Helen's twins in the Balkans: discovery of two new Paraptychoptera Tonnoir, 1919 species closely related to P.helena Peus, 1958, with systematic revision of the "lacustris" group (Diptera, Ptychopteridae)

Zookeys. 2021 Nov 17:1071:63-81. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1071.58598. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Ptychopteracastor Keresztes & Kappert, sp. nov. and P.pollux Keresztes & Török, sp. nov. both belong to the subgenus Ptychoptera (Paraptychoptera)Tonnoir (1919) and are described from boggy headwaters in the south Balkan area. These new species are closely related to the range-restricted P.helena Peus, 1958, which is known only from Oiti village, Mount Oeta, Phthioitis region, Greece and, together with P.lacustris, forms a morphologically well-defined unit in the subgenus Paraptychoptera. Based on cladistic analyses of 53 different morphological characters using the male antenna, wing, and genital structures, a general revision of the "lacustris" group is proposed with a dichotomous key of Paraptychoptera species.

Keywords: Cladistics analyses; Ptychoptera; TNT phylogeny; identification key; male genital structures; new species; phantom craneflies.