Taxonomic Revision of D. carlosvilelai Vela and Rafael, 2001, and Updated Record of D. paraguayensis Duda, 1927 Registry in Ecuador

<i>Drosophila carlosvilelai</i> and <i>D. paraguayensis</i> are species that were collected in the Pasochoa Protected Forest between 1996 and 1997. <i>D. carlosvilelai</i> was described incompletely as a new species from Ecuador. Regarding <i>D. paraguayensis</i>, recent collections have raised doubts about the validity of its records in Ecuador. Specifically, a new species found in the province of Napo fully matches the specimens of <i>D. paraguayensis</i> recorded in the Pasochoa Protective Forest. However, this new species does not match the description of <i>D. paraguayensis</i> by Vilela and Bächli. The collected specimens, preserved in alcohol, were analyzed at the Laboratorio de Genética Evolutiva. <i>D. carlosvilelai</i> was re-described based on the newly collected specimens. The species previously misidentified as <i>D. paraguayensis</i> is described as <i>D. paraloewi</i> sp. nov. and compared with <i>D. paraguayensis</i>, <i>D. loewi</i>, and <i>D. hemiloewi</i>. This analysis revealed that the aedeagus of <i>D. paraloewi</i> shares the dorsal structure of triangular projection on the aedeagus with <i>D. loewi</i> and <i>D. hemiloewi</i>; this morphological similarity suggests a closer phylogenetic relationship between them, rather than <i>D</i>. <i>paraguayensis</i>.