Description of the female of Atherimorpha latipennis Stuckenberg (Diptera, Rhagionidae): the first record of brachyptery in Rhagionidae

Abstract

The genus Atherimorpha White, 1915 is a Gondwanan relic, occurring in South America, Southern Africa and Australia. Females are rarely collected, and are not described for more than half of the known species. The female of Atherimorpha latipennis Stuckenberg, 1956 was collected for the first time in 2021 and is described here, along with a redescription of the male. We describe the differences from the male, with the reduced wings and poorly defined scutellum the most noteworthy. The female of A. latipennis represents the first recorded case of brachyptery in the family Rhagionidae. Possible drivers of brachyptery in Afrotropical Diptera are briefly discussed.