citrina Hall, 1976
- m-m crossvein present, as long as r-m crossvein (i.e. dm cell six sided, rarely five sided); first abdominal segment all black; ejaculatory apodeme broad, somewhat rounded (Figs 61– 62)...................................... M. tawa sp. nov.
14 Length of proboscis from oral margin less than height of eye.................................................. 15
- Proboscis long, projecting at least twice eye height beyond oral margin.............................. M. kinsa sp. nov.
15 Scape subequal to pedicel; middle leg without modifications.................................... M. trepta Hall, 1976
- Scape much shorter than pedicel; middle leg with modifications, first tarsomere with two ventral spines and third tarsomere laterally flattened and wide................................................................ M. pisqa sp. nov.
FEMALES
1 Legs black, knees at most yellow and occasionally underside of femora narrowly yellow............................ 2
- Legs predominantly yellow, sometimes basal half femora and tips of tarsi blackish................................. 7
2 Proboscis projecting beyond oral margin less than height of eye................................................ 3
- Proboscis equal to or longer than eye height................................................................ 5
3 Light colored stripe on lateral margin of mesonotum inside above near transverse suture, but not interrupted at transverse suture; scutellum entirely black.......................................................................... 4
- Lateral pale stripe broadly interrupted at transverse suture; scutellum white with posterior margin narrowly black.............................................................................................. M. orthis Hall, 1976
4 Frons black, narrowly yellow above antenna; first abdominal tergite yellow............. M. hyalinipennis (Brèthes, 1919)
- Frons whitish on lower ¾, black on upper fourth; first abdominal tergite yellow on posterior margins..... M. pisqa sp. nov.
5 Scutellum black, or black in middle and yellow at sides...................................................... 6
- Scutellum entirely yellow, never with black................................................ M. citrina Hall, 1976
6 Proboscis equal to eye height or nearly so............................................... M. brachytis Hall, 1976
- Length of proboscis at least three times height of eye........................................ M. macra Hall, 1976
7 Abdominal dorsum black, first segment yellowish white in middle of posterior margin only, rest of abdominal segments narrowly fasciate with yellow-white across their posterior margins or Abdominal dorsum black, tergite I entirely yellow or at least posterior and lateral margins of all segments yellow...................................................... 8
- Abdominal dorsum nearly entirely yellow; only extreme bases of all segments black, black color most extensive on two basal segments......................................................................... M. diasema Hall, 1976
8 Proboscis at most equals eye height, usually less........................................................... 11
- Proboscis projecting at least twice eye height, usually more, frons marked with a small black stripe.................... 9
9 Halter black, at least dorsally;........................................................... M. problis Hall, 1976
- Halter whitish...................................................................................... 10
10 Frons with conspicuous dark stripe on upper half; lateral margin of mesonotum (notopleural and supraalar regions) black emarginate above notopleural suture; spermathecal reservoir fusiform, extending to abdominal segment V ... M. kinsa sp. nov.
- Frons with faint dark stripe at middle; lateral margin of mesonotum shallowly emarginate above notopleural suture; spermathecal reservoir knob-like, extending to abdominal segment III.......................................... M. tawa sp. nov.
11 Abdominal segments narrowly yellow on posterior margins, bases broadly black, not reduced in extent posteriorly....... 12
- Posterior margin of abdominal segments broadly yellow, amount of black color at base reduced posteriorly............ 13
12 First flagellomere at least four times longer than scape and pedicel combined; frons black, lower half yellow; halter knob entirely yellow;................................................................. M. collina (Philippi, 1866)
- First flagellomere at most three times as long as scape and pedicel combined; frons yellowish, upper ¼ dark brown; halter knob whitish, usually dark brown dorsally......................................................... M. iskay sp. nov.
13 Mesonotum with ground color brownish yellow, with three thick longitudinal bands................................................................................... M. bilobata Ramos-Pastrana, Rojas-Portilla & Evenhuis, 2024
- Mesonotum black with yellow markings, without longitudinal bands............................................ 14
14 Frons black with a small triangular yellow spot above antenna; lateral margin of mesonotum not emarginate above notopleural suture.............................................................................. M. trepta Hall, 1976
- Frons whitish yellow, except right below the ocellar triangle, dark brown; lateral margin of mesonotum broadly emarginate above notopleural suture.................................................................... M. huk sp. nov.
description: Published as part of Sánchez, Pável & Evenhuis, Neal, 2024, New Mythicomyia Coquillett, 1893 (Diptera: Mythicomyiidae: Mythicomyiinae) from Peru, pp. 513-538 in Zootaxa 5541 (4) on pages 535-537, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5541.4.5, http://zenodo.org/record/14241264