A review of afrotropical rheotanytarsus thienemann et bause, 1913 (Diptera: Chironomidae)

Abstract

Twelve new Afrotropical species are described, R. kjaerandseni sp. n., as male, female, pupa and larva; R. longicornus sp. n. and R. transversus sp. n. as female and pupa; R. acuminatus sp. n., R. plerunguis sp. n., R. remus sp. n., R. bufemoratus sp. n., R. abonae sp. n., R. aquilus sp. n., R. atrius sp. n., R. digitatus sp. n. and R. jongkindi sp. n. as males only. Eight species are redescribed, R. rioensis Langton et Armitage, as male, female, pupa and larva; R. guineensis Kieffer as male, female and pupa; R. ororus Lehmann, as male, pupa and larva; R. fuscus (Freeman) as male and pupa; R. angustus (Freeman) comb. n. and R. ceratophylli (Dejoux) as male and female; R. samaki Lehmann, as male and pupa; R. montanus Lehmann, as male only. R. buculicaudus Kyerematen described in Kyerematen, Sæther and Andersen (2000) is illustrated. The genus has been recently divided into 21 species groups of which 10 have Afrotropical representatives, namely the pentapoda, acuminatus, photophilus, globosus, pellucidus, guineensis, trivittatus, ororus, thermae and phaselus groups. Keys to males, females and pupae of Rheotanytarsus from the Afrotropical region are given and the zoogeography discussed. The genus as a whole probably originated at the very end of the fragmentation of Pangaea. The Afrotropical species show warm / eurythermic vicariant Gondwanan patterns with multiple sister group relationships between the Afrotropical and the Sino-Indian region, African - West Palaearctic vicariance patterns, and limited evidence for West African - Brazilian vicariance patterns.