PROCEEDINGS OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



issued 8^5{Vi\, Ofj^l iy ^e 



SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 



U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM 

 Vol. 106 Washington: 1956 No. 3368 



LATHETICOMYIA, A NEW GENUS OF ACALYPTRATE FLIES 

 OF UNCERTAIN FAMILY RELATIONSHIP 



By Marshall R. Wheeler ^ 



The new genus Latheticomyia, based upon three new species from 

 the mountains of Arizona, Utah, and Nicaragua, presents such an 

 unusual array of characters that its family relationship is quite ob- 

 scure. At first glance the flies give one the impression of an aberrant 

 Trigonometopus, but more careful study suggests the Clusiodidae 

 (Clusiidae) or, perhaps, the Anthomyzidae. However, Latheticomyia 

 differs from each of those families in many features that are generally 

 considered critical in family distinctions. For the present it seems 

 best to leave the matter of family relationship in abeyance, but I 

 believe it will ultimately prove necessary to erect a new family for 

 this genus. 



Latheticomyia tricolor and L. lineata were taken in the summer of 

 1951 at banana-baited trap cans set out to attract Drosophila, and all 

 specimens were captured dm'ing late twilight. L. injumata is known 

 from three specimens taken by William B. Heed in June 1954 while 

 making collections of Drosophilidae in Nicaragua. The species are 

 evidently quite rare; in all, we have just 17 specimens of the genus, 

 and I have seen no specimens other than those taken by Mr. Heed 

 and myself. 



> Department of Zoology, University of Texas, Austin, Texas. 



386660-66 305 



