Mythicomyia Coquillett 1893

Mythicomyia Coquillett, 1893 Mythicomyia Coquillett, 1893: 209 (in Empididae). Williston 1896: 73 (in Empididae); Melander, 1902: 337 (in Empididae); Aldrich, 1905: 218 (in Leptidae); Cresson, 1915: 449 (in Empididae); Greene, 1924: 60. Melander, 1961: 161; Painter & Painter, 1965: 416; Cole & Schlinger, 1969: 238; Hull, 1973: 266; Painter, Painter & Hall, 1978: 11; Hall & Evenhuis, 1986: 327; Hall & Evenhuis, 1987: 596; Evenhuis, 2002: 36; Evenhuis, 2022: 1; Evenhuis, 2024: 46; Ramos-Pastrana, Rojas-Portilla & Evenhuis, 2024: 539; Sánchez & Evenhuis, 2024: 514. Type species: Mythicomyia rileyi Coquillett (1893), by monotypy. Key to the Neotropical species of Mythicomyia [modified from Sánchez & Evenhuis (2024)]. 1 Eyes holoptic.................................................................................... Males - Eyes dichoptic................................................................................. Females MALES 1 Knob of halter brown to black, usually white below and at apex................................................ 2 - Halter knob white or yellowish above and below........................................................... 10 2 Proboscis short, less than height of eye.................................................................... 3 - Proboscis longer, either equal to or greater than height of eye.................................................. 9 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.................................................................................................. M. bilobata Ramos-Pastrana, Rojas-Portilla & Evenhuis, 2024 - Scutellum entirely dark brown to black.................................................................... 5 5 First flagellomere ovoid (Fig. 2C); cercus flattened or rounded in lateral view (Figs 3A, B).......................... 6 - First flagellomere rod-like, cercus triangular-shaped in lateral view [Sánchez & Evenhuis (2024: figs 8, 27)]............ 7 6 Ejaculatory apodeme large, somewhat rounded-shaped in lateral view (Figs 3A, B); anterior arms of parameral sheath with rounded apex in lateral view (Figs 3A, B)............................................. M. curacaoensis sp. nov. - Ejaculatory apodeme thin basally, thickened apically, with apex slightly truncated in lateral view (Hall 1976: fig. 20); anterior arms of parameral sheath with acute apex in lateral view Hall 1976: fig. 20)............ M. hyalinipennis (Brèthes, 1919) 7 Coxae and femora almost entirely brown; extreme base cell dm at level of R 2+3 bifurcation; anterior arms of parameral sheath characteristically spatulate with straight border......................... M. iskay Sánchez & Evenhuis, 2024 (in part) - Distal third of coxae and femora yellowish; extreme base of cell dm anterior to R 2+3 bifurcation....................... 8 8 Bifurcation of R 2+3 at same level of cross vein r-m (Fig. 7F); vein m-m crossvein 0.5× shorter length than r-m crossvein (Fig. 7F); ejaculatory apodeme strongly thickened in lateral view (Figs 8A, B); anterior arms of parameral sheath with acute apex in lateral view (Figs 8A, B)........................................................... M. pedernalensis sp. nov. - Bifurcation of R 2+3 before of r-m crossvein (Sánchez & Evenhuis 2024: fig. 5); m-m crossvein about as long as r-m crossvein (Sánchez & Evenhuis 2024: fig. 5); ejaculatory apodeme slightly thickened in lateral view (Sánchez & Evenhuis 2024: figs 7–8); anterior arms of parameral sheath with rounded apex in lateral view (Sánchez & Evenhuis 2024: figs 7–8)................................................................................. M. huk Sánchez & Evenhuis, 2024 9 Postalar callus brownish; cell dm six-sided; anterior arm of parameral sheath with apex rounded (Hall 1976: fig. 21 left).................................................................................... M. brachytis Hall, 1976 - Postalar callus black; cell dm five-sided; anterior arm of parameral sheath with apex acute (Hall 1976: fig. 23 left)........................................................................................... M. problis Hall, 1976 10 Middle tibia straight................................................................................. 11 - Middle tibia deformed (Sánchez & Evenhuis 2024: fig. 38) or somewhat arcuate basally (Sánchez & Evenhuis 2024: fig. 76), best seen in lateral view............................................................................... 16 11 Length of proboscis from oral margin equal to or longer than height of eye...................................... 14 - Length of proboscis from oral margin shorter than height of eye............................................... 12 12 Scutellum whitish yellow........................................................ M. pusillima Edwards, 1930 - Scutellum dull black................................................................................. 13 13 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 (Sánchez & Evenhuis 2024: figs 26–27)............................... M. iskay Sánchez & Evenhuis, 2024 (in part) 14 Scape subequal in length to pedicel; face black, except along oral margin, narrowly yellow; diadem (tomentose band on the occiput) present...................................................................... M. macra Hall, 1976 - Scape much shorter than pedicel; face yellowish on upper half, black bellow; diadem absent........................ 15 15 m-m crossvein absent, if present much shorter than r-m crossvein (i.e. cell dm 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. cell dm six-sided, rarely five-sided); first abdominal segment all black; ejaculatory apodeme broad, somewhat rounded (Sánchez & Evenhuis 2024: figs 61–62).................................................................................................... M. tawa Sánchez & Evenhuis, 2024 16 Length of proboscis from oral margin less than height of eye................................................. 17 - Proboscis long, projecting at least twice eye height beyond oral margin............. M. kinsa Sánchez & Evenhuis, 2024 17 Scape subequal to pedicel; middle leg without modifications.................................. M. trepta Hall, 1976 - Scape much shorter than pedicel; middle leg with modifications............................................... 18 18 m-m crossvein 2× longer than r-m crossvein (Fig. 5F); vein CuA ending in lower ¾ (Fig. 25); cell m 2 narrow, with a spot brown apically (Fig. 5F); cercus thickened with straight inner margins in posterior view (Figs 6C, D); gonostylus thickened, somewhat rectangular-shaped, sideways-directed in dorsal view (Figs 6E, F)................................ M. nigra sp. nov. - m-m cross vein subequal than r-m, (Sánchez & Evenhuis 2024: fig. 75); cell m 2 broad, without a spot brown apically (Sánchez & Evenhuis 2024: fig. 75); vein CuA ending at the edge of the wing (Sánchez & Evenhuis 2024: fig. 75); cercus narrowed with sinuous inner margins in posterior view (Sánchez & Evenhuis 2024: fig. 81); gonostylus narrowed, elongate, upward-directed in dorsal view, (Sánchez & Evenhuis 2024: fig. 83)............................. M. pisqa Sánchez & Evenhuis, 2024 FEMALES 1 Legs black, knees at most yellow and occasionally underside of femora narrowly yellow............................ 2 - Legs predominantly yellow, sometimes basal half of femora and tips of tarsi blackish............................... 7 2 Proboscis projecting beyond oral margin shorter 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 Sánchez & Evenhuis, 2024 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..........................