Vol. 60, 2021

(update: 2021.04.22; 07.07)

Review of Chilean Cyrtinae (Diptera: Acroceridae) with the Description of Three New Species and the First Record of Villalus inanis from Argentina

Rodrigo M. Barahona-Segovia^1,2,*, Vicente Valdés Guzmán³, and Laura Pañinao-Monsálvez²

¹Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Biodiversidad, Universidad de Los Lagos, Av. Fuschlöcher 1305, Osorno, Chile. *Correspondence: E-mail: rbarahona13@gmail.com (Barahona-Segovia)
²Moscas Florícolas de Chile Citizen Science Program, pje. Arizona 4067a, Santiago, Chile. E-mail: laurapaninao@gmail.com (Pañinao-Monsálvez)
³Biodiversidad Chilena Ltda, Camino Las Vertientes, Colonia Kennedy 190a, Paine, Chile. E-mail: vicente.mvg@gmail.com (Guzmán)

Received 29 June 2020 / Accepted 6 April 2021
Communicated by Y. Miles Zhang

Acrocerid flies are endoparasitoids of spiders that are distributed in all ecosystems except deserts and
the poles. This group was historically classified into three subfamilies. However, molecular analyses have
indicated two new subfamilies. One of these is Cyrtinae Newman, which is made up of two clades: the
north, with Palearctic species, and the south, with Chilean species (except for the fossil genus Villalites
Hennig). In the southern clade, endemic genera Holops Philippi and Villalus Cole have been poorly
described over time by different authors. The aim of this study is to re-describe the known species of
Holops and Villalus and describe three new Holops species based on collected material: Holops grezi
sp. nov., Holops anarayae sp. nov., and Holops pullomen sp. nov. In addition, an identification species
key with updated distributions for all species and the first record of Villalus inanis from Argentina is also
provided. New species are mainly characterized by the length of flagellum; colors of the postocellar
lobe and thoracic segments, pilosity and legs; wing cells and veins, and shape of the abdomen. Holops
and Villalus do not share morphological traits with any other known extant genus of Acroceridae in the
southern hemisphere. The real biodiversity of this group must be evaluated with a molecular phylogeny in
the future. In addition, the new species in the Pehuén and Valdivian forest provinces, areas considered to
have been sheltered during the last glacial period, promoting speciation in several taxa. New and cryptic
Holops species open the doors to disentangling the real biodiversity of spider flies in Chile.

Key words: Holops, Maule province, Spider flies, Valdivian forest province, Pehuén and Valdivian districts.

Citation: Barahona-Segovia RM, Guzmán VV, Pañinao-Monsálvez L. 2021. Review of Chilean Cyrtinae (Diptera: Acroceridae) with the description of three new species and the first record of Villalus inanis from Argentina. Zool Stud 60:35. doi:10.6620/ZS.2021.60-35.