Revisão dos Gêneros do grupo Lecania Macquart, 1838 (Diptera: Asilidae: Asilinae)

Abstract

The group Lecania Macquart, 1838 is part of a series of 11 groups of genera that have been proposed by Artigas e Papavero (1995a) in order to facilitate identification at the genus level. This particular group includes three Neotropical genera: Cerozodus Bigot, 1857, Ctenodontina Enderlein, 1914, and Lecania Macquart, 1838, based on a common feature, the absence of marginal apical scutellar macrosetae. Among the three genera, Ctenodontina has more than 10 published works, but the most part is restricted to punctual descriptions of new species. Cerozodus has only four published works. In the case of Lecania, the situation is even worse, because it is the most specious genus of the group which is close to completing 200 years since it was proposed, and has never been revised. Most of the descriptions are old and quite ambiguous, making it difficult for a more assertive identification of the species. Allied to this factor, Lecania does not have an identification key and the distribution of the species is restricted to the type locality. Therefore, the objective of this work was to carry out a review of the genera Cerozodus, Ctenodontina, and Lecania. After analysing the type and additional material from various national and foreign collections the Lecania group now has four genera, as Catostola Hull, 1958 stat. rev., until then treated as a synonym of Ctenodontina has its status revalidated. In Cerozodus, two new species are described C. ayalai sp. nov. and C. platylobus sp. nov., with that, the genus now has four valid species. Catostola stat. rev. has now eight valid species, being one new Catostola indecisa sp. nov. Ctenodontina has now only two valid species. In Lecania 10 new species are described: L. arcadensis sp. nov., L. calenia sp. nov., L. candelabra sp. nov., L. inflata sp. nov., L. merujuba sp. nov., L. penicilla sp. nov., L. piroca sp. nov., L. poranga sp. nov., L. pulchra sp. nov., and L. thysania sp. nov.; two species are revalidated; three new combinations, one of them being a new synonym; one revalidation of combination and five new synonyms are proposed leading to a total of 26 valid species. Four species previously allocated in Lecania were transferred to other Asilinae genera. Eicherax Bigot, 1857 is proposed as a new synonym of Lecania, and Neoeristicus Osten Sacken, 1878 has its status revalidated allocating eight valid species, two revalidated combinations, and six new combinations. Updated distribution maps and identification keys for species (males) of the four constituent genera of the Lecania group are provided.