Alavesia Waters and Arillo–a Cretaceous‐era genus discovered extant on the Brandberg Massif, Namibia (Diptera: Atelestidae)

Two new extant species of the fossil genus Alavesia Waters & Arillo (A. brandbergensissp.n. and A. daurasp.n.) are described from the Brandberg Massif, Namibia. The genus is reassigned to the family Atelestidae (subfamily Atelestinae) on the basis of male terminalia (elongate gonocoxal apodemes,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Systematic entomology 2010-04, Vol.35 (2), p.268-276
Main Authors: SINCLAIR, BRADLEY J, KIRK‐SPRIGGS, ASHLEY H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atelestidae
biogeography
Diptera
females
Fossils
males
New records
Phylogeny
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Summary:Two new extant species of the fossil genus Alavesia Waters & Arillo (A. brandbergensissp.n. and A. daurasp.n.) are described from the Brandberg Massif, Namibia. The genus is reassigned to the family Atelestidae (subfamily Atelestinae) on the basis of male terminalia (elongate gonocoxal apodemes, ventral apodemes, subapical surstylus), female terminalia (absence of tergum 10) and a three‐articled stylus. This is the first record of Atelestidae from the Afrotropical Region. A genus‐level phylogeny of the Atelestidae is resolved, in which Alavesia is the sister genus to the remaining genera of the Atelestinae. The biogeographic history of the genus is briefly discussed, as is the significance of this and other relict Diptera on the Brandberg.
ISSN:0307-6970
1365-3113
DOI:10.1111/j.1365-3113.2009.00506.x