New South American records of the Lestremiinae (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), with an identification key to the Neotropical genera

Mycophagous midges of the subfamily Lestremiinae are widespread, yet their diversity in the Southern Hemisphere remains poorly understood. Six species in four genera were known to occur in South America: Anarete buscki Felt, 1915, Anaretella perfecta Carmo-Neto, Lamas & Urso-Guimarães, 2024, Insulestremia sinclairi Jaschhof, 2004, Insulestremia amorimi Carmo-Neto, Lamas & Urso-Guimarães, 2021, Insulestremia amenti Carmo-Neto, Lamas & Urso-Guimarães, 2021, and Lestremia nigra Blanchard, 1852. This study consolidates recent findings on Lestremiinae in Brazil and neighboring countries, providing new faunistic records that summarizes the knowledge of their diversity. We present new records of seven species in four genera: Anarete Haliday, 1833 in Brazil, including the species A. buscki Felt, 1915 and A. johnsoni (Felt, 1908); Conarete Pritchard, 1951 in Brazil and Paraguay, including C. eluta Pritchard, 1951, C. texana Felt, 1912, and C. sicyoidea Li & Bu, 2002; Lestremia Macquart, 1826 in Brazil, represented by L. leucophaea Meigen, 1818; and Wasmanniella Kieffer, 1898 in Brazil and Peru. Notably, the Lestremiinae are now formally recorded for the first time in Paraguay and Peru, and Wasmanniella in the Neotropical Region. A key to the genera found in the Neotropical region is also presented.