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Type: Article
Published: 2015-11-26
Page range: 392–411
Abstract views: 69
PDF downloaded: 2

Review of the Gauromydas giant flies (Insecta, Diptera, Mydidae), with descriptions of two new species from Central and South America

Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, CEP 04263-000, Brazil.
Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, CEP 04263-000, Brazil.
Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Biociências, São Paulo, SP, CEP 05508-900, Brazil.
Diptera taxonomy distribution biodiversity Neotropical region Mydas

Abstract

Gauromydas Wilcox, Papavero & Pimentel, 1989 are giant flies, and include the largest fly known, G. heros (Perty, 1833). This genus was originally erected to group four Neotropical species, namely G. apicalis (Wiedemann, 1830), G. autuorii (d’Andretta, 1951), G. heros, and G. mystaceus (Wiedemann, 1830). As with most of the remaining Mydidae, adults of Gauromydas are very rarely collected. We here describe two new species of Gauromydas (G. mateus sp. nov. and G. papaveroi sp. nov.) discovered in entomological collections, including specimens unstudied for up to eight decades. We also provide revised diagnoses for the remaining four species of Gauromydas, along with a new key and new distribution records for the genus.