Acantholeria, Garrett, 1921

Zeng, Wei, Chen, Bing & Yang, Ding, 2025, Description of a new species and a new record of the genus Acantholeria (Diptera: Heleomyzidae) in China, Zootaxa 5679 (2), pp. 255-267 : 265-266

Key to the Palaearctic species of Acantholeria

(only males, modified from Gorodkov, 1966)

1. Hind tibia (only male) with slender ventral projections or a swelling (in some species, posterior view more easily observed, such as Fig. 7 )....................................................................................... 2

- Hind tibia (only male) normal, without projections or swelling ( Fig. 25 )......................................... 9

2. Hind tibia (only male) with slender twig-like ventral projections............................................... 3

- Hind tibia (only male) with a ventral swelling.............................................................. 6

3. Cerci (only male) strongly curved, hook-shaped, forming an arc of more than 90°............. A. czernyi Gorodkov, 1966

- Cerci (only male) weakly curved, almost straight............................................................ 4

4. Editum well developed, with prominent edges and other complex structures.............. A. stackelbergi Gorodkov, 1966

- Editum simple and short ( A. dentitibia Oldenberg, 1916 s. l)................................................... 5

5. Hind tibia (only male) process slender; cerci long and straight, surstyli narrow and pointed............................................................................................... A. dentitibia dentitibia Oldenberg, 1916

- Hind tibia (only male) process stout; cerci short and curved, surstyli wide and truncate..... A. d. asiatica Gorodkov, 1966

6. Hind tibia with a ventral swelling near base......................................... A. monstrosa Gorodkov, 1966

- Hind tibia with a ventral swelling at middle................................................................ 7

7. Cerci with bifurcation; hind tibia with a poorly developed ventral swelling ( Figs. 6–7 ).............................. 8

- Cerci without bifurcation; hind tibia with a distinct ventral swelling........................... A. armipes Loew, 1861

8. Cerci with bifurcation at tip; crossveins without infuscations.............................. A. moscowa Garrett, 1925

- Cerci with bifurcation near base ( Figs. 8, 10 ); crossveins infuscated ( Fig. 5 )...................... A. gorodkovi sp. nov.

9. Hind femur with a group of spine-like setae in a close arrangement at base, and without spine-like subapical setae...................................................................................... A. desertorum Czerny, 1932

- Hind femur with spine-like subapical setae................................................................ 10

10. Hind femur with 2–3 spine-like subapical setae; cerci strongly curved, forming an arc about 180°.................................................................................................. A. caucasica Gorodkov, 1962

- Hind femur with one row of 7–12 spine-like subapical setae; cerci curved weakly............... A. cineraria Loew, 1862

Figures

FIGURES 6−7. Acantholeria gorodkovi sp. nov., hind leg (male), outer surface and inner surface (6). Tibia (male), posterior view (7).

FIGURES 21−25. Acantholeria desertorum Czerny, 1932. Habitus, dorsal view (21). Head and prothorax, lateral view (22) subventral view (23). Wing (24). Hind leg (male), anterior surface (25).

FIGURES 8−12. Acantholeria gorodkovi sp. nov., male genitalia. Epandrial complex in lateral view (8). Epandrium and cerci, dorsal view (9), lateral view (10). Hypandrial complex in dorsal view (11). Epandrial complex in caudal view (12). Abbreviations: cer = cercus (cerci), ej apod = ejaculatory apodeme, epd = epandrium, hypd = hypandrium, ph = phallus, phapod = phallapodeme, sur = surstylus (surstyli).

FIGURES 2−5. Acantholeria gorodkovi sp. nov., head and prothorax, lateral view (2) ventral view (3). Head and mesoscutum, dorsal view (4). Wing (5).