IRINA BRAKE Institut für Zoologie, Freie Universität Berlin PROSAETOMILICHIA DE MEIJERE: A JUNIOR SUBJECTIVE SYNONYM OF MILICHIA MEIGEN, WITH A PHYLOGENETIC REVIEW OF THE MYRMECOPHILA SPECIES-GROUP (DIPTERA, MILICHIIDAE) Brake, I., 1999. Prosaetomilichia de Meijere: a junior subjective synonym of Milichia Meigen, with a phylogenetic review of the myrmecophila species-group (Diptera, Milichiidae). -Tijd-schrift voor Entomologie 142: 31-36, figs. 1-8. [ISSN 0040-7496]. Published 22 September 1999. Prosaetomilichia de Meijere, 1909, with the Javanese species P. brevirostris and P. myrmecophila, is here synonymized with Milichia Meigen, 1830, because its type-species, M. myrmecophila (de Meijere) comb, n., falls within a monophyletic group in Milichia. This group, the myrmecophila species-group, is characterized by a specialized hind tibia and a black flap at the subcostal break, and also contains the species M. farquharsoni Collin, 1921, M. formicophila Deeming, 1976, and M. patrizii Hennig, 1952. The myrmecophila species-group is part of a larger group of short-faced Milichia species. M. brevirostris (de Meijere) comb. n. is not a member of the myrmecophi-la species-group, but also belongs to the group of short-faced Milichia species. Irina Brake, AG Evolutionsbiologie, Institut für Zoologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, D-14195 Berlin, Germany. E-mail:
[email protected] Key words. -Milichiidae; Milichia; Prosaetomilichia; taxonomy; phylogenetic systematics In 1909 de Meijere erected a new genus, Prosae-tomilichia, to accomodate two new species from Java, P. brevirostris and P. myrmecophila. He established this genus on the basis of the shape of the proboscis and the short face, although the species were other-wise similar to Milichia Meigen, 1830. Since de Mei-jere did not fix a type-species, Sabrosky (1977) subse-quently designated P. myrmecophila as the type-species of Prosaetomilichia. Collin (1921), Hennig (1952), and Deeming (1976, 1979, 1984) described a total of nine new short-faced Milichia species from Africa, some of which have an unusually shaped proboscis compared with other Milichia species. These authors preferred to retain these species in Milichia, because they are undoubtedly closely related to the long-faced species. A study of the type-specimens of Prosaetomilichia myrmecophila and P. brevirostris revealed that they be-long to the group of short-faced Milichia species. The purpose of this paper is to determine the correct sys-tematic position of Prosaetomilichia and, having done that, to synonymize Prosaetomilichia with Milichia. I have concluded that it is best to retain these short-faced species in Milichia, and in this I have followed the view of Collin, Hennig and Deeming. In addi-tion, I designate lectotypes for M. myrmecophila and M. brevirostris. Milichia myrmecophila (de Meijere, 1 909) comb. n. (figs. 1-5) Prosaetomilichia myrmecophila de Meijere, 1909: 171.Lecto-type Ô (here designated), Java, 'E. Jacobson / Batavia (= Djakarta) / Aug 1908', ZMAN type DIPT. 0724.4, (ZMAN) [examined] Diagnosis Mostly black species with white microtomentum on tergites three to five of the male abdomen. Lunula very high and shining. Wing with a black flap at sub-costal break, hind tibia specialized. Description Male. -Head black, except for orange first flagel-lomere, orange vibrissal angle, and brown palpi. Frons brown microtomentose, twice as long as 31
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