Taxonomic revision of the Neotropical Lauxaniidae genus Neopachycerina Malloch, 1933 (Diptera: Schizophora), with description of a new species

A systematic review of the Neotropical Lauxaniidae genus Neopachycerina Malloch, 1933 is presented. The genus is characterized mainly based on some features of the head, like the anterior pair of fronto-orbital setae conspicuously shorter than posterior one and rather close to them; face with a distinct elevation between antennal bases; antenna slightly elongate, first flagellomere tapered to tip and about three times as long as its basal width, arista thickened by dense black short hairs both above and below, with some longer outstanding hairs on upper side basally. Although some authors have grouped it with some other genera based on chaetotaxy of the head, it was considered closer to Parapachycerina Stuckenberg. Other authors, on the other hand, noted very important differences in the male terminalia, shape of the syntergosternite 7+8 and phallic complex, stressing a view that there are many convergent similarities in unrelated Old and New World lauxaniid genera. This shows that there is some conflicting evidence about the position of Neopachycerina within the Lauxaniidae, but a precise affiliation of Neopachycerina to any genus or group of genera still depends on a global cladistic analysis of the Lauxaniidae genera. In the present paper, Neopachycerina nigra sp. nov., from Argentina, is described and N. aristata Malloch, 1933 is redescribed, with illustrations of both species