The killer flies Coenosia Meigen (Diptera: Muscidae) of southern South America: Resolving the taxonomic puzzle of Coenosia inaequalis Malloch, 1934

Abstract

The genus Coenosia Meigen, 1826 (Muscidae: Coenosiinae) is known from all biogeographic regions and is found at high altitudes and in different latitudinal zones. Adults and larvae are predaceous on other insects and some species exhibit sexual dimorphism which can hinder the identification and the association of conspecific specimens. Coenosia inaequalis Malloch, 1934 and Coenosia uniformis Malloch, 1934 are endemic to the Patagonian forest and were each described from a single female specimen. We integrated ecological samples with molecular identification to find the male counterpart of these female-based species. This integrated taxonomy was achieved by analyzing the frequency and co-occurrence of C. inaequalis with an unknown male morphospecies, and its subsequent evaluation with DNA barcoding. This has enabled a redescription of C. inaequalis to be made, with detailed images of the ultrastructural morphology of the terminalia of both sexes. We propose a new synonymy: C. uniformis as a new junior synonym of C. inaequalis.