DIPTERA FROM NEPAL ASIATIC SPECIES OF THE GENUS STENOMICRA (DIPTERA : ANTHOMYZIDAE) By C. W. SABROSKY SYNOPSIS Stenomicra Coquillett, a genus of tiny, inconspicuous, and uncommon flies, is represented in the collection of the British Museum East Nepal Expedition by one widespread species, S. fasci-pennis Malloch, and one new species, 5. angustiforceps. Two other Asiatic species, S. albibasis (Japan) and 5. argentata (Malaya), from the collection of the U.S. National Museum, are also described as new. A key to the 4 species, a detailed generic description, and a critical discussion of certain characters are included. THE genus Stenomicra was erected by Coquillett in 1900 for a single, delicate species from Puerto Rico. In 1927 Malloch added three species from Australia, the Philippines, and Hawaii. Species described in new genera by Czerny (1929) from Ceylon and by Collin (1944, 1951) from England and Fiji have been recognized subsequently as belonging to Stenomicra. Finally, Hennig (1956) added three new species from Costa Rica. The genus has thus come to be known as widespread but rather uncommon. In the past few years, however, many more specimens of these pale, tiny, easily overlooked flies have been collected. There are a number of un-described species, chiefly from the Neotropical Region, but also from Australia, Micronesia, the Orient, the United States, and South Africa. Incidentally, the genus has not hitherto been known from Africa, but at least two new species have been found in material received from B. R. Stuckenberg of the Natal Museum. The collection made by the British Museum East Nepal Expedition contained 25 specimens of two species of this genus, collected by Mr. R. L. Coe, to whom I am indebted for the privilege of studying the material. One of the species is here described as new, together with species from Japan and from Malaya. I have followed Sturtevant (1954) and Hennig (1958) in placing Stenomicra in the family Anthomyzidae. In the past, the genus has also been referred to the Droso-philidae, Asteiidae, Geomyzidae, and Periscelididae. The lengthy generic diagnosis is based on a review of all the species available to me, and not merely on the Oriental species. The broad consideration is essential, because one may be unduly impressed by the development of certain characters if he knows only one or a few species. Even though the genus throughout the world appears to be divisible into two groups of species on the basis of the characters used in the first couplet of the key, I do not feel that these groupings represent genera or even sub-genera. In the number of species now known to me, mostly still undescribed, various Bull. Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), Entom., 17 (5), 1965.
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