Falakia craniata gen. et sp. nov. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 45D714EE-B4B1-4674-A7D1-0A9D1F6A67F0 Fig. 3 Diagnosis Thorax mostly yellow with three dorsal brown markings resembling a human skull. Wing membrane with macrotrichia at apical three quarters. Gonostylus with three nearly straight subapical spines on the dorsal most lobe. Tegmen quadrangular, with flat apex. Etymology The species epithet ‘ craniata ’ is derived from the Latin word ‘ cranis ’ meaning ‘skull’, referring to the thorax marked with dark patches resembling a skull shape. Type material Holotype CHINA – Sichuan Province • ♂; Hongya county, Mt Wawu; 29°40′0″ N, 102°58′0″ E; elev. 1650 m; 27 Jun. 2019; Tao Li leg.; Malaise trap; BIN BOLD: AEG3603; ZAFU, ZAFUSC195. Paratypes CHINA – Sichuan Province • 2 ♂♂; same data as for holotype; ZAFU, ZAFUSC292, ZAFUSC312 [currently not found]. Description Male Head brown. Antenna brown with basal three flagellomeres yellow. Maxillary palpus pale or yellow. Fourth antennal flagellomere 3.66 times as long as wide (Fig. 3D); neck shorter than broad; longest setae shorter than width of flagellomere. Thorax mostly yellow with three dorsal brown markings resembling a skull. Wing (Fig. 3F) length ~ 2.46 mm; R 1 /R = 1.67; bM 1.26 times as long as r-m; Sc reaching the level of Rs; R 1 long, joining C beyond the base of the M-fork; stM slightly shorter than M-fork; with macrotrichia at apical three quarters; anterior and posterior veins dark brown; stM weakly visible; bM with 2 setae; r-m with 6 setae; R, R 1, and R 4+5 setose; M 1, M 2, CuA 1, and CuA 2 with macrotrichia; anal vein faded. Legs yellow; fore tibial organ with a horseshoe-shaped patch of dark hairs (Fig. 3E); fore tibial spur much longer than tibial width; length of spur/width of foretibia = 1.57. Hypopygium (Fig. 3A–C) brown to yellowish brown; gonocoxite nearly as long as gonostylus; outer margin with sparse setosity; ventral mesial margin completely bare; apex of the gonocoxite with a long, differentiated seta. Gonostylus somewhat slender (Fig. 3A–C); slightly wider at base; with mesial side impressed at the apical two third; outer margin with very few setae; mesial margin with a throughout row of minute fine hairs; trilobed apex slightly curving inward, with short dark bristles, with three nearly straight subapical spines on the dorsal most lobe. Tegmen (Fig. 3A) membranous; slightly wider than high; quadrangular, with straight apex. Aedeagus long, with a Y-shaped fork. Distribution China (Sichuan) [Oriental, Palearctic]. Remarks See remarks section under Falakia bicolor gen. et sp. nov.

Published as part of Shah, Bismillah, Heller, Kai & Huang, Junhao, 2026, New insights into Chinese fungus gnats: description and molecular identification of Falakia gen. nov. (Diptera: Sciaridae) with six new species, pp. 201-225 in European Journal of Taxonomy 1034 on pages 210-212, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2026.1034.3167, http://zenodo.org/record/18351051