Aggregate Genera [Taenogera genus-group] Winterton & Irwin, 1999

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Aggregate Genera [Taenogera genus-group] Winterton & Irwin, 1999

Introduction

The Taenogera genus-group (Winterton et al. 1999b) comprises at least 14 described genera distributed throughout Australasia and parts of South America (Winterton 2006). It is composed of eleven Australian genera: Actenomeros Winterton & Irwin, Ectinorhynchus Macquart, Eupsilocephala Kröber, Evansomyia Mann, Johnmannia Irwin & Lyneborg, Manestella Metz, Nanexila Winterton & Irwin, Neodialineura Mann, Squamopygia Kröber, Taenogera Kröber, and Taenogerella Winterton & Irwin. Ectinorhynchus is also recorded from New Zealand, and close relatives are found in New Caledonia and Chile. There are ancient, clearly Gondwanan, links with the Taenogera genus-group and Chilean taxa, such as Melanothereva, Pachyrrhiza and Entesia (Winterton et al. 1999b).

The Taenogera genus-group is the probable sister group to the Agapophytus genus-group (Winterton et al. 2001). The Taenogera genus-group are usually fine-bodied flies with an open wing cell m3, no velutum patches on fore femora (or ventral surface of hind femora and gonocoxites except in some Ectinorhynchus), femoral vestiture sparse and of only a single type, a single antero-ventral seta subapically on hind femur (except Neodialineura and Manestella), inner gonocoxal process present, and female reproductive system with three spermathecae joining directly to the spermathecal sac duct and larva with anterior maxillary palp well developed and maxillary beard (sensu English 1950) (Winterton et al. 1999a,b; Winterton et al. 1999c; Winterton et al. 2001). The placement of the Taenogera genus-group remains a challenge as evidence from some analyses indicate that the Taenogera genus-group are paraphyletic (Winterton et al. 1999a; Yang et al. 2000; Winterton et al. 2001). Inclusion of these genera in the subfamily Agapophytinae is supported by the three spermathecae joining directly to the spermathecal sac duct as a synapomorphy shared by both members of Agapophytinae and the Taenogera genus-group (Winterton 2006, 2007).