The species of the genus Physoconops (Diptera: Conopidae) from Chile, with the description of a new species

Abstract

Thick-headed flies (Conopidae) are a family of Diptera with species that are endoparasitoids of bees and aculeate wasps. Physoconops is represented by 64 species in the Neotropical and Andean regions and distributed in many countries. Only 3 species have been described for Chile, specifically from the northern area. In this work, a new species from the Valdivian evergreen forest, Physoconops tentenvilu n. sp., is described and a new key for the Chilean species is provided. In addition, P. tentevilu represents the southernmost record of this genus in Chile. Morphological aspects are discussed, as well as hosts and distribution gaps for the Chilean Physoconops species.

Keywords

• Bee host
• Hotspot
• Mapuche myth
• Megachile
• Valdivian evergreen forest