Description of new species of Planinasus Cresson, 1914 (Diptera: Periscelididae) from Brazil and Peru, and new data on the geographic distribution of the species in South America

Abstract Planinasus Cresson, 1914 is a Neotropical periscelidid genus characterized by an abnormally large head, a characteristic more pronounced in the males of some species. It includes 18 living and one fossil species distributed in the New World Tropics, especially in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Guyana, Mexico, Peru, and the Caribbean islands. The genus was recently reviewed, however the diversity of species in Brazil, especially in the Brazilian Amazon, has still been little explored. In this manuscript, two new species of Planinasus Cresson of the shanonni group are described from Brazil: P. subviolaceus sp. n. and P. bellus sp. n. New data on the geographic distribution of Planinasus species are provided: first records were made for Brazil ( P. neotopicus and P. venezuelensis ), and French Guiana ( P. nigritarsus ); five species had their distribution expanded within Brazilian territory ( P. miradorus, P. argentifacies, P. kotrbae ), Peru territory ( P. obscuripennis and P. ambiguous ) and Ecuador territory ( P. ambiguous ).