A new apterous species of Platypalpus Macquart (Diptera: Hybotidae, Tachydromiinae) from Ecuador

Platypalpus is the most speciose genus of Tachydromiinae with approximately 550 described species, occurring preferentially in colder and temperate climates of the world. The genus is notably diverse in the Palaearctic, where almost 300 species are known, but it is much less diverse in tropical climates, a fact frequently attributed to the competition with species of Elaphropeza found in warmer regions. Despite the great variation of morphological features known, no apterous species of Platypalpus have been described. We describe Platypalpus apterus sp. nov., a very curious new wingless species of Platypalpus, which is the first record of a wingless species in the genus. We provide detailed illustrations of the male and female genital segments. This species appears to belong in the Platypalpus brevicornis species-group, which until now has only been recorded from the Oriental and Palaearctic regions. Twenty-three species of Platypalpus are now known from the Neotropical Region. Copyright © 2013 Magnolia Press