Two new species of Diadiplosis (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), predators of mealybug (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) from Brazil

Abstract

Abstract Predatory cecidomyiids of the genus Diadiplosis Felt, 1911 (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) are widely distributed throughout the Neotropical Region. Of the 34 species currently known in the genus, 14 have been recorded from Central and South America, making it, thus far, the genus of predatory cecidomyiids with the highest number of species recorded in this region. This study consolidates recent findings on the diversity of this genus in Brazil and provides detailed morphological information on its immature forms. We describe and illustrate the larva, pupa, male, and female of two new predatory cecidomyiid species, Diadiplosis duriganae sp. nov. and D. carmonetoi sp. nov., associated with mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) collected from agricultural systems and the Cerrado biome (Brazilian savanna) in São Paulo State, Brazil. The new species are compared with their congeners, and an updated identification key for Neotropical male species is provided, along with diagnoses of the genus and each new species.