Genus Puliciphora Dahl

Puliciphora Dahl, 1897: 410 .

Pachyneurella, Brues, 1903: 382 . Brues, 1906: 15.

Mesopathusa Schmitz, 1951: 153 . Disney & Darlington, 1998: 167. Myrmomyia Silverstri, 1911: 175 . Disney & Sakai, 2001: 372. Coridophora Schmitz, 1951: 157 . Disney, 2002: 74.

Edaphomyia Borgmeier, 1959: 194 . Disney, 1982: 9. Pulicimyia Borgmeier, 1960: 337 . Syn. nov.

In a review of world genera (Disney, 1994) it was remarked that ‘the boundaries of the genus require clarification’. As indicated by the genera subsequently synonymised with Puliciphora in the above listing, this process of clarification has continued as fresh material mounted on slides has become available for study; and is continued with the synonymy proposed above.

Just over one hundred species are known in this cosmopolitan genus. Species recognition is currently based on the flightless females in the first instance. Females of the Nearctic species are keyed by Disney (1998) supplemented by Disney (2003a). Those of the Neotropical species are keyed by Disney (2003a), including species of the subgenus Pachyneurella Brues that were treated as a genus by Borgmeier (1969), supplemented by Disney & Kistner (2003) and Disney (2005). How the species formerly assigned to Pulicimyia run down in the key to Neotropical Puliciphora females is indicated below.

Wing rudiments are unusual in Puliciphora females, which normally have the wing reduced to a bristle only. But several Afrotropical species retain such rudiments (Disney, 2002) and a few New World species (e.g. Disney, 2005, and P. nuttingi — Fig. 10).