The biting midge genus Forcipomyia (Diptera : Ceratopogonidae) in the Australasian region (exclusive of New Zealand). IV. The subgenera allied to Forcipomyia, s.s., and Lepidohelea, and the interrelationships and biogeography of the subgenera of Forcipomyi

Abstract

The four subgenera considered in this section form part of the Forcipomyia-Lepidohelea complex of subgenera. A single species of subgenus Schizoforcipomya, penniornata Tokunaga & Mcrachi (= borbonica Clastrier) has previously been described from the Australasian Region, and to this are added three new species, and the distribution of borbonica is extended. F. tinia Krivosheina from the U.S.S.R. is transferred from Lepidohelea to Schizoforcipomya. Pedilohelea is known from Africa, tropical America and Malaysia; the range of one Malaysian species, forcipis de Meillon & Wirth, is extended to the Australasian Region, and two south temperate species, F. proavia, sp, nov., and F. tasmani Macfie, 1932 are referred to the subgenus. Two additional African species, brincki de Meillon and, tentatively, alamatae Macfie, are also referred to Pedilohelea. Several species of subgenus Microhelea have been recorded from New Guinea and the Pacific, and to these are added seven new species from Australia and New Guinea. Records of the widespread species F. (M.) fuliginosa (Meigen) and F. (M.) inornatipennis (Austen) from the Region are now considered doubtful, and F. (M.) australiensis (Kieffer) is regarded as a nomen dubium. A new subgenus near Microhelea, Dycea, is erected for three Australasian Region species (vespa, sp. nov.; capax, sp, nov.; improbiserra, sp. nov.) and the species hamoni de Meillon from Africa, hikosanensis Tokunaga from Japan, and edgari Tokunaga & Murachi from Micronesia are transferred to this subgenus. The interrelationships and biogeography of the subgenera of Forcipomyia examined in this series are discussed.