Hilarini (Diptera: Empididae) from the Auckland Islands New Zealand, the Homoplastic Loss of the Male Silk-Producing Basitarsus in Two Insular Species, and Notes on the Empidoidea of the Subantarctic Islands

The New Zealand taxa of the superfamily Empidoidea (minus Dolichopodidae) are briefly summarized. Two species, Hilara ranui n. sp. and Hilarempis motumaka n. sp. (Diptera: Empididae: Empidinae), from the Auckland Islands of New Zealand, where they appear to be common, are described. Both species sho...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Diversity
Main Author: Daniel J. Bickel
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2023
Subjects:
New Zealand
Subantarctic islands
Empididae
Hilarini
Dolichopodidae
Auckland Islands
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3390/d15020267
Description
Summary:The New Zealand taxa of the superfamily Empidoidea (minus Dolichopodidae) are briefly summarized. Two species, Hilara ranui n. sp. and Hilarempis motumaka n. sp. (Diptera: Empididae: Empidinae), from the Auckland Islands of New Zealand, where they appear to be common, are described. Both species show a homoplastic loss or reversal of the swollen, silk-producing, fore basitarsi characteristic of males in their respective genera. The environmental conditions of the Subantartic islands and their selective pressure on empidoid taxa are discussed.

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